MovieChat Forums > The Notebook (2004) Discussion > I like the movie, but the characters beh...

I like the movie, but the characters behave despicably...

posted 9 years ago by shrilltrills
15 replies | jump to latest

Allie and Noah may have ended up spending their lives together, but they couldn't stop themselves from running over other people in the process. The way Noah treated that war widow he was sleeping with before Allie came back into the picture was just rude, and what Allie did to her fiance was despicable.

People may say they were in love and couldn't control themselves, but they had choices. They could have stopped themselves from having sex, knowing that she was engaged to someone else. Lon absolutely did not deserve to be treated like that. He was a good guy who treated her well.

This is a big part of why Titanic will always be the better movie to me. In that movie, yes, Rose had sex with Jack while engaged to Cal, but Cal wasn't like Lon. He was an emotionally abusive narcissist, and she had made it clear that she did not love him. She was being forced to marry him, unlike Allie who actually did care for Lon. I don't fully condone what Rose did either, because it would have been better to end the engagement first, but it was much easier to root for her and Jack as a couple since they weren't trouncing all over good and innocent people in their desire to be together.

With Allie and Noah, it wasn't even a one time thing and then "oh my God, what did I just do?" They had sex over and over and over again over the course of days. And there was no mention of her fiancé until her mother showed up. Just disgusting behavior really.

The fact that Allie and Noah were "in love" doesn't excuse their behavior IMO. When she realized she still loved Noah and that he had actually written her all those letters, the RIGHT thing to do would have been to think it over and then tell her fiance she's sorry but she is going back to Noah. Not have sex with Noah multiple times before telling him.

It just makes it really hard to see these characters as sympathetic. To me they seem like two selfish and codependent people who are willing to trod all over others to get what THEY want rather than two people who are genuinely and purely in love.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] flicky-3 8 years ago

So if Allie and Noah did "the right thing" what would the outcome have been?

She could've regretted not reconnecting with Noah for all of the rest of her life.

He could've spent his life with a woman that he didn't feel strongly about.

Not saying that either Noah or Allie should feel completely proud of how things turned out but that's the price/cost of love. Sometimes innocent people get hurt.

I'm sure Lon was able to move on with his life and the widow probably moved on as well as opposed to living in a lie.

[–] Snakecrossing 8 years ago

I too had some serious issues with this flick. I disliked the main girl so much that perhaps it affected the movie experience. She was loud and annoying and I felt like I was more told of her wonderfulness than actually witness it myself. Why the main guy was so obsessed with her is a mystery but then again he had something wrong with his head too. He threatened to kill himself if she didn't go out with him. And that's supposed to be romantic. They were only together for like two months and that left him completely comatose and unable to enjoy life. Because unhealthy obsession and feeling self worth only through someone else is also romantic. And poor Lon, even after her behaviour he just wanted his loved one to be happy...

No matter how hard I try to relate or picture losing the love of MY life, I just don't get this film.

[–] flicky-3 8 years ago

I understand your reaction but my feeling is it's about what those two people experienced when they were with EACH OTHER.

I think we're losing the meaning when we start to analyze who was treated fairly or unfairly by someone else within the context of the movie.

Bottom line is Noah and Allie still had enough love for each other after being separated for a long time and they were able to find each other and express themselves and yes people got hurt.

I try to avoid getting caught up in the mindset of did Noah deserve Allie or did Allie deserve Noah or should Lon have been with Allie or whatever.

Love doesn't always play by the rules and no matter how likable/unlikable Noah or Allie are individually I think the movie does a good job of presenting the fact that they loved each other enough to overcome all the obstacles between them.

Given that they stayed together an enjoyed a wonderful marriage to their death it was the right choice.