The Notebook is the 19th episode in Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Russell Eida, Andy Signore, Brett Weiner and Gina Ippolito. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 2004 romantic drama film The Notebook. It was published on February 12, 2013, to coincide with Valentine's Day. It is 3 minutes and 12 seconds long. It has been viewed over 7.1 million times.
Watch Honest Trailers - The Notebook on YouTube
"A movie so generic, yet inexplicably popular, it's basically the Olive Garden of love stories." ~ Honest Trailer - The Notebook
Script[]
This Valentine's Day, revisit the film that reminds you that no matter how much you love each other, you're both gonna grow old and die: The Notebook.
From sappy author Nicholas Sparks comes the timeless romance that paved the way for millions of people to form unrealistic expectations of their real-life relationships.
Meet Allie, an attractive, wealthy Southern belle whose biggest problem is that everyone adores her. Meet Noah, a poor country boy whose entire family is dead. When these two find each other, he'll criticize her for being a pushover, and then constantly tell her what to do; and she will abandon him on numerous occasions. Together, they'll be so indecisive, you'll wonder why they're even trying.
A love that taught an entire generation of women that it's perfectly okay to string along a sweet, handsome, supportive guy as long as you're able to satisfy your every impulsive desire.
Lon Hammond, Jr.: Okay, should I be worried?
Allie Hamilton: No, I don't think so. (shows her passionately kissing Noah)
A movie so generic, yet inexplicably popular, it's basically the Olive Garden of love stories; and a romance that will make nagging girlfriends ask "Why aren't you more like Ryan Gosling?", prompting all boyfriends to ask "Can we please just watch Die Hard?"
Prepare to relive the bad driving (shows clips of characters swerving or crashing cars), the violence (shows clips of Allie slapping Noah), the shirtlessness (shows Noah taking off his shirt), the red dresses (shows clips of Allie wearing various red outfits), the more shirtlessness (shows another clip of Noah taking off his shirt), the horrible slurping (shows clips of Allie slurping while drinking a bottle of beer), and the death of feminism.
Allie Hamilton: I'm a stupid woman; I shouldn't have come.
Ann Hamilton: Oh, I'm a stupid woman.
Starring Perfection (Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun), Rachel McAdams Apple (Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton), Newsies (Kevin Connolly as Fin), Julia Stiles (Joan Allen as Ann Hamilton), Joseph Stalin (David Thornton as John Hamilton), Fancy Cyclops (James Marsden as Lon Hammond, Jr.), James Garnish (James Garner as Old Noah Calhoun), and An Old Lady (Gena Rowlands as Old Allie Calhoun).
The honest title for The Notebook was "The Movie Your Girlfriend Will Make You Watch."
The Movie Your Girlfriend Will Make You Watch
So, wait, he wrote hundreds of letters, but couldn't just call her once? Ughhh, could've saved me two hours.
Trivia[]
- Screen Junkies has produced Honest Trailers for a few other romantic films including Fifty Shades of Grey (and its two sequels), The Fault in Our Stars and Love Actually.
- Andy Signore said that whenever Screen Junkies makes an Honest Trailer that appeals to a slightly different audience, they get a subscriber bump. This is part of the reason why they chose to make this Honest Trailer.
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - The Notebook has an 98.3% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Reviews of the Honest Trailer were mostly mixed-negative. Geek Tyrant wrote that the Honest Trailer was "funny." In contrast, SlashFilm wrote that some of the Honest Trailer's criticisms were unjustified, writing "I'm not sure I buy into some of the jabs taken at the movie. Sure, The Notebook is about as sappy as a romance can get, but both Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams elevate the material to being a truly touching romance." CinemaBlend conceded that the line comparing The Notebook to the Olive Garden restaurant was "spot-on" but asserted that Screen Junkies misunderstood feminism and displayed a distorted perspective on relationships. CinemaBlend wrote "a woman calling herself stupid is not the end of feminism. Neither are Nicholas Sparks movies, particularly the decent ones like The Notebook." CinemaBlend also said "I'm bugged by the way this plays into the notion of a nation at battle, with girlfriends constantly trying to torture men with one sappy rom-com after another, and men sitting with their arms crossed wanting to watch Die Hard instead. Is that really what all of your relationships are like? Do you not ever find common ground?"
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - The Notebook
Series Created & Directed by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Executive Producer Mitch Rotter
Written by Russell Eida, Andy Signore, Brett Weiner & Gina Ippolito
Edited by Dan Murrell
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
External links[]
- ‘The Notebook’ Honest Trailer: It’s Basically the Olive Garden of Love Stories - SlashFilm article
- Honest Trailer For The Notebook: Are Boyfriends Really Being Forced To Watch This? - Cinema Blend article
- Watch: Just In Time For Valentine’s Day, The Honest Trailer For ‘The Notebook’ - Indie Wire article
- Funny Honest Trailer for THE NOTEBOOK - Geek Tyrant article
- Watch an Honest Trailer for The Notebook - Vulture article