Nicholas Spark's, "The Notebook" has been classified as being a well-loved romantic comedy. Although the movie is not funny, it fits the definition of romantic comedies almost spot on. The difference, however, is that the ending is not particularly happy since one of the main characters has Alzheimer's disease and goes on to die. The movie starts out with in the typical way, youngsters falling in love. Much of the movie is about their
time spent together as teenagers learning the meaning of love and discovering more about themselves. Later on, however, things take a turn. The two lovers are forced to split when Allie, the main female character, is told she can never see her boyfriend Noah again, by her parents. While this may have been unexpected for the watcher of the movie, it follows the definition of a romantic comedy exactly.
The movie then fast forwards to a later year where Allie is shown with her husband. Although he is a successful, nice man, the spark that she and Noah had lacks in her marriage. When Allie sees a picture in the newspaper of Noah and the dream house that he promised to build for Allie when they were seventeen, she decides to take a trip to go see him. After being with him for three days, the two are completely in love again.
Here lies the problem in the story. Allie is still married to her husband and has now just committed adultery. She thanks Noah for the few wonderful days that they had together but insists on going back to her life with her husband since that is what is "right". Noah, on the other hand, is left all alone yet again. He is heartbroken and he lacks drive to find another love.
After the two realize that they are not happy apart, they come together once more for good, thus completing the definition of a romantic comedy. The movie strays from the definition, however, towards the end of the movie. When Allie is shown very sick with Alzheimer's Disease, it takes away from the "happy ending" that is necessary in this type of movie. One could argue that it is horribly sad that Allie and Noah spent so much time apart and when they were finally reunited, Allie was not mentally there. Another could say that it dying in the arms of your true love is the best way to go.
Either way, the movie "The Notebook" demonstrates the intensification of first loves. It shows how passion never really goes away and that true love always trumps success and content.
I agree with your analysis completely. Besides the rather sad ending to this story it´s plot line, or at least parts of it, do fit the ¨definition¨ of a romantic comedy. And by definition that is a movie that deals with love in a light and or humerous way. When Allie and Noah first get together that description is spot on. However, as the movie progresses it becomes a bit more dramatic than humerous. So, I guess that raises the question that how much comedy needs to be in a romantic movie for it to be labeled as a rom com? If the full movie is not required than how much is enough?
ReplyDeleteI love the way you used a comedic lens to analyze a well-known, tear jerking love story. Only in this way can we see that the pair experienced human fault and folly of their own and are not the stainless, innocent lovers that pop up so often in other Rom-Coms.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you used a comedic lens to analyze a well-known, tear jerking love story. Only in this way can we see that the pair experienced human fault and folly of their own and are not the stainless, innocent lovers that pop up so often in other Rom-Coms.
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