The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. It tells the story of Noah and Allie, two young lovers in the 1940s who are forced to separate but are reunited years later, testing the strength of their love. The film received positive reviews and was a commercial success. It features Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the young lovers whose passionate summer romance ultimately overcomes the class divisions between their families and rekindles after Allie becomes engaged to another man.