Since its release in 2004, The Notebook, the adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Sparks, has become one of the most prominent romance films of all time. In recent years especially, the film has gained a mass following online, with numerous teenagers fantasizing about the romance on TikTok and Instagram. From a bird’s eye view, this film’s fame is well-deserved: it’s a forbidden love story (who doesn’t enjoy that trope?) featuring high-profile stars with Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton, Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun, and James Marsden as Lon Hammond that ultimately illustrates the reward of patience and following your heart. But truthfully, The Notebook is one of the most dull, overrated films I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and I cannot fathom the fact that people consider it one of the world’s greatest romances when far better masterpieces exist.
First of all, even though Allie and Noah’s first encounter is intended to be unusual, it’s incredibly weird and one-sided, forcing Allie into a very uncomfortable situation. Noah spots Allie at a carnival while she is on a date, instantly falling for her because she looks genuine and absolutely gorgeous as she crashes her bumper car. When he asks her out, she declines, so he follows her to the ferris wheel, where he hangs from their carriage and threatens to slip off if Allie doesn’t agree to go on a date with him. Obviously, she says yes so that Noah doesn’t fall to his death. Look, I have no problem with the fact that Noah’s head over heels for Allie–it’s honestly adorable when the man falls madly in love and does everything in his power to get her. But harassing her while she is on a date with another boy? That’s practically homewrecking and embarrassingly down bad.
It gets worse, though. When trying to start conversations on their first date, Allie can’t open up about anything in her life without Noah making her feel insecure and ashamed about her family’s wealth, which she has no control over because she’s a teenager. Noah then convinces her to “loosen up” by laying on the street with him until they’re almost run over by a car, and Allie laughs along. Ha, who doesn’t love when your weirdly obsessive date almost has you killed, right?
Next thing you know, Allie and Noah somehow hit it off, and literally all they do is kiss 90% of the time, leaving the other 10% to argue with each other. They have zero deep conversations, zero shared interests, zero chemistry.
When Allie has to leave her South Carolina vacation at the end of the summer, they break up, leaving Noah distraught over this girl he doesn’t even truly like. He writes 365 consecutive letters for each day of the year that go unanswered from Allie, and then years down the line, he spends all of his time wallowing over her. He has no friends, no job. His only occupation is restoring the dream house of this girl he can’t stand. Allie, on the other hand, enters a healthy, admirable relationship with WWII hero and Southern gentleman Lon, and the two later become engaged.
But when Allie begins preparing her wedding in South Carolina, she crosses paths with Noah and cheats on Lon with him. Like, excuse me?! Lon had everything: the looks, the backstory, the manners, the security, the kindness, literally everything a woman could dream of! And she does the most horrible, unfaithful thing anyone could ever do to him?!? Why??
Then, when Allie returns to Lon, he tells her, “In spite of everything, I still love you.” And despite this unconditional love, Allie still chooses Noah, confusing security with boredom and loud fighting with passion. If this was modern times, I KNOW Allie’s friends would be flaming her in their group chat for choosing a mean man over a mature one.
The Notebook isn’t necessarily a bad movie. The scenes where Noah reads their love story over and over again to old Allie, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and forgets who her husband is, is beautiful. And maybe there is that possibility that I’m overthinking it and Allie chose Noah because of “true love” instead of immature excitement. Nonetheless, whether you enjoy this film or not, The Notebook is overrated, inferior to other romances. So for those of you out there who are tired of the same, mainstream TikTok propaganda for The Notebook and are looking for a more rewarding romance to watch this Valentine’s Day, I’ve got you covered with 14 better films that I think (with my humble expertise as a cinephile) are some of the most beautiful of all time. Disclaimer: all of these are romances, but not all are love stories…
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) After a painful breakup, Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) make the decision to undergo a medical procedure that will erase each other from their own memories. But as Joel relives his fleeting remembrance of Clementine one last time, he realizes the mistake he’s making and fights to keep his precious memories of her: the good, the bad, and the ugly. This surreal, breathtaking romance is a testament that love is inevitable, even when it hurts.
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We Live in Time (2024) When a surprising accident forces esteemed chef Almut (Florence Pugh) and Weetabix employee Tobias (Andrew Garfield) into each other’s lives, a beautiful, healthy romance emerges that commits them to the rare blessing of having a daughter after Almut suffered from ovarian cancer. Three years later, however, the cancer returns at stage three during a crucial moment in Almut’s life: her participation in the prestigious cooking competition, Bocuse d’Or. Almut is left with the life-altering decision that will affect herself, her daughter, and her engagement with Tobias: dropping everything to commit strictly to her chemotherapy treatment or to live the remaining months of her life to the very fullest. We Live in Time is a captivating romance that embraces the raw, fullness of life, with time a luxury and every shared moment a triumph.
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Roman Holiday (1953) In this timeless romantic comedy, the sheltered Princess Anne (Audrey Hepburn) escapes the restraining chains of royalty for just 24 hours of freedom in Rome. While roaming around incognito, she is discovered by American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who is unaware of her identity and agrees to show her around the city, unleashing a whirlwind of romantic charm and feelings. With wholesome black-and-white visuals capturing the beauty of Rome and the characters’ undeniable chemistry, Roman Holiday is a lovely classic reflecting on what it means to achieve true happiness.
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Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy (1999 – 2005) Spanning across thirteen years and various galactic landscapes, the Star Wars prequel trilogy follows young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) as his innocent admiration for Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) evolves into a sweeping, forbidden romance that disobeys the fundamental Jedi Code. However, with the Galactic Republic on the brink of collapse, Anakin confides in Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmind) in hopes of saving the democracy, only for him to exploit Anakin’s passionate love for the sake of establishing the Dark Side’s rule over the galaxy. This is a high-stakes, Shakespearean tragedy where the fear of losing love ultimately drives Anakin to destroy it, making it a compelling, romantic backstory to the most notorious villain in cinema: Darth Vader.
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Call Me By Your Name (2017) In the stunning northern Italian town of Lombardy in 1983, 17-year-old Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) spends his summer just like any other in his family’s 17th-century villa. But when he meets the handsome doctoral student Oliver (Armie Hammer), who is interning for Elio’s father, Mr. Perlman (Michael Stuhlberg), for the summer, a transformative slow-burn results that will change his life forever. With beautiful cinematography, a wonderful soundtrack, and raw performances, this Oscar-winning film is a must-watch that explores the bittersweet yearning for summer love, the underlying intimacy of unspoken words, and the disturbing weight of a child forced into the adult world too soon.
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Atonement (2007) When thirteen year old Briony Tallis (Saorise Ronan) witnesses a private moment she shouldn’t have, jealousy sparks and drives her to irrevocably shatter her sister Cecilia’s (Keira Knightley) romance with housekeeper Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), changing each of their lives forever. Between flashbacks from a lavish 1930s English estate and the destructive frontlines of Normandy during WWII, this haunting romance dives into the consequences of emotional immaturity, the heavy burden of guilt, and the power of storytelling as a means of redemption.
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Brokeback Mountain (2005) Set in 1960s Wyoming, the film follows two young ranch hands, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), who develop a deep, transformative relationship while shepherding on Brokeback Mountain. Spanning two decades, their secretive romance faces intense social pressure, forcing them to navigate a passionate affair that they can never truly escape nor embrace. With breathtaking cinematography and outstanding performances, Brokeback Mountain is an unforgettable, heart-wrenching tale of love and yearning that no other romantic trope could ever replicate.
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Midnight in Paris (2011) While vacationing in Paris before his upcoming wedding, frustrated screenwriter Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) finds himself magically transported back to the 1920s every midnight, where he fraternizes with literary and artistic icons of the Jazz Age like Fitzgerald and Hemingway. But with each time Gil is swept into the enchanting lure of the past, the more he grows unfulfilled with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), and the superficial culture of modernity. This whimsical romance is a nostalgic love letter to Paris, the past, and the simple, fleeting pleasures of life we often forget to pause and appreciate.
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Past Lives (2023) Two deeply connected childhood friends, Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), in Seoul are torn apart when Nora emigrates to Canada with her family at 12 years old, only to reunite decades later in New York City for one momentous week. As they confront the realities of their current lives, they consider the heartbreaking “what if” possibilities of love and destiny. This powerful, must-watch masterpiece is a soul-crushing exploration of the tensions between the sentimentality of first love and the ceaseless passage of time.
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Say Anything (1989) With the senior year of high school coming to an end, optimistic underachiever Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) surprises everyone when he asks out unattainable valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye) and she reluctantly agrees, kicking off a relationship nobody, not even they themselves, saw coming. But Diane’s disapproving and overprotective father, James (John Mahoney), will do anything to keep Diane from being with Lloyd due to his wealth and status as a boy with no future plans and a crumbling home life. Composed of some of the most iconic quotes and scenes in all cinema, Say Anything is a feel-good romance that is proof that no matter who you are or your situation, love will always find you if you let it.
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When Harry Met Sally (1989) After graduating from the University of Chicago in 1977, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) debate whether a strictly platonic, opposite-sex friendship is actually possible while sharing an unpleasant car ride from the Midwest metropolis to New York City. Ten years later, Harry and Sally put this controversy to the test when they are brought back into each other’s lives as their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), begin dating. When Harry Met Sally is the perfect romantic-comedy for all hopeless romantics who fantasize about a touching slow-burn and the inevitability of the invisible string theory.
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Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) When 43-year-old Peggy Sue (Kathleen Turner) and her cheating husband Charlie (Nicolas Cage) attend their 25-year high school reunion, she suddenly faints onstage and awakens in 1960 as her high school self. With the chance to change her past and its outcomes, Peggy Sue works to prevent Charlie from ever getting her pregnant and marrying her. But as events unfold, she begins to question her motives and admire Charlie’s true character. Peggy Sue Got Married is a heartfelt appreciation of the past that explores why people fall in love, the challenges of commitment, and the ultimate surrender to where that might take you.
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La La Land (2016) When aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) and struggling jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) cross paths in the lively city of Los Angeles, the two fall for each other while working ambitiously to accomplish their demanding dreams. But as they fall deeper into both their relationship and individual successes, Mia and Sebastian’s fragile romance becomes jeopardized when they are forced to pick between the love they share and the dreams they’ve dedicated their lives to fulfilling. From its genius cinematic techniques to its fantastic musical numbers, La La Land is an incredible portrayal of the lengths we go to complete our fantasies and the consequences that come with it.
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10 Things I Hate About You (1999) When down-to-earth new kid Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) enters Padua High, he is quick to fall for the charming popular girl, Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), but according to Stratford house rules, she cannot begin dating until her tough, independent older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), has a boyfriend. Determined, Cameron begins tutoring Bianca in French to grow closer to her and pulls some strings to try to set up Kat with bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), but getting the two of them together may not be as easy as he originally thought. Packed with humor, exciting drama, and adorable relationships, 10 Things I Hate About You is by far the greatest high school romance, teaching us that self-confidence and vulnerability are the key to a fulfilling teenage love.
