The Notebook — The Rewatchables Tracker

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Overall episode#82Source sheet order

Movie year20042000s

Tomatometer55%Critics’ score

Metacritic53View score

Roger Ebert—No review recorded

DirectorNick CassavetesRomance / Drama

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

A highly emotional, strongly favorable discussion of The Notebook as a defining romance movie powered by Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling’s chemistry, with repeated praise for its tearjerker scenes and old-age framing, alongside criticism of its racial portrayal, dementia depiction, and some timeline/logic issues.

Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

In this conversation

Juliet Litman

Amanda DobbinsAndrew Gruttadaro

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

01The young Noah/Allie street-dance first date is presented as one of the most romantic scenes of the 21st century. About 8 min
02The birds-and-reincarnation montage and 'if you're a bird, I'm a bird' exchange is unforgettable and memeable. About 8 min
03The reunion scene with 'I wrote you every day for a year' and 'it still isn't over' is treated as the movie’s iconic payoff. About 8 min
04The film’s chemistry and sex scene keep drawing the hosts back to the movie. About 8 min
05The old Noah/Allie framing gives the younger story emotional weight and makes the ending more affecting on repeat viewings. About 32 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

majorThe portrayal of race in the movie is described as horrific and very poor. About 32 min
moderateThe wartime scenes feel unnecessary and poorly handled. About 32 min
majorThe film’s dementia/Alzheimer’s portrayal is not believable or accurate. About 32 min
moderateAllie’s father and the film’s Southern-elite social world are portrayed in a cartoonish way. About 32 min
moderateThe timeline for the house restoration and engagement/wedding is confusing and implausible. About 56 min
moderateEarly Noah and Allie seem physically aggressive in a way that looks unhealthy. About 56 min
minorThe ending feels abrupt to the hosts who want one more young Noah/Allie moment. About 56 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

Street-dance first date

Noah and Allie lie in the street and then dance, establishing their chemistry in an iconic romantic moment.

About 8 min

Favorite

Birds / 'if you're a bird, I'm a bird' montage

The love montage culminates in the bird exchange that became a meme and a tearjerker.

About 8 min

positive

Fence crash / first house visit

Allie awkwardly arrives at Noah’s restored house, crashes into the fence, and stays.

About 8 min

Favorite

Dock reunion and 'I wrote you every day'

Allie learns Noah wrote to her every day and the scene builds to 'it wasn't over' and their kiss/sex scene.

About 8 min

positive

Ferris wheel sequence

Noah and Allie’s Ferris wheel sequence is liked, though one host notes it happens too early to catch on cable often.

About 16 min

mixed

Older Noah reading to older Allie

The elderly framing device is seen as emotionally effective by some and unnecessary by others.

About 56 min

critical

Wedding-dress / engagement sequence

Joan Allen’s scheming mother role and the wedding preparation feel exaggerated and strange to the hosts.

About 48 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They agreed About 16 min

Most rewatchable scene

Amanda Dobbins
The dock reunion and 'it still isn't over' sequence is the clear winner.

Andrew Gruttadaro
Agrees that the dock reunion is the most rewatchable, though he also loves the first-date fight/kiss energy.

Juliet Litman
Leans toward the reunion scene after considering the other nominees.

They partly agreed About 48 min

Rachel McAdams’s apex mountain

Amanda Dobbins
Emotionally, The Notebook may be her peak; objectively, Wedding Crashers is probably the career apex.

Andrew Gruttadaro
Argues The Notebook is the objective apex because it combines with Mean Girls to define her image.

Juliet Litman
Suggests her very public chemistry and fame may make The Notebook the more consequential peak.

They agreed About 32 min

Whether the old-people framing works

Amanda Dobbins
It works and makes her cry.

Andrew Gruttadaro
It works because it adds gravitas.

Juliet Litman
Thinks it works even if some listeners may disagree.

They partly agreed About 48 min

Joan Allen’s performance

Amanda Dobbins
The Southern-mom accent and body language are too much in the early scenes.

Andrew Gruttadaro
Finds the evil-parent energy fun and effective.

They partly agreed About 32 min

Ryan Gosling’s performance style

Amanda Dobbins
Recognizes his intense method tendencies but likes the charm side better.

Andrew Gruttadaro
Sees his yelling and intensity as part of the performance’s source code.

20 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers

very favorableRyan GoslingJuliet Litman: Praised as magnetic, hot, and crucial to the movie’s chemistry; also discussed as a methody, intense performer. Opening minutes very favorableRachel McAdamsAmanda Dobbins: Praised for charisma, charm, and matching Gosling’s energy; seen as a major reason the movie works. Opening minutes

favorableJames MarsdenJuliet Litman: Praised as likable and affecting as Lon Hammond Jr., making the rival suitor sympathetic. Opening minutes

mixedJoan AllenAmanda Dobbins: Praised for later emotional work but criticized for an exaggerated Southern-mom performance. Opening minutes

favorableGina RowlandsJuliet Litman: Admired as part of the old-age storyline and discussed as a strong presence. About 24 min · medium confidence

favorableJames GarnerAmanda Dobbins: Praised as charming and effective in carrying the elderly Noah storyline. About 24 min

favorableSam ShepardJuliet Litman: Mentioned as an elegant, charming presence in the parental role. About 24 min · medium confidence

mixedNicholas SparksJuliet Litman: Credited with creating the source novel and inspiring a beach-romance industry, though the hosts do not especially want to read him. Opening minutes

favorableNick CassavetesAmanda Dobbins: Praised for making the movie’s best film and for casting Gosling and McAdams well. About 16 min

criticalKevin ConnellyAmanda Dobbins: Mocked as a weak performer and a dated cultural marker via Entourage. About 40 min

mixedPaul JohanssonJuliet Litman: Noted as a random cameo whose presence feels odd in retrospect. About 40 min

favorableMandy MooreAmanda Dobbins: Mentioned positively as part of the earlier Nicholas Sparks adaptation wave. Opening minutes · medium confidence

neutralMiley CyrusJuliet Litman: Mentioned as part of the later Sparks adaptation era. Opening minutes · low confidence

neutralChanning TatumJuliet Litman: Mentioned as part of the later Nicholas Sparks film wave. Opening minutes · low confidence neutralKevin CostnerAmanda Dobbins: Referenced as a star of Message in a Bottle in the earlier Sparks wave. Opening minutes · medium confidence

neutralAldis HodgeJuliet Litman: Mentioned only in sponsor copy for another show. About 40 min · low confidence

neutralKevin BaconJuliet Litman: Mentioned only in sponsor copy for another show. About 40 min · low confidence

neutralEmile HirschAmanda Dobbins: Mentioned in passing while discussing Alpha Dog. About 40 min · low confidence

neutralTom CruiseAmanda Dobbins: Mentioned as a hypothetical earlier casting choice for Noah. About 40 min · medium confidence neutralReese WitherspoonJuliet Litman: Mentioned as a rumored Ally casting possibility. About 40 min · medium confidence

11 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

the street-dance first date

Calls it one of the most romantic scenes of the 21st century and the purest expression of the couple’s chemistry.

About 8 min

Andrew GruttadaroLoved it

the reunion and dock confrontation

Treats the reunion/line-reading sequence as the film’s most iconic emotional payoff.

About 8 min

Juliet LitmanLoved it

The Notebook as a whole

Frames the film as emotionally frazzling and prepares to be overwhelmed by it.

Opening minutes

Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Rachel McAdams

Says McAdams’ charm and energy make the movie work and elevate the performance beyond the stereotype.

About 8 min

Andrew GruttadaroLoved it

Ryan Gosling

Describes Gosling as magnetic, hot, and the source of many of the movie’s great lines.

About 8 min

Amanda DobbinsLiked it

James Marsden

Argues he makes the rival love interest surprisingly sympathetic and likable.

About 32 min

Amanda DobbinsLiked it

Rachel McAdams

Calls McAdams her likely apex-mountain choice because of the movie’s cultural impact and her continued charm.

About 48 min

Andrew GruttadaroLiked it

Ryan Gosling

Credits Gosling with setting the tone of the romance and making the relationship’s energy work.

About 56 min

Amanda DobbinsLiked it

the elderly epilogue

Says the old-people framing makes her cry and gives the film emotional power.

About 56 min

Juliet LitmanLiked it

Nick Cassavetes’s direction

Credits Cassavetes for nailing the key casting choices and likely making his best film.

About 16 min

Andrew GruttadaroMixed

Joan Allen

Finds her Southern-mom villain performance entertaining and over-the-top rather than subtle.

About 48 min

5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Chemistry as the engine of the movie

The hosts argue that the film lives or dies on Gosling and McAdams’s ability to bounce off each other.

About 8 min

The movie as a defining romance text for a generation

They connect its rise to early internet meme culture and college-age repetition.

About 8 min

Nicholas Sparks as an industry

They treat The Notebook as the high point of a beach-romance wave that influenced later Sparks adaptations.

Opening minutes

Old love gives weight to young love

The framing device with elderly Noah and Allie is seen as giving gravitas to the earlier romance.

About 32 min

Romance and boundary-crossing

They repeatedly note how the movie romanticizes behavior that would be creepy or unhealthy in real life.

About 1:04

25 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams reportedly did not get along well on set, despite their onscreen chemistry.

About 16 min · medium confidence

Production note

The film was shot before Mean Girls but released later, contributing to Rachel McAdams’s double breakout year.

Opening minutes

Production note

Ryan Gosling reportedly moved to South Carolina before filming to get comfortable with the terrain.

About 40 min · medium confidence

Production note

Ryan Gosling reportedly made furniture to prepare for the role.

About 56 min · medium confidence

Production note

The movie won Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards and the actors reenacted the kiss onstage.

About 8 min

Production note

The film reportedly had an alternate Netflix ending with the old couple simply going to bed together.

About 1:04 · medium confidence

Production note

Nick Cassavetes is Gina Rowlands’s son and John Cassavetes’s son.

About 16 min

Disputed in the episode

The hosts believe the house renovation appears impossible to complete in the time shown.

About 56 min

Production note

The movie’s depiction of the South includes racially offensive elements and stereotyped social spaces.

About 32 min

Production note

The old couple ending is the point where at least one host starts crying.

About 56 min

Mean Girls

Used to situate Rachel McAdams’s breakout run and the film’s release timing.

Opening minutes

Wedding Crashers

Used as the next major stop in Rachel McAdams’s career run.

Opening minutes

Message in a Bottle

Cited as an earlier Nicholas Sparks adaptation with Kevin Costner.

Opening minutes

A Walk to Remember

Mentioned as another Nicholas Sparks adaptation starring Mandy Moore.

Opening minutes

Dear John

Named as part of the later Nicholas Sparks-adaptation wave.

Opening minutes

The Last Song

Named as part of the later Nicholas Sparks-adaptation wave.

Opening minutes

The Lake House

Compared to The Notebook as another waterlogged romance with a speculative premise.

Opening minutes

Titanic

Used as a comparison for the old-people ending and the movie’s romantic fatalism.

About 32 min

Something's Gotta Give

Referenced while discussing Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves.

About 32 min · medium confidence

The Social Network

Used as an example of Justin Timberlake’s later acting success.

About 40 min · medium confidence

Alpha Dog

Mentioned in discussing Justin Timberlake and Nick Cassavetes’s later work.

About 40 min · medium confidence

One Tree Hill

Used to connect the film’s Carolina setting and Paul Johansson’s TV-villain persona.

About 40 min

Dawson's Creek

Used to identify Oba Babatunde and situate the bandleader casting.

About 48 min · medium confidence

Grey's Anatomy

Used as a personal comparison point for Alzheimer’s depiction.

About 32 min · medium confidence

The Matrix

Mentioned only in the Luminary ad read for another podcast.

About 40 min · low confidence

10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

Bird line / meme culture

The hosts keep returning to 'if you're a bird, I'm a bird' as both a sincere romance line and an internet meme.

About 8 min

Old people in love

A repeated affection for the elderly Noah/Allie device becomes a mini-argument over whether it is essential or skippable.

About 32 min

Ryan Gosling yelling lines

The hosts note that Gosling’s performance style includes sudden shouted emphasis.

About 24 min

The house-restoration logistics

They joke and argue about how Noah could possibly restore the house alone and stock the art room.

About 56 min

Southern-heritage overstatement

Several jokes and critiques circle around exaggerated Southern accents, class, and plantation imagery.

About 32 min

Speaker not identified

“If you're a bird, I'm a bird”

About 8 min

Speaker not identified

“It wasn't over. It still isn't over.”

About 8 min

Speaker not identified

“I want all of you forever”

About 24 min

Speaker not identified

“The chemistry between Gosling and McAdams”

About 16 min

Andrew Gruttadaro

“I don't do accents, kid”

About 56 min · medium confidence

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where The Notebook is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before The Notebook, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.

ON THE MIC

3 voices on this episode

Juliet LitmanThe Rewatchables

Amanda DobbinsThe Rewatchables

Andrew GruttadaroThe Rewatchables

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