The Notebook (2004)

Behind every great love is a great story.

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.

Directed by: Nick Cassavetes

Written by: Jan Sardi, Jeremy Leven, Nicholas Sparks

Music by: Aaron Zigman

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Joan Allen, David Thornton, James Marsden, Kevin Connolly, Sam Shepard, Starletta DuPois

Genre: Romance, Drama

Released: 2004-06-25

Runtime: 123 minutes

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The Notebook (2004): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• Martin Campbell entered negotiations to direct in March 2001, before he was replaced by Nick Cassavetes a year later.
• The film rights to Nicholas Sparks' novel were acquired by New Line Cinema in 1996, represented by producer Mark Johnson.
• Jeremy Leven was hired to write the script, which caught the attention of director Steven Spielberg in 1998, who wished to film it with Tom Cruise as Noah Calhoun.
• On November 11, 2012, an extended version premiered on ABC Family with deleted scenes added back into the original storyline.
• The film was a sleeper hit at the box office, grossing $118.3 million against its $29 million budget, and has become a cult classic in the years since its release.
• Cassavetes wanted someone unknown and "not handsome" to portray Noah; he chose Ryan Gosling for the role.
• The film was released on June 25, 2004, in the United States and Canada and grossed $13.5 million from 2,303 theaters in its opening weekend, ranking number 4 at the box office.
• In 2025, it was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," finishing at number 296.

Source: Wikipedia

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