What a HILARIOUS movie.
It's a love story that starts when they're teens, meets up again when they're in their 20s, and is narrated as a story being told when they're old farts. Between this film and "The Believer," Ryan Gosling is proving to be a young actor to look out for. He's actually really good and nearly carries the movie.
For the first half hour of "The Notebook," I was convinced it might actually be a decent film. I'm a sucker for good teenage romance movies (especially ones that take place in interesting eras). Well, to be honest, I think probably the only teenage romance movie I like is "Man In The Moon," but still. I'm receptive to the idea.
But after the movie gets out of the "teenage lust" stage, it starts to get weird. The writing deteriorates, and the movie gets more cliche. I saw this with a friend who kept laughing all through the movie, and I kept turning to ask her what the hell was so funny. But about halfway through, I was just laughing along with her, because it really was getting dumb.
It's one of those movies you can go see with your friends when you're in a giggly mood and "Mystery Science Theater" it. There are plenty of those opportunities where a character will say something, then there's a pause just long enough for you to insert your own witty retort. Not to mention a bunch of those laughable moments that are supposed to be serious (like in "The Butterfly Effect," when he has prosthetic arms and crushes a granola bar while he's trying to eat it).
Overall, it's not horrible. But if you've got some friends and you're in a giggly mood, I would seriously suggest checking it out. Most people left the theater in tears from the cliche and predictable ending; we left with tears from laughing.
