The Notebook, directed by Nick Cassavetes, is a typical sentimental love story based on Nicolas Sparks’ book.

The film tells the story of Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams). They meet at a carnival one night, and Noah falls instantly in love with Allie.

After one unsuccessful try at getting a date with her, Noah’s friends set them up on a date. Eventually they start dating exclusively.

This begins their summer romance as star-crossed lovers. Noah works at a mill in the country, and Allie is a rich city girl. Allie’s parents perceive Noah as too low-class for her and by the end of the summer, they force the couple to break up.

Noah and Allie go their separate ways – he goes to Atlanta and to WWII and she goes to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. After the war, Noah goes back to Seabrook, where the story begins, and Allie becomes engaged to Lon Hammond (James Marsden) after meeting him while volunteering as a nurse.

Lon is the perfect choice for Allie because he has money and her parents approve of his class. Allie agrees to marry Lon. She quickly has second thoughts when she sees that Noah finally did what he wanted – remodeled an old plantation house.

Thus, the tension of this story begins. Will she marry the man she truly loves or go for the man who makes her parents happy?

The story is complicated by a present-day situation. The elderly Allie has dementia, and her husband reads to her everyday to remind her of their life together. So, there is subplot tension: Will she remember their life ever again?

At the heart of the film’s story is a simple theme seen over and over again in many movies: follow your heart. Noah sees that Allie needs to do this and inspires her.

When Noah talks to Allie on their first date, he tells her, “You don’t do what you want.” Allie always does what her parents want her to do.

Noah later tells Allie to “think about what you want.”

There are some viewers out there who will only watch a movie for its fight scenes or if it falls into their favorite genre. For those people, the director even includes a scene of battle from WWII.

For those people who love a good, sappy love story every once in a while, this movie is most definitely for you and others just waiting to embrace a love story.

This movie will probably make you cry and that seems to be what Nicolas Sparks does best in all of his books, including Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember. These stories will remind you to follow your own heart.