The story follows two young lovers, Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), who meet and fall in love at a summer resort in the 1940s. Their whirlwind romance is filled with laughter, passion, and adventure, but their social differences and parental disapproval threaten to tear them apart. Years later, Allie is engaged to another man, but she encounters Noah again, and they rekindle their romance.

For years, I’ve been bombarded with praise and adoration for this 2004 romantic drama, directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks. Friends, family, and even strangers can’t stop raving about the film’s tear-jerking romance, memorable performances, and picturesque setting. But, as I sat through the movie, I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed and, dare I say it, annoyed.

And don’t even get me started on the rain. Oh, the rain. It’s like the filmmakers thought, “You know what would make this scene more romantic? A torrential downpour!” Newsflash: it just makes it look like the actors are stuck in a never-ending car wash.

The movie glosses over the harsh realities of the time period, instead opting for a sanitized, Disney-fied version of history. It’s like the filmmakers took a CliffsNotes version of World War II and the Great Depression and thought, “Hey, let’s make a romantic drama out of this!”