Just when the major studios are revving up to unleash their big budget summer block busters stuffed with comic book heroes and villains, spies and robots, a hit man and a spooky village, "The Notebook" breezes into the theaters on the last gust of spring with its unabashed romanticism.

Based on the best seller by Nicholas Spark, screenwriter Jan Scardi and director Nick Cassavetes (Gena Rowland’s son) let the simple plot with its homespun dialogue and honest portrait of two people hopelessly in love speak for itself. Gena Rowlands and James Garner make the most of their brief time on screen as the elder Allie and Noah Calhoun, making each moment count in the short time they will have left together. Allie has Alzheimer’s. Duke savors her occasional spark of recognition, but most of the time Allie sees Duke as a gentleman caller. On his visits he reads her a story about two young people destined to spend their lives together. It’s their love story.

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams sparkle as the youthful Noah and Allie who meet while Allie is on holiday at her mother’s ancestral home in a sleepy town in North Carolina in the late 1930s. She is from money. He is not. He is persistent and bold. She is intrigued. Noah’s honest emotion unexpectedly draws her closer to him than she could ever have imagined. A simple summer idyll turns into a passionate romance that will transcend time.

Harking back to the golden age of cinema, director Cassavetes manages to compress the lives of his lovers and the obstacles that befall them into a cinematic time that never feels forced or rushed. Relying more on the themes of love found, lost and renewed, he guides his characters through the stages of their early lives from Noah’s infatuation through a separation designed as much by Allie’s mother as the outbreak of WWII.

One of the wonderful things about "The Notebook" is the parallel the filmmakers draw between the dreams of parents and those of their children. The richness of Noah’s life is seen as a reflection, not only of his father’s working class roots, but his generosity of spirit. Frank Calhoun (Sam Shepard) defies the definition of a stereotypical Southerner. He enjoys literature, music, and the company of his neighbors regardless of race. Ryan Gosling captures the essence of Noah’s upbringing. His easy manner fills every look and gesture with an unspoken dialogue that communicates his feelings. Gosling makes Noah’s dreams tangible. When Noah expresses his wish to restore a historic lakefront house, it is natural that one of Allie’s dreams would be incorporated into his own. Allie wants a sun filled room where she can paint in solitude. Her artistic soul meshes with Noah’s heart and their mutual dreams become one and the same. At least until Allie’s mother interferes. Joan Allen is wonderfully enigmatic as a smothering mother who only wants what’s best for her daughter. Often she appears cold and heartless until she reveals her motives to her daughter in one of the movie’s dramatic high points. World War II brings another suitor (James Marsden) more to her mother’s liking. But the post war period brings a period of renewal and renewed interest in the resurrection of a historic house. The press and fate step in to bring Noah and Allie together bringing "The Notebook" to its logical conclusion.

"The Notebook" may be predictable, but the emotional response I had to this heartfelt film was not.

Copyright 2004

"Shine" (1996) - Dir. Scott Hicks: True story about pianist David Helfgott, a child prodigy driven insane by his overbearing father’s (Armin Mueller-Satahl) demand for perfection. The then unknown Geoffrey Rush, won a well deserved Oscar as the adult David who finds love where he least expects it. With the equally amazing Noah Taylor as the young Helfgott.

"Murphy’s Romance" (1985) - Garner got an Oscar nomination in a tailor made role for his easy going screen persona as a widowed pharmacist wooed by a relocated single parent divorcee played by Sally Field in a small western town. Directed by Martin Ritt who guided Sally to an Oscar in 1979’s "Norma Rae."

"Minnie and Moskowitz" (1971) - Directed by husband John Cassavetes, Rowland is Minnie, a museum curator cast adrift after a long term affair with a married man. Seyomour Cassel is Moskowitz, a wacky parking lot attendant who does everything he can to win her love. Played to perfection by both stars, this is one of Cassavetes’ most accessible films.

DIR = NICK CASSAVETES - SON OF JOHN AND GENA ROWLANDS

RYAN GOSLING = NOAH CALHOUN

Remember the titans - 2000

MURDER BY NUMBERS 2002

RACHEL McADAMS = ALLIE HAMILTON - MEAN GIRLS 2004 HOT CHICK 2002

JAMES MARSDEN - LON HAMMOND = XMEN 1 & 2 AS CYCLOPS - SCOTT SUMMER