Review
Notting Hill
- Director
- Roger Michell
- Year
- 1999
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Sunday, April 29, 2001
The story is nothing new: a common man in love with a star. This has been the subject of myths, legends, fairytales, children stories and countless movies. So pulling it off in such a fresh and original way is a tribute to the filmmakers. The story is told strictly from the point of view of William Thacker (Grant), the owner of a travel book shop in Notting Hill, London, who’s suddenly surprised when famous actress Anna Scott (Roberts) walks in, looking for a book. That’s not the end of it, though. In a one-in-a-million shot, William literally bumps into her again in the street minutes later, dropping orange juice all over her shirt. Offering his help, he turns a chance encounter into something unexpectedly intimate. With no one looking, and nothing to lose, and following her impulses like she probably seldom does, Anna kisses William on the mouth in the most romantic of ways. It’s goodbye right after, but this is just the beginning of a most implausible relationship.
The story is a winner mainly because William is terribly sympathetic and we root for him completely, we identify with him. His world is surrounded by wacky but lovable characters that not only seem real but give a very special spice to the procedures. The standout is Spike (Rhys Ifans), the messy Welshman flatmate of William’s whose constant presence and participation is hilarious, stealing all his scenes. William himself is hilarious, always witty though bittersweet.
Anna Scott is Julia Roberts, or vice versa, but her work is flawless. There’s one particular scene where she recites the reasons why her life is not as great as everyone thinks, and it’s chilling to imagine that scene played in the future if ever her sad prediction comes true. Even for a romantic comedy, this is a haunting role to play, and she’s admirable for it. Also, her chemistry with Hugh Grant is palpable. They both play in a very frank, relaxed tone, and the result is quite amiable.
Humor is constant in Notting Hill, but it’s as elegant as can be, without being unapproachable as sometimes happens with subtle British humor. This is good-natured, good-tasted humor, not without a couple of cheap puns and some sophisticated gags, but it never goes too far. Yet, the magic of this film is that it’s played from the heart in every possible way. The romantic scenes reminded me of the excitement and expectation of the very first romances of one’s life, free of all pretenses, with a feeling of clean and fresh air, and everything to look forward to. The same goes to the heartbreaking scenes of William and Anna’s partings… It’s all constantly moving, down to the powerful climax. All to the tune of Trevor Jones’s heartfelt music and a well-selected song score.
The fine ensemble cast also includes Tim McInnerny as William’s best friend, Gina McKee as his wife, Emma Chambers as William’s sister, Hugh Bonneville as another friend with a tendency towards failure, and James Dreyfus as William’s employee at the store. Everyone is great.
Regardless of it being regarded as a great film some day or not, it’s certainly one of my favorites.
“Surreal… but nice.”
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Other reviews of Notting Hill (1999): Morris
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Review
Notting Hill
- Director
- Roger Michell
- Year
- 1999
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, June 05, 2007
William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a common guy that lives in a small house with a friend (Rhys Ifans) in the English town of Notting Hill. One day, movie superstar Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) visits his travel book shop and from now on nothing would be the same. They instantly click, although their very different ways of life make room for some problems to emerge.
You know there’s something unique going on when you start watching a romantic comedy with Julia Roberts in which she plays a splendorous woman with a minor quibble: she’s not happy. Anna is a human being who happens to have a job that has made her famous and has put her in a frivolous world where nothing is real and where your looks are everything. I was surprised to see how the movie portrays this world in such an accurate and real manner. Even thou the basic premise is somewhat unlikely to happen in the real world, this movie is much more than you would expect.
Of course, her pain and sadness (which aren’t enough to avoid us from falling in love with her), are somewhat compensated by the easy-going way of life of Will, who sees things as they are in a simple way. That is exactly what she is looking for, to be able to hide away from her world and be a normal person. In a way, the movie makes a strong statement about how we sometimes don’t appreciate how special our lives are with us not even noticing it.
Julia Roberts is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful in this role. Some might say that she is playing herself, but that’s not true. Her character just happens to have the same job, but no one could have made this work so greatly if it wasn’t for her charm, her talent and the way she approached her character. The movie has a lot of poignant moments for her, like the one in which she has dinner with Will’s family and friends and she tells them the truth about her life. This is a movie filled with great scenes like that.
Hugh Grant, an actor I don’t usually like, is really good as well. This isn’t much of a stretch for him, although the movie benefits from his persona. Just as in Four Wedding and a Funeral, whose creators are behind this one as well, the movie is filled with a large gamut of weird supporting characters, of which Rhys Ifans and Emma Chambers, as Will’s sister, are the highlights.
I’ll never forget that last entire sequence with Elvis Costello’s “She” in the background. I wish every romantic comedy ended like this. I love this movie. I simply love it.
“I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her”.
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Other reviews of Notting Hill (1999): Groucho
Comments
Jacinda wrote at 6/22/2002:
You're so right about 'Notting Hill'. It is the most charming romantic comedy in years! It's too bad that most of the romantic comedies produced these days are so unimaginative. The only one I really fell for last year was 'Keeping the Faith' which was due to the talent of Edward Norton. At times it felt more like a screwball comedy with the spirit of those charming movies made years ago. My all-time favorite romantic comedy is definitely 'Pretty Woman' (again Julia ;), which made me fall in love with movies. I'm not kidding.. it was the first movie that highly affected me in a personal way. 'Harry and Sally' would come in second.
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Oh, I so love this movie! Jacinda is right, the usual problem is that romantic comedies have lost the original spark that made this genre great. The innocence, the gentleness, the love. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are as adorable here as Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer, and that's because these comedies are filled with the same spark that made the romantic comedies from the 30s so great. It's good to see the real nature of this genre hasn't been lost! Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
You really made me think about it, but I would have to say that my favorite romantic comedies of all time are "When Harry Met Sally", "It Happened One Night", "Notting Hill", maybe "My Best Friend's Wedding", "The Wedding Singer", maybe "Annie Hall" and I can't think of any other. I'll let you know though. Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Well, I must say that the classics are my favorite: It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Some Like it Hot (think about it, it's romantic!) and so many more. Maybe the romantic comedies of today can match the classics in some aspects, but I think they will never be as good. Jacinda wrote at 6/22/2002:
I didn't take those classics into account - but I think they are way superior compared to the movies made nowadays. I always feel sad after having seen one because there are less and less that I haven't seen. :(And here are my favorites: 'Some like it hot', 'Bringing Up Baby', 'The Philadelphia Story' and 'Roman Holiday'.
Noone commenting on 'Pretty Woman' here :( I wonder what you think about it. But you should keep your thoughts to yourself until I publish my review :)
Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
You know, I did think of "Some Like It Hot", but I thought it didn't fit into the romantic comedy genre. Now that it does, let me tell you that this movie is not only the best romantic comedy for me, but it is also one of my top 5 favorite movies EVER!!!!! So good!!!!!On the other hand, I also thought of "The Sound of Music", which is great. Don't know if it belongs here, but it certainly is romantic.
Oh, and that shitty movie called "Pretty Woman"....
Just kidding!
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Say Moe, The Sound of Music? It's romantic alright, but not a romantic comedy, is it? Anyway, it would be a great choice if it was! Glad to hear you like Some Like It Hot so much! Didn't know you liked it! ;)Can't wait for that Pretty Woman review!
Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
Well, I didn't think "Some Like It Hot" could be considered a romantic comedy as well. I mean.... it's a comedy alright, and it has it's romantic aspects, but I see it more as a slapstick kind of thing. As for "The Sound of Music", well, it is a musical after all, but I also don't see it as a romantic comedy per se. I can't really explain what actually makes one. I guess its story must be a about a couple destined to be together that have to go through a lot of misunderstandings before. And it has to have kind of a light tone. What do you think?
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