Did Netflix Change The Notebook To Have A Happier Ending?

Those who innocently settled in to watch their favourite romance movie, The Notebook, recently found themselves facing heartbreak not unlike that in the film. Netflix audiences in the UK and Ireland took to social media to express their confusion and anger when it appeared the Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling classic had a different ending than the devastating finale they were used to.

For those who need a refresher on the film, it follows the story of a young couple in the 1940s Noah (Gosling) and Allie (McAdams) as they fall madly in love. In the original ending, Noah, who is narrating the story to a dementia-ridden Allie in present day, lays in bed with his love and they die embracing each other. In this alternate ending, however, the scene of the two dying together is replaced by a shot of birds flying over a lake. It's a nice metaphor, sure, but not quite the gut-punch that The Notebook fans know and love — and bawl over.

While fans had originally thought that Netflix itself had tweaked the final scenes, the streaming service assured the public that it wasn't their doing.

According to Netflix UK & Ireland, the alternate version was "supplied" to them. Maybe an alternate version that was made for audiences for which a scene of the couple dying was inappropriate was accidentally sent to the streaming service? Whatever the reason, audiences are still freaking out over the mishap. If this incident has proved anything, it's that you can get away with messing up some things, but when it comes to fans' precious rom-coms: tread lightly.