If you enjoy “The Notebook,” you are looking for affecting, romantic, and emotional films with romance, love story, love and romance, love, real love, power of love, and youth themes that were shot in the United States.
The films in the list are ordered by similarity. The recommendation engine filtered out films with themes concerning romance, love and romance, love, love tale, happy ending, conversation, and gorgeous scenery, largely in the Drama, Romance, and Mystery genres. Some films similar to The Notebook:
- A Walk to Remember (2002)
- Dear John (2010)
- The Vow (2012)
- The Best of Me (2014)
- Me Before You (2016)
The matched properties are shown in bold.
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A Walk to Remember (2002)
A Walk to Remember is a 2002 American coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Adam Shankman, based on Nicholas Sparks’ 1999 novel of the same name. Denise Di Novi and Hunt Lowry produced the film for Warner Bros. Pictures, which stars Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, and Daryl Hannah.
The film’s setting was modified from the 1950s to the 1990s to the early 2000s because the producers were concerned that it would not appeal to young audiences. The film was shot over 39 days in Wilmington, North Carolina, in the summer of 2001, with many of the sets borrowed from the television series Dawson’s Creek. As with the book, the film is dedicated to Sparks’ sister Danielle, whose cancer-stricken existence inspired the story.
A Walk to Remember was released in theatres on January 25, 2002, and grossed $47.5 million against its $11.8 million budget. The film garnered mostly unfavorable reviews from critics, who criticized its blandness and predictability, while others commended its genuineness and the performances of the key actors.
The film was released on DVD in July 2002, followed by a “Family-Edited Version” in December.
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Dear John (2010)
Dear John is a 2010 American romantic war drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. It follows a soldier’s (Channing Tatum) life when he falls in love with a young woman (Amanda Seyfried). They resolve to write each other letters after he is deployed to the war. Screen Gems distributed the picture in North America on February 5, 2010, to mixed to poor reviews.
Dear John has made $80,014,842 in North America and $34,962,262 in other territories for a total of $114,977,104 globally.
The film grossed $30,468,614 in its opening weekend, finishing top at the box office, knocking off Avatar after seven weekends in the first place, and being the best launch for a film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.
The film had the second-highest opening weekend debut for a film, trailing only Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in 2008.
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The Vow (2012)
The Vow is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Sucsy and written by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, and Jason Katims, based on Kim and Krickitt Carpenter’s true story. Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum play Paige and Leo Collins, respectively, with Sam Neill, Scott Speedman, Jessica Lange, and Jessica McNamee in supporting parts.
The Vow was the ninth highest-grossing romantic drama film produced since 1980 as of 2013. Spyglass Entertainment’s final film before the company’s demise in 2012, and will be revived in 2019. Variety reported the casting of Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in June 2010. Filming took place in Toronto and Chicago from August to November 2010.
The Vow premiered at number one in its first weekend, grossing $15.4 million on opening day and $41.2 million overall. The film grossed $11.6 million on Valentine’s Day, beating Hitchcock’s record of $7.5 million for the highest-grossing mid-week Valentine’s Day. That weekend, it also made roughly $9.7 million abroad.
The Vow became the first picture of 2012 in North America to cross the $100 million mark during the weekend of February 24-26, and the third film to cross the $100 million mark globally behind Underworld: Awakening and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.
The picture grossed $125 million in North America and $71.1 million in other countries, totaling $196.1 million worldwide. Since 1980, it has been the ninth highest-grossing romantic drama picture. According to documents obtained from the Sony Pictures breach, the picture made $52 million.
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The Best of Me (2014)
Based on Nicholas Sparks’ 2011 novel of the same name, The Best of Me is a 2014 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Hoffman and written by Will Fetters and J. Mills Goodloe. The cast includes James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, and Liana Liberato.
On March 6, 2014, principal photography began in New Orleans, Louisiana for a 42-day shoot.
The filming took place in downtown Covington on April 30 and May 1. Filming also took place in Pearl River, Louisiana. On June 27, 2014, it was reported that composer Aaron Zigman would be scoring the music for the film.
The Best of Me was released in 2,936 theatres across North America on October 17, 2014. It earned $26.8 million in North America and $9.2 million in other regions for a total of $35.9 million worldwide.
The film grossed $10 million in its opening weekend, finishing fifth at the box office behind Fury, Gone Girl, The Book of Life, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, marking it the lowest opening weekend for a Nicholas Sparks novel adaptation.
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Me Before You (2016)
Me Before You is a 2016 romantic drama film directed for the first time by Thea Sharrock and based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes. Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, and Brendan Coyle star in the film.
The film was shot at historic places throughout the United Kingdom, including Pembroke Castle in Wales and Chenies Manor House in Buckinghamshire, England. The picture, which was released on June 3, 2016, in the United Kingdom and North America, garnered mixed reviews and grossed $208 million worldwide.
Me Before You grossed $56.2 million in North America and over $152 million in other regions for a total of $208.3 million on a $20 million budget.
Me Before You debuted in North America on June 3, 2016, with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and was predicted to gross roughly $15 million in its first weekend from 2,704 cinemas. The picture made $1.4 million in previews on Thursday night and $7.8 million on its opening day.
