1) It never fails to make me cry
I must’ve watched ‘The Notebook’ at least 20 times now, but there has not been a single time I haven’t wept and wept until my eyes were actually sore. The most recent time I watched it, I started crying during the opening credits – I’m still trying to convince myself that my hormones are not sending me completely barmy and it was just that the sunset was so tear-jerkingly breath-taking.
2) It could actually happen
As someone who has a strong family history of dementia, particularly amongst the women in my family, I can’t help putting myself in Allie’s shoes. This could actually happen to me and this only serves to make the film even more tragically beautiful. *cry*
3) Just Allie
You might think that the biggest reason a 20 year old girl might watch ‘The Notebook’ is to ogle at Ryan Gosling and wistfully hope one day he might call me too a ‘pain in the ass’. But no, for me it’s the simple fact that Allie actually is a ‘pain in the ass’. She talks too much, changes her mind constantly, screams at Noah, kicks his car in then wants to kiss him a minute later. Sound familiar?
4) It reminds me life is beautiful
I mean, you can’t not look at that white house with the blue shutters and porch winding right the way round the house, and not forget all the bad things in life. And that lake is just the perfect representation of what Allie and Noah’s relationship turns out to be in the end: transparent and beautiful. If only…
5) It gives me hope
We could all watch countless episodes of 24 Hours of A&E and realise that your family and loved ones are the most important people to have around in times of sadness and illness. But ‘The Notebook’ takes this idea and presents it in such a beautiful, poetic way. It inspires hope in me that there will always be that one person to love me unconditionally and remind me of the amazing life we’ve shared. Cheesy, I know. But I think we all want that secretly!