My wife and I watched this movie when it was first released and enjoyed it whilst acknowledging its manipulative aspects. I do get the bad reviews. We watched it again today while in lockdown due to coronavirus. We are now in our late 70s. For us the subject of the central relationship was very close to home both in the development of the love of the central characters and in the enduring nature of that love in their twilight years. It's easy to be cynical about a movie such as this but, boy, does it pack a punch when you've lived it.

Prior to watching "The Notebook," I was not familiar with the work of the actress Rachel McAdams. She made an indelible impression by sustaining an outstanding performance in this film. Her character Allie is the pivotal role in the film, as she must make the crucial romantic decision on which the story turns. There are few performers capable of evolving the complexity of characterization as achieved by Rachel McAdams.

The film recreated effectively the world of the 1940s in America, including the parental pressure exerted by the well-to-do family of Allie on whether to allow their daughter to pursue a young man from the other side of the tracks. As played by Ryan Gosling, the character of Noah could have revealed more emotional layers. There was only one scene in the film where he really showed that there was something at stake in his love for Allie. He apparently wrote her a passionate letter every day for a year. Especially in the film's early scenes, Gosling could have shown more of the passion.

The other cast members were outstanding, including James Garner and Gena Rowlands in the parallel story. In the two plots, "The Notebook" merits comparison with another outstanding romantic film, "The Bridges of Madison County." As the two subplots of "The Notebook" come together, one of the key characters is Allie's mother. As always, Joan Allen delivers a convincing and complete character portrayal, as the well-intentioned, but conflicted mother. In one of the most moving scenes in the film, the mother opens up to the daughter and tells her story of youthful love and a fateful choice similar to the one Allie herself must face.

My favorite scene in the film: a wonderful sequence where Noah and Allie are in a boat in the backwaters of South Carolina. The waterway is simply filled with white geese. It is a stunning and picturesque moment, among many in this well-crafted film. If there is such a spot in South Carolina, then I want to go there!

Nothing new...... you would have seen this story a hundred times. But what elevates this movie from others in the genre is the performances by Ryan Gosling and Rachel Mcadams . You truly believe they are in love.

That's why the part of the movie set during the 1940s works. What doesn't work is the modern day story set in a hospital. It just feels distracting , butting in the middle. All the time you're just itching to get back to the story in 1940s. It also leads to a long drawn ending where you wish they had ended the movie long before.

The notebook maybe overly sentimental and manipulative for some. But it is not cynical in it's portrayal of romance. It truly believes in the story it tells.