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Rhonda Handlon (Plugged In) says, "Nicholas Sparks has said his story 'is a metaphor for God's love for us all. The theme is everlasting, unconditional love. It also goes into the sanctity of marriage and the beauty you can find in a loving relationship.' It's too bad that metaphor gets muddied by premarital sex. The painful consequences of separation remind us that God's way is still the best way, but most discerning families aren't going to want to sit through steamy sex scenes just to get that memo." (Handlon was apparently quoting Sparks from a Christianity Today Movies interview. What she conveniently left out was Sparks' very next quote: "I don't want to mislead anyone who thinks these characters are without flaw. They're in love. Crazy things sometimes happen. Do you get my drift? I can't say that everything in the story is completely and a hundred percent Christian. But these are human characters. Nobody is perfect, period.")

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says, "Some will undoubtedly be turned off, quickly dismissing it as mawkish melodrama. Others less cynical will see this valentine for what it is, a wonderful, old-time love story replete with glowing photography, unabashed ardor and rapturous rain-soaked reunions—full of Hallmark heavy-handedness, but ultimately heartfelt."

Chris Monroe (Christian Spotlight) argues, "This film can easily resonate with older couples who have been together for many, many years, and, hopefully, also inspire this current generation of young people. If you've ever wanted to support a movie that respectfully affirms and values true love, then be encouraged to see The Notebook."

But Steven D. Greydanus (Decent Films) stands apart from this chorus of raves, grading the film a 'D.' "The Notebook is about a couple whose budding relationship consists basically of three things: Doing cute / stupid / romantic / picturesque things. Waging a battle of wills. [And] getting way too forward with one another physically."

Regarding the characters' romanticized premarital sex scenes, Greydanus observes, "There's nothing remotely cautionary or critical here; the drama seems to side solidly with the young lovers. Those who previously knew Sparks primarily as the author of the wholesomely pro-chastity A Walk to Remember are liable to be caught off-guard by The Notebook's sex scenes, which are lit, choreographed, and edited to just this side of an R-rating."

Andrew Coffin (World) writes, "Mr. Sparks … is effective at playing his audience like marionettes, pushing a series of emotional buttons that leave those susceptible to his guiles hunched in their theater seats, shoulders trembling, lips quivering, wiping water from their eyes. There's undoubtedly an audience for this sort of thing, and that audience should be relatively happy with The Notebook." The filmmakers, he adds, give the sense "that vague emotion is more important than a concrete narrative."

Mainstream critics are similarly divided over the film, some calling it classy, others calling it sappy and unbearable.

A ready-to-download Movie Discussion Guide related to this movie is available at ChristianityTodayMoviesStore.com. Use this guide after the movie to help you and your small group better connect your faith to pop culture.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

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Nicholas Sparks	Printer view
The author of A Walk to Remember has another novel coming to the big screen: The Notebook, a beautiful love story opening next week.