The producers are selling small $5 “Notebook”-themed boxes of tissues in the lobby for a reason. Love is powerful, dementia is sad, and the result can be heartbreaking.
Or perhaps, when viewed objectively, it could be considered superficial.
The movie, a polished Hollywood production, did everything possible to evoke warm emotions. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, portraying the young couple, were radiant. The soundtrack featured carefully selected classics like “I’ll Be Seeing You” to tug at heartstrings. The production design, resembling a living collage of greeting cards, celebrated love, tenderness, and empathy, using trained geese flying into a vibrant sunset as a symbol of lifelong love.
The musical, hesitant to alter a beloved (or at least familiar) plot, attempts to stand out in other ways. It strives for a raw, handcrafted feel, reflecting Noah’s carpentry background and the indie-folk style of its songwriter, Ingrid Michaelson. The directors, Michael Greif and Schele Williams, have chosen to cast couples regardless of race, adding a universal touch.
In other changes, the book writer, Bekah Brunstetter, has shifted the time period by two decades—Noah now fights in Vietnam instead of the Battle of the Bulge. She introduces a third version of the couple, crowding the stage with duplicates and placing 27-year-old Allie (Joy Woods) in the spotlight because someone must. (The role of 29-year-old Noah is portrayed by Ryan Vasquez.) And instead of geese, Brunstetter opts for… sea turtles?
No, I don’t quite understand that choice either.
Ultimately, the decision to strip away the Hollywood gloss was a misstep; it seems the glossy veneer was what held the film together. In its absence, the musical struggles to make a compelling case for its own existence.
Loading PerspectiveSplit analysis...
