The Notebook

A timeless love story unfolds across decades, exploring the power of memory and devotion.

Critics admire the film's unabashed sentimentality and strong lead performances, but find it clumsily manipulative and reliant on melodramatic clichés.

• Duke reads the romance to an old woman in a nursing home, framing the whole story.
• Noah writes 365 letters and rebuilds his life for Allie across decades.
• Older Allie has dementia and the story is recounted within that condition.

• Message in a Bottleshared melodramatic romance tones, era-spanning love story, sweeping sentimentality
• A River Runs Through Itshared period romance with class barriers and tragic devotion, lush romantic drama register
• Legends of the Fallshared sweeping romantic melodrama with wartime separation and enduring devotion
• Splendor in the Grassshared young forbidden love confronting adult authority, high-emotion teen romance

Director

Nick Cassavetes

Release Date

2004-06-25

Runtime

123 min

Rating

7.9 / 10 (13007)

What is The Notebook about?

A poor young man and a wealthy young woman fall passionately in love in 1940s South Carolina, only to be torn apart by class and war, while an elderly man reads their story to a woman with dementia.

What is The Notebook like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Notebook as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is The Notebook violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Notebook.

What did critics think of The Notebook?

Critics admire the film's unabashed sentimentality and strong lead performances, but find it clumsily manipulative and reliant on melodramatic clichés.

Which films are like The Notebook?

Films with a similar feel include Message in a Bottle, A River Runs Through It, Legends of the Fall, and Splendor in the Grass.

How long is The Notebook?

The Notebook runs 123 minutes.

Where can I watch The Notebook?

In United States, The Notebook streams on Pluto TV.