Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with some reviews of THE NOTEBOOK, the opening night film of the Seattle International Film Festival. I have two positive reviews for this flick below. I was hoping this one would be a winner. Jan Sardi wrote it and I had a hard time imagining the guy who wrote and directed LOVE'S BROTHER, one of my favorite glorious love story movies of the last few years (currently looking for distribution), would write a stinker love story. Here's the first review:
Hi Harry,
Longtime reader, first time poster. So I just walked back to my apartment after watching "The Notebook" at the Seattle Int'l Film Festival's Opening Night. I got a ticket for free through a coworker and decided to go, even though I didn't know very much about the movie. I knew it was sort of a romance based on a novel. I figured I wouldn't like it - I've only like a few romance movies/romantic comedies (with "Before Sunrise" being on top of the list).
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was preceded by some SIFF folks introducing the festival, but this preamble also included a brief talk by the screenwriter Jeremy Leven. I don't really remember what he said - mostly it was about how great SIFF was. Anyway, back to the film.
I'm going to keep spoilers to a minimum. Basically, it's a love story. It's sappy at times, but largely it's moving and often funny. It has quirky moments that I found added a bit of "real" touch - these really grounded the film and kept it from just being a tear-jerker.
The acting was solid, for the most part. I did think that some of the scenes between the young Noah (Ryan Gosling) and the young Alli (Rachel McAdams) were a bit stunted, but on the whole they were quite good. Their chemistry/passion was quite convincing. James Garner and Gena Rowlands were especially excellent. Their scenes yanked at my heart without me feeling cheated - I feel that a lot of tear-jerkers cheat the audience by tricking them into getting involved in characters' lives; lives which are actually empty, shallow and not worth the audience caring. But the love expressed in this movie seemed really genuine; it seemed that it truly came from someone's heart.
This is definitely a great date movie, especially with your sweetheart or one-true-love. But I'd be careful just taking anyone to this film - they might get the wrong idea afterwards. That said, seeing this movie by yourself could either reaffirm your faith in love or lead to a downward spiral of depression (vis-a-vis a lack of such passionate love). So be warned.
Call me pakiafro.
Now for the next one!
Hi, Harry. SIFF 2004 started tonight, and I wanted to send some thoughts about the film that took center stage. The wait was interminable -- a half hour outside, another half hour for everybody to find a seat, and yet more time spent listening to the huge list of sponsors. Anyway, it was worth the wait:
THE NOTEBOOK opens with a beautiful widescreen shot of a sunset, and a piercingly lovely piano piece from Aaron Zigman's score. Automatically, that part of my brain that tends to overcriticize is on full alert -- I've seen this kind of sun-dappled, lovelorn movie before. Too many times. I expected the worse. Which is why I was surprised by how effective the movie is, in doses, and how just-about-perfect the central relationship is.
Allie and Noah meet at the local fair. He jumps onto the ferris wheel, and dangles precariously in front of her chair until she agrees to a date. The next day when he comes to collect, shedenies it, of course, but in a flirty way. She may have some wrong-side-of-the-tracks notion about the guy because of her upbringing, but she can't help but love the attention.
What worked for me about this story is that these two people are in love, and they know it. It's real, they feel it, no pretentions. No waiting till it's too late to do anything about. They know it now. And, yes, I know that overall the film is sketchy and saccharine, has too many _moments_ (he teaches her to drive; they dance in the street) and doesn't know where to end. But, it put a lump in my throat. I'm a sucker for this kind of film, when it works, and the scenes between Ryan Gosling and the extremely fetching Rachel
McAdams (from MEAN GIRLS) where it's just the two of them exploring what it's like to be in love at 17 are romantic as hell. Even if it is only a Summer thing, and parents are going to eventually intrude (Joan Allen is a caricature as the unapproving mother), the courtship leading up to their first time together is just plain wonderful. McAdams handles that scene where her character is about to lose her virginity especially well; "I wanted this to be perfect, and not I just can't shut up." Gosling is terrific throughout. The second half of the film has a moment where Allie comes up on something in the home that Noah has completely remodeled ("like I promised") that takes her aback; it brought on the waterwoks something fierce.
The whole movie has a kind of a LIAR'S MOON feel to it, only minus the incest and pregnancy. I didn't like the wrap around scenes as much, with James Garner reading from said notebook to Gena Rowlands. There's one moment in particular, you'll know it when it happens, that is borderline funny (it's not supposed to be). Whenever Gosling and McAdams aren't on screen, I wanted them back. Also, the movie should have ended with that first fade to black.
Still, solid opening night. On to the next fifty flicks! I've got a migraine just thinking about it.
J-Man
