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The Notebook | 2004 | PG-13 | - 6.4.4

An elderly man (James Garner) reads passages from a notebook to an elderly woman (Gena Rowlands) who's suffering from dementia, trying to help her remember their life together. He relates how while young they were separated by World War II, then reunited 7 years later, after their paths diverged. Also with Sam Shepard, Meredith Zealy, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Directed by Nick Cassavetes. [2:01]

SEX/NUDITY 6 - A man and a woman kiss, they take off their clothes (we see her bare breasts, bare back and part of her bare buttocks, and his bare chest), they kiss and moan, he takes off her stockings, they moan and thrust and we hear them climax. A young woman unbuttons her dress and takes it off (we see her in a bra and pettipants), a young man standing across from her takes off his shirt and pants (we see him bare-chested with boxer shorts), she removes her bra and he removes his underwear (we do not see them below the shoulders), they look at each other, they kiss, lie back on the floor, kiss and breathe heavily. A man and a woman are shown in bed together (he's bare-chested), she gets up from bed and we see her bare back and the side of her bare breast (they presumably have had sex). A young man and a young woman kiss in a car, she climbs on top of him, and they kiss again. A young man and a young woman kiss and the young woman asks the young man to "make love" to her. A woman says to a man "let's do it again" after they have had sex. A young man and a young woman kiss, and he touches her clothed breast. A young man and a young woman kiss for an extended period in a movie theater. A young woman jumps into a young man's arms, wraps her legs around his waist and they kiss. A young woman jumps into a young man's arms and they kiss. A young man and a young woman kiss. A man and a woman kiss and hold each other a few times. A young woman shoves an ice cream cone into a young man's face then licks and kisses his face to get the ice cream off. A man and a woman dance, he dips her, her skirts flips up and we see part of her undergarment. A young man and a young woman dance, he dips her, they hold each other close and touch cheeks. A woman sits nude on a porch painting (we see her bare back and her bare breast). We see a roomful of nude young men during a physical exam for the army (bare buttocks, backs, chests and legs and they all have their hands over their private parts). A young man takes off his shirt (we see him bare-chested) and jumps in water, and a young woman jumps in while clothed. A young woman unbuckles a young man's pants and lets his pants fall down around his ankles and his boxer shorts are exposed (he's hanging from a bar on a Ferris wheel high in the air). A young woman's dress hangs open and reveals her bare thighs. Women wear low-cut evening gowns revealing cleavage and bare shoulders and backs. Young women wear swimsuits that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens and thighs and young men wear swimsuits that reveal bare chests. Young women wear low-cut, short tops that reveal cleavage and bare abdomens, and short shorts that reveal bare thighs.


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VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - Bombs drop on many soldiers, some are thrown through the air, and one young man dies after being wounded in the field. We see many wounded soldiers in a hospital; several with missing limbs, and one is in a full body cast with a scarred and stitched face. We see a dead man and woman lying in a bed. A woman shoves a man, yells at him, and she is restrained by nurses who sedate her. A young man and a young woman shove each other during an argument and she slaps him in the face. A man is rushed to a hospital on a stretcher. A man talks about beating a man and shooting him. A young man and a young woman argue, they yell at each other, she hits him and tells him to leave. A woman and her daughter argue bitterly in a few scenes. A man drives his truck into a gate, a woman drives her car into a fence, a woman almost drives into an oncoming truck, and a man jumps off a moving bus and runs through traffic (cars try to miss him). A young man and a young woman lie in the middle of a street to watch a traffic light change, a car comes toward them, it honks, they run and the young woman screams. A young man jumps on to a moving Ferris wheel, climbs into a car with two other people already in it, dangles from a bar high in the air, and then lets one hand go. During a medical examination we hear that a man has had heart attacks. We hear that a woman suffers from dementia. We see many elderly people in wheelchairs in a room.

LANGUAGE 4 - 3 sexual references, 2 scatological terms, 2 anatomical terms, 11 mild obscenities, 2 religious profanities, 3 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Love, aging, time, death, war, storytelling, defiance, loneliness, class distinctions, dementia, miracles, life-long commitment, life choices, memories, trust, responsibility, promises, romance, summer love affairs, betrayal, disappointment, heartbreak.

MESSAGE - Follow your heart.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.

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