Netflix has spoken out after fans complained the version of The Notebook available to stream on their platform had an ending they weren’t used to.
Earlier this week, multiple media outlets published stories about fans of The Notebook taking issue with Netflix for changing the ending.
As fans of weepy romantic dramas will tell you, the usual ending of The Notebook sees an elderly Allie and Noah getting into bed together and dying, with a nurse discovering them the following morning.
It’s tragic, it’s heartbreaking… it’s a lot.
But in the version currently streaming on Netflix in the UK, the elderly pair are seen getting into bed together, though what happens next remains ambiguous, as the scene then cuts to a flock of birds flying away together, a throwback to an earlier moment in the film.
After facing quite the backlash from Notebook devotees, Netflix UK has now issued a statement on their Twitter, insisting that they weren’t aware of the alternate ending.
In a tweet that listed “things you should know”, they clarified: “We did not edit the notebook… an alternate version exists and was supplied to us… we are getting to the bottom of it asap… apparently some films have more than one ending?!”
A post from See What’s Next – a verified account offering news about what is coming up on the streaming platform – added: “Rest assured that the version of The Notebook coming to the US on March 1 will be the version that has always made you sob.”
The Notebook stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the loved-up pair, whose story is told by the elderly Noah to his wife, Allie, who has dementia.
While Ryan and Rachel’s on-screen chemistry has been a favourite among fans of romantic films since The Notebook was released, it’s been well-documented that they weren’t exactly the best of friends when they first began working together. They did eventually set their differences aside, though, and dated for three years.