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The Notebook

The Notebook

Behind every great love is a great story.

2004123 minPG-13Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Director
Nick Cassavetes
Starring
Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands, James Garner

An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Notebook?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Notebook streaming on Pluto TV (free) and to rent or buy on Apple TV.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Notebook?

The Notebook earns 14 badges, led by Modern classic and Top 5% of films.

Show 6 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Notebook worth watching?

The Notebook's Midcredits score is the 96th percentile of all films, from 3.7M ratings across 6 sources. 85% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

96th percentile

Better received than 96% of films

96th percentile among Drama95th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)93rd
Approval (how many liked it)95th

77 /100

93rd percentile of all films

95th percentile among Drama94th percentile among 2000s

Critics 53 · Audience 78

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

85% liked it

95th percentile of all films

95th percentile among Drama95th percentile among 2000s
85% rated it 7–1015% rated it 1–6

Critics 55% · Audience 85%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 11 wins / 10 noms overall

99th percentile

3.7M ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 16% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$29M
Opening weekend$13M
Domestic gross$81M
Worldwide gross$123M

Returned 4.2× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a straightforward, formulaic tearjerker that relies on heightened emotion rather than realism.

Fans praised

  • electric chemistry between Gosling and McAdams
  • deeply moving portrait of lifelong devotion and dementia
  • beautiful 1940s period detail and lush cinematography

Detractors panned

  • manipulative, cliched rich-girl-poor-boy melodrama
  • toxic relationship dynamics romanticized as passion
  • predictable plot with contrived obstacles and sappy ending

What stands out

Cinematography80

lush 1940s visuals, beautiful scenery, and sun-drenched palette

ActingDivisive78

Gosling and McAdams have magnetic chemistry; Rowlands and Garner praised for poignant elder performances

Emotional impactDivisive75

fans report heavy crying and deep catharsis; detractors call it manipulative

Atmosphere75

immersive Southern summer romance and poignant nursing home setting

EndingDivisive60

split verdict: fans find bittersweet resolution deeply satisfying, detractors deride it as contrived

CharactersDivisive55

Allie and Noah seen as archetypes rather than fully realized; some call them shallow or flat

Plot and storyDivisive40

formulaic rich-girl-poor-boy arc with predictable twists and contrived separation

Originality25

acknowledged as a recycled star-crossed lovers template with no fresh twists

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 5 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 5 points apart
  • Critics vs users 4 points apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Notebook like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and bittersweet: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want a story that moves you and leaves an ache.

It takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Moving and bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: Moods
RomanticBittersweetMelancholic
Heaviest: late
Warm humor
Register
Romantic · 8% of filmsSentimental · 8% of films
Told as
Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.
ToneThe film treats its love story with earnest emotional intensity, never winking at the audience.
The rideThe film sustains a romantic, often bittersweet register, with its emotional peak in the final act as dementia and mortality take center stage.
StructureThe film uses a present-day frame where an elderly man reads a story, and the film cuts between the reading and the depicted past events.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

The answer rests on this: BittersweetHaunting · 14% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves the viewer with the emotional weight of a love that lasts a lifetime but is lost to dementia; it's both beautiful and sad.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Rebirth
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13% (this title): Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2% (this title)
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Rebirth: A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed. · Second chance: A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).

13% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeThe story follows two lovers from different social classes who are separated and later reunited, with Allie's choice between her fiancé and Noah; it follows a pattern of loss and second chance.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfRomanticlove
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Romantic love · 15% of filmsMemory · 3% of filmsFamily bonds
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about a love that endures through class conflict, time, and dementia, with memory as the fragile vessel that holds it together.
StanceThe film wholeheartedly celebrates the power and endurance of romantic love, presenting it as life's ultimate value.

The world

Mid 20th centuryRuralDomesticInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral classicalJazzForeground music · hybrid · Aaron Zigman
SettingSeabrook, South Carolina and a present-day nursing home
MusicThe piano theme underscores the romance, while period jazz cues evoke the 1940s setting.

Content guide

Is The Notebook okay for kids?

PG-13

The Notebook is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for some sexuality” (MPAA). As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at mild (29/100), sexual content at intense (61/100), language at mild (32/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (30/100) and frightening material at mild (31/100). Overall it is heavier than 41% of PG-13-rated films.

Ratings in 18 other countries
  • UK12A
  • AustraliaPG
  • Germany6
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland12A
  • JapanG
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Austria6
  • Czechia15+
  • FinlandK-16
  • Hungary16
  • Netherlands6
  • Poland16
  • PortugalM/12
  • Russia12+
  • Spain12
  • SwedenBtl
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 27% of all filmsHeavier than 41% of PG-13-rated films
Violence & Gore
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 24%
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 98%
Profanity
Mild
light for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 25%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 41%
Frightening / Intense
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a PG-13-rated film
heavier than 28%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is sexual content. Everything else sits at or below what PG-13-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does The Notebook have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Notebook?

Cast

2 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Ryan Gosling
as Noah
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Rachel McAdams
as Allie
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Gena Rowlands
as Allie Calhoun
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
James Garner
as Duke
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Joan Allen
as Anne Hamilton
David Thornton
as John Hamilton
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.
James Marsden
as Lon Hammond
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Kevin Connolly
as Fin
Sam Shepard
as Frank Calhoun
Starletta DuPois
as Nurse Esther
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like The Notebook?

Movies like The Notebook include The Best of Me (2014), Nights in Rodanthe (2008) and Beyond Borders (2003). Of the 12 closest matches, several are second-chance stories, and most are melodramas.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Nicholas Sparks wrote 4 of these 12. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Notebook?

2.4K other films share the rarest tag below, relationship: soulmates separated. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.