the memory book movie review

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The memory book.

Directed by Paul A. Kaufman

Budding photographer Chloe (Ory) comes from a family of failed romances. At a local flea market, she stumbles upon an old photo album from the 1970s, chronicling the ideal romance of a happy couple (Hindle and Barbeau). Unable to find her own "true love," she sets out to find the couple in the album and prove that true love exists. Along the way, she meets Gabe Sinclair (Macfarlane), a mysterious, but charming bartender, who seizes the opportunity to join Chloe's mission and soon finds himself falling in love with her. With limited resources, the two go on an adventure, searching for clues that will lead them to the couple, and hopefully to true love. As the search continues, Chloe begins taking an interest in Gabe, but won't let these feelings distract her from her mission to find the couple. Will Chloe learn to give up her fear of falling in love and finally find true happiness?

Meghan Ory Adrienne Barbeau Art Hindle John Cassini Katerina Katelieva Michael Coleman David Longworth Luke Macfarlane

Director Director

Paul A. Kaufman

Writer Writer

Duane Poole

Cinematography Cinematography

Boris Mojsovski

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Paul A. Kaufman Ira Pincus Joey Plager

Composer Composer

The Kaufman Company Just To Be Clear Productions Entertainment One Television

Alternative Titles

O Álbum de Memórias, L'album dei ricordi, Recuerdos perdidos, Une romance-photo, Album ze zdjęciami, 青春纪念册, Emlékkönyv

Drama TV Movie Romance

Releases by Date

26 jul 2014, 19 mar 2015, releases by country.

• TV Hallmark

83 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖆 ★★★

Listen, I know that I've been watching a lot of trashy movies lately, but they're the only ones lasting no more than 90 minutes and requiring little focus so bear with me. This was unexpectedly good-ish for a Hallmark movie, the guy was fine af and I love when the two main characters, that eventually end up together, bicker all the time.

Review by Jonathan ★★★★

I'm surprised I havn't seen this one before. I thought it was fantastic and would certainly go in my top 10 non-Christmas Hallmark list.

Review by Matt Thomas ★★★

Cheesier than going round for tea at Wallace and Gromit's. But also quite charming. At least when the two main characters aren't stalking the elderly. And, let's face it, the idea that someone might not be attracted to Luke Macfarlane is utterly proposterous.

Review by danyboii ★

Des gens jolies et bourgeois sauvent une histoire d'amour vieille d'un siècle à l'aide d'un pizza-ghetti gratuit.

Pour vrai encore une fois le concept et cool mais le côté feel-good est vraiment manqué.

Review by megan ★★

watched during my lunch break

Review by Milka ★★★★

One of the best Hallmark films I've seen in a while.

Review by flurryheaven ★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Chloe, a photographer, goes to a flea market to get some inspiration and comes across an old photo album from the 1970s that documents a young love story. Inspired by this love story she sees unfolding in the photographs, Chloe and her new friend Gabe set out on a mission to find these two people and return the photo album.

This is a sweet romance movie with a lot of heart. It was a nice change up to these romantic type of telefilms that Hallmark airs. The two love stories being played out felt very organic and you did feel optimistic by the end of the film. A well made, well thought out romance with a solid cast.

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The Memory Book

Dove review.

Chloe is an up-and-coming photographer. A gentleman, whom she mistakes for an art critic, visits her art show and points out that her photographs mainly feature antique objects. When she visits the restaurant around the corner, she is intrigued with the pictures on the wall and also the man she met earlier, who turns out to be the bartender.

Chloe finds an old photo album of a very happy couple. She has never been the adventurous type, but Gabe encourages her to find the couple and together they discover clues that might lead them to the people in the photo album. In the meantime, they learn a lot about each other. The problem is that Chloe tries to keep her distance from Gabe because she’s not sure what real love is.

“The Memory Book” is a wonderful story full of comedy, adventure and love. We award it the Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for all ages.

Dove Rating Details

Woman falls out of canoe

Couples kiss

Drinking glasses of wine

Mild cleavage

Lying about being with the IRS

More Information

Film information, dove content.

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Now that Nicolas Cage has had his stock upgraded as of late (thanks to his lovely performance in “Pig” and his self-aware turn in the recent “ The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent ”), and Bruce Willis has retired, I suspect that Liam Neeson is going to be the next actor who finds himself in the critical crosshairs for doing far too many forgettable movies. His latest, “Memory,” is already his second such film in 2022, and since his list of upcoming projects on IMDb mentions titles like “Retribution,” “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” “The Revenger” and “Cold Pursuit Sequel Project,” it doesn’t appear that he will be disembarking this particular gravy train anytime soon. To his credit, “Memory” is at least slightly more ambitious than most of the similar films Neeson has done recently. But it's certainly not enough to make you overlook how one of our most powerful actors is again wasting his time on the kind of half-baked thriller Charles Bronson used to crank out with depressing regularity during the waning days of his career.

The time around, Neeson plays Alex Lewis , another expert hired killer with a particular set of skills. As this film opens, he's considering leaving the life behind after seeing signs of the Alzheimer’s that has already claimed his brother. Nevertheless, Alex accepts one final job in El Paso, in which he has to bump off two separate people and recover some important flash drives from the first victim. He pulls off the first hit easily enough but when he discovers that the second victim is a 12-year-old girl ( Mia Sanchez ), Alex refuses to pull the trigger and keeps the flash drives for himself as an insurance policy.

Unfortunately, the girl had been pimped out by her father to a number of wealthy and powerful people, including the depraved son of powerful real estate developer Davana Sealman ( Monica Bellucci ), who put out the original hit in order to help her child evade justice. After tying up that loose end, she also calls for Alex to be killed. But even though he's slipping mentally, he's still skillful enough to evade her hired goons and kill everyone remotely connected to the crime. Alex also plants enough clues for an FBI task force led by Vincent Serra ( Guy Pearce ), who also tried to help the girl and feels guilty about what happened to her, to pursue him while always remaining one step ahead of them.

If the basic story points of “Memory” sound familiar to you, it may be that you've seen “ The Memory of a Killer ,” the 2003 Belgian crime drama that has been Americanized here (with both films based on Jef Geeraerts ’ novel The Alzheimer Case ). Although this version more or less follows the same narrative path of its predecessor, the original film, although a perfectly good genre film in its own right, was more interested in its central character (played in a very good performance by Jan Decleir ) as he is forced to reckon with both the weight of his past misdeeds and the cruelties of his present condition. 

“Memory” does begin to work when Neeson gets a hold of script's more dramatically impactful moments, but these scenes are simply too few and far between to be truly effective. Dario Scardapane ’s screenplay tends to put more of an emphasis on the big action beats, which are implausible enough as is and doubly so when you consider that they involve a character with deteriorating cognitive abilities. Although these scenes are handled with some style by director Martin Campbell , whose oeuvre includes one of the very best James Bond films (“Casino Royale”) and a lot of stuff that will be politely overlooked here, they wind up overwhelming the human drama involving Neeson’s character. This is especially evident during a new, less thoughtful finale in which one of the key villains is dispatched in an especially gruesome manner in order to give the gorehounds in the audience a final thrill before the end credits. Other than Neeson, the only performance of note here comes from Bellucci, whose casting here is unexpected, to say the least.

“Memory” is a little better than the majority of Neeson’s recent action excursions and there's a chance it may prove to be better than most of his future projects. However, that doesn't prove to be enough to make it worth watching, and those lucky enough to have seen “The Memory of a Killer” are likely to be disappointed as well. Yes, a little more effort has gone into the making of "Memory," so it's a shame—and an ironic one to boot—that the end results are so forgettable.

Now playing in theaters.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

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Memory (2022)

Rated R for violence, some bloody images and language throughout.

114 minutes

Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis

Guy Pearce as Vincent Serra

Taj Atwal as Linda Amistead

Harold Torres as Hugo Marquez

Monica Bellucci as Davana Sealman

Ray Stevenson as Detective Danny Mora

Stella Stocker as Maya

Antonio Jaramillo as Papa Leon

• Martin Campbell

Writer (book)

• Jef Geeraerts
• Dario Scardapane

Cinematographer

• David Tattersall

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The Memory Book Reviews

No All Critics reviews for The Memory Book.

‘Memory’ Review: Michel Franco Gets Unforgettable Performances From Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard

The tough art-house director of 'After Lucia' and 'Sundown' applies his rigorous style to a more optimistic story, presenting an unconventional romance between two damaged-goods New Yorkers.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

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“ Memory ” feels like the “Silver Linings Playbook” of Michel Franco ’s career: an unexpectedly accessible romance between two damaged human beings, from an independent director who’s been known to put characters through some of life’s most punishing indignities. For those familiar with Franco’s work, the previous film it most resembles is “Chronic,” though the tough-love auteur spares us the bummer ending this time around. In that movie, he followed a hospice nurse through his rounds, then abruptly cut to black when the guy was sideswiped by a car. Womp-womp. When a director does that early in his career, audiences are right to be wary.

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“Memory” introduces Sylvia in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. She’s 13 years sober, the same age as her daughter, Sara (Brooke Timber). Sylvia has fashioned her life in a way that gives her control over the things she can. Resisting the kind of clumsy exposition where people describe their backstory (which might have easily fit into that AA meeting), Franco prefers to reveal his characters through action. Sylvia works at an adult daycare center and keeps her social life to a minimum, compulsively setting the security alarm each time she enters her Brooklyn apartment. She’s hyper-vigilant about Sara’s behavior, forbidding the teenager to be around alcohol or boys.

Long before Sylvia explains her history of assault, her behavior says a lot about her own teenage experience. No wonder she’s creeped out when Saul follows her home from the reunion. But she’s also sharp enough to notice that something’s not quite right about this man, surely drawing on her training as a social worker. After Sylvia’s stalker spends the night on her stoop, she contacts his guardian, Isaac (Josh Lucas), and discovers Saul’s dementia.

Meanwhile, Sylvia’s sister (Merritt Wever) points out that the timing doesn’t line up: The girls transferred to a different school before Saul arrived, making it unlikely that he molested her. Strange that Sylvia’s memory sees it differently. What else might she be confused about? (Her estranged mother, played by ’70s cult icon Jessica Harper, accuses Sylvia of lying. But it’s just as likely that the older woman is in some kind of denial.)

So far, the film could be accused of being rather schematic — of setting up a situation where audiences must decide whether to believe the victim or to give the benefit of the doubt to the accused. Then the characters’ behavior steers “Memory” in an unexpected direction. Isaac asks Sylvia if she’d be willing to be a nurse to Saul, and she agrees. At this point, it’s not clear whether she sincerely intends to help or has some kind of revenge on her mind. Franco resists the reductive path, allowing these two lonely people to bond. Both are fussed over by family members with a tendency to infantilize them. Sylvia’s kid sister assumes the more responsible role, while Saul’s brother has conservator-like control over his charge. Later, we discover what happens when he’s left alone.

Reviewed at Sunset Screening Room, Sept. 5, 2023. In Venice, Toronto film festivals. Running time: 100 MIN.

• Production: (U.S.-Mexico-Chile) A Teorema, High Frequency Entertainment, MUBI production, in association with Screen Capital, Caste Study Films. (World sales: The Match Factory, Cologne, Germany.) Producers: Michel Franco, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery. Executive producers: Paula P. Manzanedo, Moises Chiver, Jack Selby, Patricio Rabuffetti, Tatiana Emden, Joyce Zylberberg, Ralph Haiek, Michael Weber, Efe Cakarel, Bobby Allen, Jason Ropell.
• Crew: Director, writer: Michel Franco. Camera: Yves Cape. Editor:
• With: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber, Merritt Wever, Elsie Fisher, Jessica Harper, Josh Charles.

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The Memory Book (2014)

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Cinematography

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The Memory Book Reviews

• 1 hr 24 mins
• Drama, Comedy
• Watchlist Where to Watch

A young San Francisco photographer discovers an old photo album chronicling a couple's romance in the 1970s, so she sets out to find this couple, hoping her search will answer her questions about true love.

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The memory book.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 0 Reviews
• Kids Say 1 Review

Common Sense Media Review

Engaging, bittersweet story of teen facing serious illness.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Memory Book is a bittersweet story about Sammie, a high school senior who's diagnosed with a disease that will make her lose her memory and weaken her body. There's a lot of strong language, especially "f--k," "s--t," and variations of each. Sexy stuff…

Why Age 14+?

"F--k," "s--t," and variations of each are frequent. Large v

Once, Sammie has several swigs of gin in advance of a party where teens drink fr

Infrequent kissing and light making out with vague descriptions. One more intens

No greedy or materialistic characters, but several specific mentions of Cherry V

A hard punch to the face, blood mentioned.

Any Positive Content?

When all you have is the present, embrace it in whatever form it takes; allow yo

Sammie is high-achieving, self-motivated, and very competitive. She refuses to g

Facts about Niemann-Pick Type C disease, including an excerpt from Wikipedia. St

"F--k," "s--t," and variations of each are frequent. Large variety of other strong language a few times each includes "crap," "asshole," "ass" (body part), "BAMF" ("bad ass motherf----r"), "prick" (name-calling), "goddamn," "goddamnit," "damn," "hell," "bastard," "bitch," and "Jesus" as an exclamation. A gay character mentions being called a "dyke" in the past. Sammie refers to being "a person with a vagina."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Once, Sammie has several swigs of gin in advance of a party where teens drink from Solo cups, and some teens exhibit drunken behavior. She imagines a future that includes weekly cocktail gatherings. Getting kegs for a high school party mentioned. Sammie mentions an episode four years earlier when she got drunk and threw up. An important character is frequently mentioned with marijuana, either smoking it, smelling of it, or with paraphernalia such as rolling papers and plastic baggies; he was kicked off a school sports team for it in the past. Speculation about "stoned"-looking college freshmen. Pain medication mentioned briefly. Bad side effects of prescription medication Zavesca mentioned. Several brief mentions of smoking for scene setting, including one of teens at a party.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Infrequent kissing and light making out with vague descriptions. One more intense make-out session vaguely mentions feelings between a teen girl's legs and how his fingers made her feel. A big subplot is about Sammie finally meeting and having a relationship with her big crush.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

No greedy or materialistic characters, but several specific mentions of Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper to set some scenes. Other mentions of clothing brands, car makes, candy, or snack products establish mood, location, and time period.

Violence & Scariness

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

When all you have is the present, embrace it in whatever form it takes; allow yourself to just be in it. You have to keep trying; what's important is not that you fall but that you get back up again. Feeling successful has to come from within, not just from what others say about how you did; give yourself a pat on the back for working really hard at something.

Positive Role Models

Sammie is high-achieving, self-motivated, and very competitive. She refuses to give up her goals even when she's diagnosed with a degenerative disease. Her intense focus on her own goals make her not a very good friend, but she learns how to be one over the course of the story. She cheats on a final when she loses her memory because of her disease; she feels bad about it but also feels it was justified, and there are no consequences. Parents, siblings, friends, and the love interest are all loving, loyal, supportive, and willing to hold Sammie to account for her mistakes.

Educational Value

Facts about Niemann-Pick Type C disease, including an excerpt from Wikipedia. Structure of a debate team competition and what each part of the competition tries to achieve. Some cultural and geographical insights into life in the Green Mountains on the Vermont/New Hampshire border.

Parents need to know that The Memory Book is a bittersweet story about Sammie, a high school senior who's diagnosed with a disease that will make her lose her memory and weaken her body. There's a lot of strong language, especially "f--k," "s--t," and variations of each. Sexy stuff is mild, with infrequent kissing and light making out described vaguely. Sammie drinks to excess once and remembers four years ago when she drank so much she threw up. Attitudes about teen drinking and smoking are matter of fact and consequences aren't mentioned. An important, likable character is almost always mentioned as having, smoking, or smelling like marijuana. He suffered a consequence in the past, but it didn't change his habit. There are strong positive messages about embracing the present and how getting up and trying again is what matters when you fail. Sammie learns how to be a better friend, to be less selfish, and to embrace life, even when it's not the one she planned.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

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What's the Story?

In THE MEMORY BOOK, Sammie's got the rest of senior year all figured out: Take the debate team to the national competition, ace all her finals so she'll be valedictorian, and then get out of her small town ASAP and start college at New York University. No problem for someone as super-organized and dedicated as Sammie -- until she's diagnosed with Niemann-Picks Type C, a disease that causes Alzheimer-like symptoms in children. No one can predict how fast the disease will progress, so high-achieving, go-getter Sammie refuses to put any of her future plans on hold. But she does decide to keep a "memory book," a sort of a journal to her future self and a way of making sure she'll remember everything, good and bad, that happens as the disease takes hold. As Sammie's plans for the future start to slip away, can she find meaning and happiness in the present?

Is It Any Good?

Author Lara Avery's engaging heroine Sammie turns what could've been a weepy illness story into a journey toward learning to cope when life takes an unexpected turn. The Memory Book takes us inside Sammie's mind as it starts to betray her, but Sammie's relatable voice also takes us along with her emotions as she learns how to be a better person. And even as her mind and body change, her voice remains refreshingly authentic all the way. Teens will sigh along with the blossoming romance between Sammie and her longtime crush, Stuart. Keep a box of tissues handy.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the swearing in The Memory Book . Does it seem realistic to you? Why do you think there's so much in this book?

What are your plans or hopes for the future? How do you think you'd cope if you had to completely change them? Or have you already dealt with something like that? How did you handle it?

Maddie says that Sammie was just using her to get ahead on debate team. Does Sammie become a better friend to Maddie? How?

Book Details

• Author : Lara Avery
• Genre : Romance
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models , High School
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Poppy
• Publication date : July 5, 2016
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 15 - 18
• Number of pages : 368
• Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
• Last updated : July 13, 2017

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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What to read next.

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The Memory Book

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Product Description

A budding photographer seeks out the same true love she finds in an old photo album.

Product details

• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.6 x 5.3 x 7.5 inches; 2.4 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ 096957
• Director ‏ : ‎ Kaufman, Paul A.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Widescreen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 30 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ July 5, 2016
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Ory, Meghan, MacFarlane, Luke, Hindle, Art
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Hallmark
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01B1XA2KC
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #5,390 in Romance (Movies & TV)
• #10,016 in Kids & Family DVDs
• #21,117 in Drama DVDs

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You can remember anything you want. Seriously.

Review: 'The Memory Book' by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas (1974)

Welcome to the new Tuesday Review ! Every Tuesday, I want to review a book or website that offers major insights about remembering and thinking.

Today’s review: The Memory Book , by Harry Lorayne & Jerry Lucas. An oldie, a goodie, and possibly, a gigantic mistake.

I picked up my copy at a library book sale back in 2006. I’d been meaning to improve my memory for awhile, but this is the book that changed everything.

The Memory Book unlocked the strange and magical world of visual memory systems. Visual mnemonics , the loci method , mnemonics for numbers , names, decks of cards, Chinese ideograms, foreign vocabulary, maps, even sports plays – it’s all here.

I’ve read many similar books since then, but this little book packs in more visual mnemonic systems than any other book I’ve seen.

(And I haven’t even checked the updated edition. They may have added even more. They may also have cleaned up the occasional racist and chauvinistic undertones that publishers didn’t notice so much in 1974.)

Original Awareness (Pay Attention)

This is a great little book of mnemonics. Unfortunately, I no longer think mnemonics are the key to remembering. Instead, I think you remember best by cultivating the four mental habits of attention, interest, assocation, and review. Mnemonics ultimately get in the way.

Interestingly, Lorayne and Lucas also begin with attention. They call it Original Awareness. I can still remember reading this, and sensing that Original Awareness was probably important. But it also sounded boring. I wanted to get to the cool memory systems.

So did they. Attention gets very little discussion. They quickly move on, and the rest of the book features mnemonics.

Still, at least they mentioned attention. And it does come up again throughout the book. You can’t remember a name, for instance, if you don’t hear it first. Other memory articles and books often seem to skip attention entirely.

So Many Mnemonics … But Do They Work?

Mnemonics associate knowledge so that you can find it again. But instead of associating it other actual knowledge in your head, you associate the new knowledge with a strange, memorable, and otherwise meaningless mnemonic.

Arguing against mnemonics is bittersweet for me. If you flip through The Memory Book , you get a whirlwind of crazy new things to think about. I can still feel echoes of my first excitement. I glimpsed a new world, a world where I could I translate anything I wanted into images that would stay .

Over years of practice, I discovered that the images did stay. What didn’t stay so well was the actual knowledge.

Even when the knowledge would stay, I had a hard time thinking about it. My mnemonics for the Gospel of Mark might help me remember the words of a verse, but could I imagine the verse or think about it? Not so much. I was too busy imagining the mnemonic.

Mnemonics Waste Mental Energy

For instance, Lorayne and Lucas have a short chapter on remembering what you read. They suggest making up mnemonics for every fact as you read.

A single, fact-loaded paragraph generates a chain of six separate pictures. Some with multiple elements. For one paragraph .

When I read this now, it seems crazy. My eyes glaze over just rereading their complicated mnemonics. You would have to practice and practice and practice to be able to spin up mnemonics fast enough to read more than a few pages an hour.

And how long would they last? Mnemonics can fade quickly. You’d have to practice visualizing until these mnemonics would actually stay in your head for more than a few minutes. How would you keep similar mnemonics from interfering with each other? And how many facts would you still remember in a month?

Though they don’t answer these questions, Lorayne and Lucas may have managed to developed their mnemonic skills to overcome these problems. Even so, why didn’t they just spend all that mental energy thinking about the actual material ? Instead of making mnemonics, they could have been finding meanings. Connecting to what they already knew.

How would you have any time left over to think about what you’d read?

Mnemonics Are Better Than “Normal” Inattention

I will say this – mnemonics are better than nothing. If you’ve spent your whole life not paying full attention (as I did), mnemonics force you to think more clearly than you ever have.

Every so often, Lorayne and Lucas seem to sense that improving your memory has much more to do with concentration than mnemonics.

Remember that if you think up your own silly pictures, you’re more Originally Aware of the information. Just trying to form the associations is half the battle–you’re concentrating on the material as you never have before.

But they go on to suggest using mnemonics to memorize the Bible or Shakespeare. I know from my own experience that mnemonics make remembering texts harder . They make me think about the goofy mnemonics, not the meanings of the texts. Spend that time reading the words slowly, out loud, and you’ll learn them much faster.

Learning Is Not Magic

It’s worth noting that Lorayne used these memory tricks professionally – as actual tricks . He was a magician. For instance, he routinely memorized the names of an entire studio audience, hearing each name only once.

If I had to memorize hundreds of names in twenty minutes, I’d use mnemonics too. I wouldn’t be trying to know these people, only hold on to the information long enough to perform.

(In real life, I think a more meaningful approach to names would be much better.)

But learning isn’t a studio performance. Facts are worthless if they don’t mean anything to you. And meaning comes from connecting facts, not to mnemonics, but to other meaningful knowledge.

The Memory Book remains an excellent introduction, possibly the best, to practical visual mnemonics. But when are visual mnemonics really practical? Magic shows? Definitely. Tests that are all about the grade? For sure.

Books you really care about? For that, you need quality thinking .

The Memory Book (2014 TV Movie)

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‘The Notebook’ Remains One of the Most Heartbreaking Movies on Dementia

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The Big Picture

• The Notebook portrays the impact of dementia on relationships sensitively and emotionally.
• Allie's Alzheimer's diagnosis highlights the fragility of life and the power of love.
• Noah's unwavering hope and love despite Allie's memory loss is portrayed as a poignant message.

“It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” While this usually relates to the physical loss of someone, it can just as easily fit for the distressing condition of dementia. The Notebook ’s Allie Hamilton ( Rachel McAdams ) may not have lost Noah ( Ryan Gosling ), but she lost the memory of him, and maybe that’s not all too different. When the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks ’ best-selling novel hit the big screen in 2004, it wasn’t long before it was dubbed the next big romance. After all, what says romance better than lovers embracing in the pouring rain? (Minus the drowned rat look, of course). Alongside some of the most iconic scenes of this movie including Ryan Gosling talking about how many letters he's written over the years and Rachel McAdams saying she's a bird, The Notebook 's deeply affecting portrayal of dementia still stands out to this day .

Today, there are several on-screen depictions of dementia, the most recent of which is The Father . Filmed in such a way that the viewer experiences much of the same confusion as someone living with this condition, it quickly garnered praise. And Anthony Hopkins even picked up the ultimate accolade — the Oscar — for his portrayal. Yet, while there has been plenty of material that has given us a good insight into the day-to-day reality for sufferers and their families, The Notebook gave us something different . And coming out in 2004, it was one of the first movies that delved into the topic.

The Notebook

Adapted from Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name, The Notebook is a romantic drama film that follows a couple who fall in love during the 1940s. Duke, an older man, recounts the story of two young lovers whose lives never lined up quite right to a fellow patient in his nursing home. Reading from the notebook pages, the movie keeps flashing from the present into the past to tell the story of the one that got away.

'The Notebook' Showcases the Hardships of Maintaining a Relationship After An Alzheimer's Diagnosis

Directed by Nick Cassavetes , The Notebook is a classic boy meets girl tale. Falling in love as teenagers, the headstrong rich girl Allie, and the poor boy with a heart of gold, Noah, are instantly inseparable. Despite coming from opposite worlds and having Allie's family constantly barging in on their relationship, the young couple fought the odds head-first. Even when Allie was set to marry someone else who seemed to check off the boxes in her parents' criteria, it took the character one glance at the newspaper to have her feelings for Noah return in full force. After the two reconnect later in life, it becomes clear that nothing can prevent them from being together .

Although their rekindled relationship seven years after their early romance feels like a happily ever after, the present proves to be a much different reality. When McAdams and Gosling aren't sharing a passionate kiss in the rain, there is another couple audiences see: the aged-up versions of Allie and Noah . We soon discover that Allie ( Gena Rowlands ) now has Alzheimer’s and lives in a senior care center, where she is constantly being assisted by caretakers. Every day, Noah ( James Garner ), now known as Duke, reads to her from a notebook that ultimately tells the story of their love. Yet, given Allie's condition, she perceives the story as merely fiction. A beautiful tale of two soulmates finding their way back to each other. Despite being told repeatedly by doctors that Allie just won’t remember what they went through, Noah never gives up hope . “Science goes only so far, then comes God,” he argues.

The Nicholas Sparks Adaptation Allows Allie the Opportunity To Be Perceived Beyond Her Condition

Seeing this deeply affecting condition played out before our eyes is bound to be heartbreaking in any way. Yet, there is something even more moving about seeing it interspersed with joyful youth. The audience gets to see the full life this woman led , aside from the difficulties she is facing with memory loss. Her love, her talents, and her ambition were at once what made up her existence, and that is something that is rarely seen in other films that portray life with Alzheimer's. The juxtaposition, from a fun-loving Allie frolicking in the expansive sea to a woman trapped by her own mind, is a sobering reminder of the fragility of life. While in one's youth, it seems like there is so much left to do in the future, in the elderly stages, it might be harder to seize the moment.

When Noah sits down at the table opposite Allie to read to her, she simply sees a man that she doesn't really know, keeping her company with a heartfelt narrative. She doesn’t see everything he represents – her first love, her first breakup, and her hard-fought love story. When she says, “I think I’ve heard this before,” we see a glimmer of memory breaking through, it doesn't occur to her that the reason why that story is so familiar is that she lived it. The audience knows that this is actually her journey through clues sprinkled throughout the film. When observing the cover of the notebook that Noah is reading from, there is a phrase saying, "Read this to me & I’ll come back to you," inscribed under the title, “The Story of Our Lives.” By putting two and two together, viewers understand that the series of events that are presented through flashbacks are actually memories that Noah still holds onto and that Allie has unfortunately forgotten about because of her illness.

While forgetting her one true love may seem the worst fate, we soon find out it gets worse, as she has children, who are now all grown up. On a visit to see the mother who no longer knows them, they introduce themselves as Duke’s children to not confuse her further. Some of them also have kids of their own, which means that Allie isn't aware of her own grandchildren either. Watching this scene unfold is heartbreaking because it is noticeable that her adult children visit her regularly and must constantly pretend that they are meeting with her for the first time so that Allie doesn't get overwhelmed. It is also sad to see that in losing one parent, they have lost another since Noah lives in the facility with her, reading the notebook in the hopes that she will remember the life that they had as a couple.

When Allie Remembers Noah, It Is Gut-Wrenching Because She Forgets Him Shortly After

One of the film's most upsetting scenes comes when Allie remembers Noah. “It was us!” she tearfully exclaims over a candlelit dinner. Sweeping Allie up in a strong embrace, he tells her they may only have five minutes together before she forgets again. It is in this scene that we see why Noah hasn’t given up the fight. He is living for these small yet magical moments when she remembers him . His determination on a daily basis is to do what he can for her to be her old self again, even if it is for a short amount of time. Different from the other people roaming around the halls of the senior home, Noah had a lifetime's worth of romance and partnership with the woman that he loved, and being without her just didn't seem to be an option for him . Although she is only aware of who he is for about five minutes, it is enough for them to go back to the couple they once were, dancing and holding onto each other tenderly.

Shortly after Allie's memory comes back, she forgets about him, and, in doing so, she fears that the stranger by her side isn't a good person . It is because of her inability to remember that things soon turn sour when she snaps at him for calling her darling. It’s not long before the staff comes rushing in to restrain the agitated Allie while Noah weeps at the sight of his loved one panicking about being with him. If an audience member hasn't shed a tear through the film, this moment will surely lead to a sob.

Although The Notebook received some criticism for its highly romanticized vision of dementia and caregiving, it still carries with it an important message about the power of unconditional love and unwavering hope . It shows a man giving his life to another in the purest of ways and a woman who lived a full life and gave her love freely. And, although she may not remember it, she provided beautiful memories for others in her presence, and at the end of the day, perhaps that’s what counts most.

The Notebook is available to rent on Prime Video in the US.

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Books That Are Worth Reading After You Watch The Movie

Cinefiles and booksworms unite...

Some of what many would consider to be the greatest movies of all time are also those based on classic and beloved novels . And while there are folks out there who think you don’t need to read the book after watching the movie, there are dozens of examples that prove otherwise. 

From Academy Award-winning dramas to a few landmark fantasy films and just about everything in between, here are 32 books that you might still want to read after you watch the movie. There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s start strolling through this library of great titles… 

Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg ’s Jurassic Park and the Michael Crichton book on which it was based are both cultural touchstones in their respective worlds. And while they share the basic concept of a disaster falling upon an amusement park full of cloned dinosaurs, there are some key differences that make reading the book an entirely different experience.

The Shining  

Stephen King is no fan of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining , the 1980 adaptation of his horror novel of the same name. Kubrick’s version makes all kinds of changes when it comes to the characters (played by Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, and Danny Lloyd) and the overall departure of his original intentions.

The Harry Potter Books

Even though there were eight Harry Potter movies ( The Deathly Hallows was split in two) that were all at least two hours long, a lot of material was cut when adapting J.K. Rowling ’s popular fantasy books. While we wait for the upcoming Harry Potter series on Max, now would be a great time to go back and read all the novels.

Denis Villeneuve 's 2021 adaptation of Dune ( the second half is due in March 2024 ) gets a lot of things right when it comes to adapting Frank Herbert’s influential sci-fi epic, but like other movies based on fantasy novels, there’s a lot left on the page. This classic, 896-page epic won't be a quick read but it's a classic. 

To Kill A Mockingbird  

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is considered one of the great American novels, and it's a must-read (if you haven’t already) even after watching the 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. The narration by Scout throughout Lee’s book adds an incredible quality and pacing to the story, a childlike wonder that isn't quite captured in the screen version.

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The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz  

L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is totally worth reading, especially if you’ve seen the 1939 film adaptation. And while both share similar story components, the original text is full of so much more, including a longer stay in Oz, an army of mice saving Dorothy and company from the poppy field, and very different versions of those well-known characters.

The Hobbit And Lord of the Rings Trilogy 

J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings novels, some of the best literary experiences of all time, were famously turned into two trilogies by Peter Jackson . And while the movies are awesome in just about every possible way, Tolkien’s original books include so much more story. No extended version could contain all of this.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer 

Christopher Nolan ’s Oppenheimer stands a good chance of winning a ton of awards, and rightfully so. But if you want to go back and read more about J. Robert Oppenheimer, his life, and role in the creation of the Atomic bomb, American Prometheus , Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s 700-page biography is going to fill in a lot of the blanks.

The Color Purple  

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple is a Pultizer Prize-winning novel that should be read at least once in your life. Yeah, it was turned into a decorated movie adapted by Steven Spielberg (with a musical-based version coming out in December 2023), but Walker’s rich text and plot threads add so much to the story.

World War Z   

It’s hard to imagine a movie adaptation being less like the source material than 2013’s World War Z . Unlike the movie, which focuses on one character experiencing Hell on Earth, Max Brooks’ novel is set up like an oral history with each chapter focusing on a different, and sometimes, terrifying event, narrated by various characters. 

Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption

Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption has been the highest-rated movie on IMDb for a very long time, and is considered one of the top-tier Stephen King adaptations. Interestingly enough, the 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is based not on a novel, but a 127-page novella, originally included in the book Different Seasons .

Stephen King’s It , all 1,138 pages of it, tells the fascinating and frightening story of a group of kids (later adults) teaming up to defeat a demonic entity multiple times throughout their lives. The 1990 miniseries, and a pair of theatrical releases that followed years later, only touches on part of King’s epic, and the full story must be explored. 

Ready Player One 

Steven Spielberg’s 2018 adaptation of Ready Player One is fun and all, but it’s an almost completely different experience when compared to Ernest Cline’s original novel. There are more than a dozen major differences ranging from minor changes to massive reimaginings of key sequences.

The Martian  

If you got a kick out of the blend of comedy, drama, and intense sci-fi action in Ridley Scott’s The Martian , then Andy Weir’s novel of the same name is going to be something to check out. It has the same tone but more of it.

All You Need Is Kill (Edge Of Tomorrow)

All You Need is Kill was later turned into Edge of Tomorrow (also known as Live Die Repeat ) with Doug Liman taking on Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s novel. There were all kinds of changes made for adaptation ranging from its characters and story to how the ending plays out .

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower  

Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower , which is based on his book of the same name, is a wonderful adaptation that mostly sticks to the source material. However, there are enough changes to make reading the coming-of-age novel worth a read, specifically its epistolary presentation.

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump the movie and book are two completely different beasts, so much so that watching and reading each version is an entirely different experience. Nearly every aspect of the story was changed in some way when being adapted into an Oscar-winning film, including Forrest’s personality and its ending. Forrest even goes to space in the book, which never happened in the movie.

Pride And Prejudice 

With so many different adaptations of Pride & Prejudice over the years, sometimes it’s fun to go back and read Jane Austen’s original novel to see how each version sticks, or diverts, from the source material.

I Am Legend 

Though I Am Legend the book and movie follow an almost identical path through the majority of their respective stories, the 2008 film adaptation starring Will Smith makes a drastic change to Richard Matheson’s original novella with its ending. We won’t ruin it for the uninitiated, but it completely changes how you see Dr. Robert Neville. 

2001: A Space Odyssey 

Stanley Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke shared credit on the 2001: A Space Odyssey screenplay, which Clarke later turned into a novelization. In addition to some shifts in the tone and style, the novel also makes the main portion of the story a mission to Jupiter opposed to Saturn as seen in the classic sci-fi epic .

Gone Girl  

We could write a whole article about how David Fincher’s 2014 adaptation of Gone Girl differs from Gillian Flynn’s novel. In fact, the entire third act was rewritten by the acclaimed author for the movie starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.

The Accidental Billionaires (The Social Network)

Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book, The Accidental Billionaires , which was later adapted by Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher as The Social Network , details the founding and early days of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re looking for a more detailed (as surprising as that may be) look at the social media giant, this book will do the trick.

The Hunger Games Books

Some would say The Hunger Games is a better movie than book , but the only way to know for sure is by reading Suzanne Collins’ 2008 young adult dystopian novel and its various sequels (and prequel).

In Cold Blood  

In 1967, Richard Brooks adapted Truman Capote’s 1966 true crime thriller, In Cold Blood , a painstakingly crafted breakdown of a quadruple-murder and the two men who carried out the senseless act of violence. Capote’s words just fly off the page, especially in the tense and foreboding opening chapter. 

Fight Club 

Fight Club the movie and book have the same basic premise: a nameless narrator befriends the man he’s always dreamed of being, starts an underground combat group, and then things get out of hand. However, if you want to see characters and situations not covered in David Fincher’s movie, as well as a different ending, check out Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

Little Women 

There have been a total of seven adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s 19th-century coming-of-age novel, Little Women , each making minor changes of their own over time. If you’ve seen one, two, or all of them, you should probably read the book to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. 

No Country For Old Men 

The Coen brothers’ Academy Award-winning adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men is one of the best films of the 21st century, but the book is also more than worthy of a read. It’s sparse, it’s violent, and features a lot more of Tommy Lee Jones’ character as he provides the narration throughout.

American Psycho 

After making your friends watch American Psycho , why not have a book club with Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name. Surprisingly enough, Mary Herron’s 2000 adaptation is a toned down version of Patrick Bateman’s descent into madness, and cuts back a lot of the central character's outlook on life and other social groups.

Trainspotting  

Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting , which was later adapted into a film of the same name by Danny Boyle, is more of a series of short stories than the film starring Ewan McGregor. The book is also written in the Scottish dialect. While the text can sometimes be a challenge, it's never enough to take away from this story that is at times hilarious and other times heartbreaking.

Matilda  

Danny DeVito did an outstanding job bringing Roald Dahl’s Matilda to life back in 1996, but this doesn’t mean it’s a 100% faithful adaptation. This is a good reason to go back and read the timeless children’s book, as it’s similar but different, familiar yet fresh. There are also a number of changes in the 2022 musical inspired by the book, meaning fans of the Netflix movie should check out the book if they haven’t already.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted for screen and stage numerous times, but it’s never too late to go back and read the fantastical and whimsical novel. It’s fun to see how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Tim Burton’s more faithful 2005 adaptation compare to this fun children’s book with all its bad eggs and imaginative treats.

The Exorcist 

William Peter Blatty wrote both the novel and film versions of The Exorcist , but this doesn’t mean they are entirely the same. The book, which came out only two years before William Friedkin turned it into a movie , is surprisingly even darker, more sinister, and more graphic. On top of that, there are also numerous minor differences throughout its story, so much so that reading it is a fresh experience.

With a whole slew of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations coming to theaters (and streaming services) in the coming months, you can expect to see some major changes to this list in the near future. 

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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