Alone and in the fetal position

Last night I was tired as hell but my cable was out and I couldn't bear the thought of going to bed at like 8 pm or even reading-- because trying to piece together words and then sentences and then eventually paragraphs was too heavy for me. Resulting in that I grabbed one of the three DVDS from Netflix (best thing ever created). that I had laying around for 34 months, andthe one I grabbed was The Notebook. This began an evening of quiet and intense sobbing.

Let me get this out of the way right now: I'm not a fragile human being--but if you had seen me Sunday night you would have thought that I needed to be held and told that everything is alright-- and eventually with years of therapy I would begin to actually love myself and therefore the world that I live in--it was that kind of scene. Also, in case you are dying to know, I wasn't even PMS'ing so there was no chemical reason for why I was acting like I was bat-shit insane. It comes down to the fact that once in awhile you need a good old love story staring the magnificent James Garner and Gena Rowlands; the superfoxy and talented Ryan Gosling; and the utterly delightful Rachel McAdams of Mean Girls fame. They had me at the opening credit sequence.

Here is a quick rundown of the movie:

James Garner's character is in a nursing room and everyday he reads a story about two young lovers to Gena's Rowlands character who is suffering from dementia to try and help out old girl. And you know reading is a good diversion because nursing home life is not sexy, you need something to break-up the day...unless it is in this movie because the facility the oldies are at is REAL nice and the staff is kind. This is totally fiction.

But let me get back on track...

The story is about Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) and it's the basic he is country and she is a city girl in the country for the summer with her rich as fuck family. Young Noah is cute, funny and sweet but he ain't got no scratch...therefore the family is not super thrilled by him. Regardless they fall in love over the summer and are having a blast but then he finds out she is going to Sarah Lawrence and overhears her mama (played by the fierce Joan Allen) calling him trash and that he is not suitable for Allie. Well Noah is like yo, I love me some Allie but I can't stand in the way of her future and I'm a giver but I got to break this up. Well Allie is not having this. They have a fight and she is like well I'm going to break up with you and then is like oh snap just kidding. The next day her moms is like pack your bags we are going back home...shit hits the fan, she can't find Noah to say goodbye and it's a wrap.

They pine for each other and Noah writes her a letter everyday for 365 days...of course her mom intercepts and she doesn't get one letter. Time passes, Allie is at school and Noah moves to Atlanta. He then enlists in the military, sees some war and then comes back to his town and to his loving father (the always badass Sam Shepard...hello, the cast is on fire!) who has sold his house so Noah can use the money to buy this old rundown plantation and renovate it...a dream of his for years.

At this point Allie meets this soldier (James Marsden, no where near being as rad as Ryan Gosling) while she is a nurse's aide, they fall in love and they get engaged...and this stokes her parents to no end because he comes from good southern stock...and that is just money in the bank.

Seven years have passed and accidently Allie sees a picture of Noah and the house he built (that was supposed to be their dream house), faints while in the middle of a dress fitting, and then then decides to make amends for what went down. See, apparently when people make amends my synapes get all in gear and it triggers my tear ducts. Um. I'm about to cry again. Must.focus.

I don't know why but you give me that simple poor boy-rich girl formula and some dementia thrown in for shits and giggles and it just gets me in the gut. At one point I'm just sitting on my cute little purple couch, wrapped in my lovely and soft blanket from the Target ($19.95!), and tears are just streaming down my face and by the end of the film (I'm not even going to allude to what goes down) I'm just quietly sobbing. Yes...SOBBING...and let me not lie...it wasn't dainty-- it was some "oh shit, my son almost got out of the ghetto by getting the right SAT scores to get into USC but on the way home from getting some milk he got mowed down by gang members and now his dreams and therefore mine are not shattered" sobbing. Or something of that ilk. I got up this morning and my eyes were so puffy I looked like Farrah Fawcett after Paul LeMat kicked her ass in "The Burning Bed".

All is all this is what I'm telling you. This is not a brilliant and original film but it is a sweet movie that knows just how to bring you to your knees (if you a girl) and the acting was really good...not for play, play but for real, real. Sometime you just need to let it go and tap into that inner "Romantic Period Piece" part of your soul. Seriously, it's a moving kind of thang.

Oh, did I tell you that Ryan Gosling was and is hot? Yeah, he is. Oh and the outfits in this movie are fierce. Rachel McAdams can work an ensemble...I'm scared of old girl right there. She was living AND twirling. Rent it.