More Ryan Gosling, Please! Here Are 15 Movies like ‘The Notebook’ to Stream Now
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
A Ry-naissance is upon us. For many, it took the billion-dollar magic of Barbie to reveal the simple fact that Ryan Gosling is quite possibly our most underrated working actor right now. Which brings us to 19 years ago, the fateful year that the world was gifted with The Notebook. Adapted from the popular Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook stars Gosling alongside Rachel McAdams as a young couple in the 1940s, kept apart by miscommunication, wealth disparities, and mean old dads. If you haven’t seen it in a while, we recommend a rewatch. When you’re finished, try these 15 movies that will keep vibes high (read: somber, devastating, tear-stained).
Blue Valentine
One of Gosling’s more underrated performances, Blue Valentine sees the star (less blonde and tan) alongside Michelle Williams. The film follows a married couple whose relationship has hit the rocks, jumping back and forth between time periods, from the day the met, to their early romance days, to the worst days of their romance.
Atonement
A war-torn romance drama, Atonement stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy as two lovers whose relationship spans six decades, sewn together by letters and classic pre-texting miscommunication.
Brokeback Mountain
“I wish I knew how to quit you.” Brokeback Mountain stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two American cowboys whose complicated and secret love affair spans generations, from 1963 to 1983.
Carol
This 2015 period drama from director Todd Haynes stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two women embroiled in a forbidden affair in the early 1950s. Period drama and heartbreak? That’s The Notebook special recipe.
La La Land
Was Barbie the first time you heard Ryan Gosling sing? Let us introduce you to La La Land. This 2016 musical stars Gosling as an aspiring jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress. The pair meet and fall in love in Los Angeles, singing and dancing all the while, and struggling to balance the pursuit of their own dreams with their love for each other.
The Longest Ride
Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, The Longest Ride stars Britt Robertson and Scott Eastwood as a pair of young lovers who, by chance encounter, rescue an elderly man from a car accident and find a box of letters. As the pair build their own relationship, they get to know the man they saved and learn of his own love story with his late wife Ruth, whom he met in 1940—ahem, that's The Notebook’s period as well, if you were paying attention.
P.S. I Love You
Starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, P.S. I Love You may be the most heartbreaking film on this list. The film follows a young widow who, having suddenly lost her husband to brain cancer, receives a recording he arranged to be delivered upon his death. The recordings are filled with messages about grief, life, and love—plus, one final request. From beyond the grave, he asks his wife to visit his hometown in Ireland.
Dear John
Another heartbreaker from Nicholas Sparks, Dear John stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried as a soldier and the woman he loves who exchange letters while separated by deployment. Sparks, romance, heartbreaking letters, what else could you ask for?
The Last Song
Sparks on Sparks on Sparks. Another of the author’s heartbreaking romance stories was adapted for the screen in 2010, which will more importantly be forever remembered as the project that brought together Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth. The Last Song follows an angsty teenager who (angrily) spends the summer in a charming beach town to reconnect with her estranged father, falling in love with a local boy in the meantime.
Loving
This biographical drama follows the lives of Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 Loving v. Virginia Supreme Court case which challenged the laws that prohibited interracial marriage. The film stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga and upon its release in 2016, was considered one of the best movies of the year.
One Day
Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, One Day is a friends-to-lovers story following Emma and Dexter year after year, on the same day—July 15th. With each passing year, we watch the young lovers grow through phases of life, growing closer and drifting apart, ultimately finding themselves drawn together again.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Written and directed by Moonlight’s Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk is an adaptation of the 1974 James Baldwin novel of the same name. The story follows a young woman working to clear the name of her lover, who has been wrongly accused and imprisoned, before she gives birth to their child.
The Danish Girl
The Danish Girl, like The Notebook, is a period romance, taking place in 1920s Copenhagen. Based on the lives of two Danish painters, the film, and the novel from which it is adapted, follows the relationship between Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe—considered to be one of the first ever recipients of gender-affirming surgery. This movie is a bit controversial because Eddie Redmayne, a cis actor, plays a trans woman. But if you can look beyond that, it's worth watching.
The Theory of Everything
Starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything follows the life of Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and bona fide genius. The film is based on the memoir of Jane Hawking, his ex-wife who was by his side in the early days of his ALS diagnosis and scientific breakthroughs.
A Star Is Born
This 2018 drama stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but you already knew that. The story follows a famous country rock artist, Jackson Maine, who meets and falls in love with a young singer-songwriter working as a waitress. The tears you’ll cry during this one will be just as ugly, if not uglier, than the ones shed during The Notebook.
You Might Also Like
