The Notebook is a 2004 American romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes. It was written by Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi, and based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks. The film features Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the 1940s. Their story is told by an elderly man reading from a notebook to another resident in a nursing home in the modern day.

The film first showed at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 20, 2004. It was released in U.S. theaters on June 25, 2004, by New Line Cinema. While critics had mixed opinions about the film, Gosling and McAdams received praise for their acting. The movie became an unexpected success at the box office, earning $118.3 million, which is much more than its $29 million budget. It has since become popular among fans. An extended version of the film, with additional scenes, was shown on ABC Family on November 11, 2012.

The film received several awards and honors. Gosling and McAdams won the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. James Garner was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Gena Rowlands, the director’s mother, won Best Supporting Actress – Drama at the 9th Golden Satellite Awards.

Plot

In the present day, an elderly man named Duke reads a romantic story from a notebook to a woman named Allie, who is staying in a nursing home. The story describes events that happened many years ago.

In 1940, at a carnival on Seabrook Island, South Carolina, a man named Noah Calhoun, who works at a lumber mill, sees a young woman named Allison "Allie" Hamilton, who is visiting the island for the summer. Noah tries to ask her to go out with him after spending time together, and they begin a romantic relationship.

As summer ends, Noah learns that Allie will leave Seabrook to attend college in New York. He takes her to a place called Windsor Plantation, where he shares his dream of fixing up its old house. After they spend time together, they are interrupted by a friend named Fin, who tells them that Allie’s parents are looking for her.

When Allie and Noah return to Allie’s family home, Allie’s mother, Anne, tells her she does not approve of the relationship and stops her from seeing Noah. Noah then says he does not see a future with Allie. Allie breaks up with him but later regrets her decision.

The next day, Anne announces they will return to Charleston earlier than planned. Allie goes to the lumber mill to apologize to Noah, but he is not there. She asks Fin to tell Noah she loves him. Noah arrives at Allie’s home after receiving the message, but he is too late.

For a year, Noah writes Allie letters every day. However, Allie’s mother stops the letters from reaching her. When the United States enters World War II, Noah and Fin join the military and fight in the Battle of the Bulge, where Fin is killed. Meanwhile, Allie works in a hospital, caring for injured soldiers, and meets a man named Captain Lon Hammond Jr., a lawyer from a wealthy family. After some time, Allie and Lon plan to marry, which makes Allie’s parents happy.

After the war, Noah returns to find that his father sold their home so Noah could buy the Windsor Plantation. Soon after, Noah’s father dies, and Noah begins fixing up the house. Later, while trying on her wedding dress, Allie sees a newspaper photo of Noah standing in front of the repaired house and faints.

Allie’s feelings for Noah return, so she travels to Seabrook alone before her wedding. There, she finds Noah living at the plantation. Noah tells Allie about the letters he sent her, and Allie realizes her mother had kept them from her. They restart their relationship and spend time together.

A few days later, Anne arrives to warn Allie that Lon has come to Seabrook. She shares that she once loved a man from a lower social class and wonders what her life might have been like if she had chosen differently. Anne gives Allie the letters Noah wrote, which she had kept, and tells Allie to make the choice she believes is right.

Back at the plantation, Allie argues with Noah, and he tells her to decide based on what she truly wants. After reading the letters, Allie returns to her hotel, cries, and confesses her relationship with Noah to Lon. Lon still wants to marry her, but Allie follows her heart and returns to Noah.

In the present, Allie is revealed to be the elderly woman in the nursing home, who has dementia. Duke is actually Noah, who uses a different name to avoid confusing Allie. The book he reads to her is Allie’s journal, which records their life together so she can remember him. Noah has kept his promise to read it to her every day.

Near the end of the journal, Allie recognizes Noah, and they embrace. They dance to their song, "I’ll Be Seeing You," and Allie asks about their children. However, Allie’s dementia returns, and she panics, thinking Noah is a stranger. She is sedated. Later, Noah has a heart attack, and Allie is moved to a dementia ward. After recovering, Noah sneaks into Allie’s room at night. Allie recognizes him, and they kiss. The next morning, their bodies are found together, holding hands.

Cast

• Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun (young) • James Garner as Duke / Noah in his older years
• Rachel McAdams as Allison "Allie" Calhoun (formerly known as Hamilton), Noah's wife • Gena Rowlands as Allie in her older years
• Sam Shepard as Frank Calhoun, Noah's father
• Joan Allen as Anne Hamilton, Allie's mother
• James Marsden as Lon Hammond Jr.
• Kevin Connolly as Fin
• David Thornton as John Hamilton, Allie's father
• Jamie Brown as Martha Shaw
• Heather Wahlquist as Sara Tuffington
• Ed Grady as Harry
• Obba Babatunde as Bandleader
• Starletta DuPois as Nurse Esther
• Paul Johansson as Anne Hamilton's ex-boyfriend (uncredited)
• Chubbs as Abner, a domesticated pig

Production

The film rights to Nicholas Sparks' novel were bought by New Line Cinema in 1996, with producer Mark Johnson helping. Jeremy Leven was hired to write the script. This script caught the attention of director Steven Spielberg in 1998, who wanted Tom Cruise to play Noah Calhoun. However, Spielberg had other projects to work on, so Jim Sheridan was chosen to direct the next year. M. Night Shyamalan was also asked to direct but could not because of his work on The Sixth Sense. Filming was planned to start in 1999 but was delayed due to script changes. Sheridan left the project in October 2000 to work on In America. Martin Campbell talked about directing in March 2001, but he was replaced by Nick Cassavetes a year later.

Early in the development, George Clooney was considered for Noah, and Paul Newman was thought to play the older Noah. However, after watching some of Paul Newman’s movies, Clooney said Newman did not look like him.

Cassavetes wanted an unknown actor who was not considered handsome to play Noah. He chose Ryan Gosling for the role. Hayden Christensen was also considered for the part. Gosling was surprised at first: "I read the script and thought, 'He must be crazy. I don’t think I’m right for this movie.'" He later said the role gave him a chance to play a character over many years, which was meaningful. To prepare, Gosling moved to Charleston, South Carolina, before filming. He spent two months rowing on the Ashley River and making furniture.

When James Garner was asked to play the older Noah, he first thought the script was for a TV movie. After reading it again, he realized it had a universal story. A nationwide search was made to find the right actress for Allie. Many actresses auditioned, including Jessica Biel, Britney Spears, Jaime King, Jane McGregor, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Beckinsale, Kate Bosworth, Amy Adams, Mandy Moore, Scarlett Johansson, Claire Danes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ashley Judd, and Reese Witherspoon. The choice was narrowed down to Britney Spears and Rachel McAdams, with McAdams winning the role. Cassavetes said, "When Rachel McAdams read for the part, it was clear she was the right choice. She and Ryan had great chemistry." McAdams said, "I thought it would be a dream to do this. I read the script and went to the audition two days later. It was a good way to prepare." Gosling said, "I think it’s fair to say we wouldn’t have made the film without Rachel. Allie drives the story. It all depended on finding the right actress."

Compared to the book, the role of Allie was expanded. McAdams spent time in Charleston before filming to learn about the setting. She took ballet and etiquette classes and worked with a dialect coach to learn a Southern accent. Bradley Cooper was considered for Lon Hammond, but the studio wanted Cole Hauser. James Marsden was eventually cast.

The Notebook was mostly filmed in South Carolina and near Montreal, Canada. Production offices were set up at the old Charleston Naval Shipyard in North Charleston.

Most of the film’s story takes place in and around Seabrook Island, a real town in South Carolina. However, no scenes were filmed in Seabrook itself. Instead, locations nearby were used. The house Noah is seen fixing is a private home on Wadmalaw Island, which is closer to Charleston. The house was not in poor condition but was made to look that way using special effects. The film mentions Francis Marion, a South Carolina hero, but neither the house nor Seabrook was his home. His plantation was actually located northwest of Charleston. Boone Hall Plantation was used as Allie’s summer house.

Many scenes set in Seabrook were filmed in Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston. Other locations included Edisto Island and Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, where trained birds were brought in from other places.

The nursing home scenes were filmed at Rice Hope Plantation in Georgetown County. The college briefly shown in the film is identified as Sarah Lawrence College, but the campus seen is actually the College of Charleston.

Reception

The film was released on June 25, 2004, in the United States and Canada. It earned $13.5 million from 2,303 theaters during its first weekend, placing it in fourth place at the box office. Worldwide, the film earned $115.6 million, with $81 million from Canada and the United States and $34.6 million from other countries. It is the 15th highest-grossing romantic drama film of all time.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, 54% of 182 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average score of 5.7 out of 10. The website’s critics said, “It is easy to appreciate its heartfelt emotions, but the film is too forced in its emotional moments to avoid overused dramatic elements.” Metacritic gave the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 34 critics, which means reviews were mixed or average. Audiences who watched the film gave it an average grade of “A” on a scale from A+ to F.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the film, giving it three-and-a-half stars out of four. He called the photography “striking in its rich, saturated effects” and said the actors had “good material.” Peter Lowry of Film Threat gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of five. He praised the performances of Gosling and McAdams, saying they “give all-star performances” and “finish the audience off with some touching scenes.” He added that the film is “a surprisingly good film that manages to succeed where many other romantic films fail.”

Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying the scenes between young lovers had “the same seething tension” as in a film from 40 years ago. Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post also gave the film a positive review, praising Gosling and McAdams’ performances. She said they were “suitably attractive and appealing” and called Gosling’s performance “particularly convincing.” She added that the film is a “must-see summer movie” for fans of romantic films.

William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer praised McAdams’ performance but criticized Gosling’s, saying he “just doesn’t have the kind of star power or chemistry with McAdams to anchor this kind of film.” He also said the film “doesn’t completely work on its own terms.” Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe gave the film two-and-a-half stars, praising the cast’s performances. He said McAdams was “soulfully committed” and Gosling was “adept at playing intense characters.” He added that the film’s older scenes felt “dark, morbid, and forced.”

Jessica Winter of The Village Voice gave the film a mixed review, saying the older actors “lend a magnanimous credibility to their scenes.” Robert Koehler of Variety also gave the film a mixed review but praised Gosling and McAdams’ performances. He said Gosling “extends his range to pure romance” and McAdams gave a “different performance” from her earlier role.

In June 2010, Entertainment Weekly listed Allie and Noah as two of the “100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years.” The publication also included the film in its list of the “25 Sexiest Movies Ever.” Us Weekly listed the film as one of the “30 Most Romantic Movies of All Time.” Boston.com ranked the film as the third Top Romantic Movie. The film appeared on Moviefone’s list of the “25 Best Romance Movies of All Time.” Marie Claire included the film in its list of the “12 Most Romantic Movie Scenes of All Time.” In 2011, the film was named the best chick-flick during a television special by ABC News and People. The scene where Noah climbs the Ferris Wheel to ask Allie on a date was listed by Total Film as one of the “50 Most Romantic Movie Moments of All Time.” The kiss in the rain was ranked No. 4 in Total Film’s list of the “50 Best Movie Kisses.” In 2025, the film was one of the films voted for in The New York Times’ “Readers’ Choice” edition of “The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century,” finishing at number 296.

Home media

The movie The Notebook was made available on VHS and DVD on February 8, 2005, and on Blu-ray on May 4, 2010. By February 2010, the film had sold more than 11 million copies on DVD.

In February 2019, people who use the UK version of Netflix noticed that the movie on the streaming service had a different ending than the original version. This ending was less emotional and more cheerful. Netflix explained that the different version was sent to them by mistake and quickly replaced it with the original ending.

Television series

On August 11, 2015, it was reported that The CW was planning a new television series. The show would follow the romantic relationship between Noah and Allie after the events of the film, set in the world after World War II. As of April 2026, there have been no updates about the series.

Stage musical

On January 3, 2019, Ingrid Michaelson announced she would write the music and lyrics for a musical version of The Notebook, with Bekah Brunstetter writing the book. Sparks will also be a producer, along with Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch.

The musical was first planned to open in fall 2020 but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the delay, Michaelson and Brunstetter held online previews and made changes to their work.

The musical opened on September 6, 2022, at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and received mostly positive reviews. Stephen Oxman of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "I was not expecting to fall in love with The Notebook, but I have." He added that the musical improved upon the original story while keeping its spirit. Jonathan Abarbanel of Theater Mania noted that the musical used the novel as its base instead of the movie. He also mentioned that the story was changed to take place in the late 1960s, so Noah leaves for the Vietnam War instead of World War II. The production closed on October 30, 2022.

In August 2023, it was announced that the show would open on Broadway in spring 2024 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The musical opened on March 14, 2024, with a cast that included Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, and John Cardoza as Younger Noah.