I’ll say it again here for closure, this is a Julia Roberts movie and I like it.
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There are two things that can make an enjoyable Julia Roberts film. The first is to star Hugh Grant against Roberts. I can´t think of a single romantic comedy starring the lovable Grant that I did not like. The second thing to make a Julia Roberts film completely enjoyable is to add in an odd sidekick played by the unusually entertaining Rhys Ifans. You can have your Richard Gere. You can have your Brad Pitt. You can have Dermot Mulroney and Mel Gibson. If you want me to actually recommend a movie starring the toothy actress, you best cast Hugh Grant. Yes, I would have rather had Uma Thurman or Kate Winslet opposite of Grant, but "Notting Hill" is such an enjoyable romantic comedy that I don´t mind Roberts portraying an actress akin to herself in this film. The moments between Grant and Ifans more than make up for Roberts´ presence in this film.
Hugh Grant is Will Thacker. He is a bookstore owner in London´s Notting Hill district. Thacker is a lovable buffoon in the mold that Grant masterfully portrays. He is divorced and uncertain of his lot in life. The closest relationship he has is his roommate Spike (Ifans), who doesn´t believe in washing his laundry, sports around the flat in scuba gear and wears provocative t-shirts on first dates. One typical day, the biggest Hollywood star in the world, Ana Scott (Roberts) pays his shop a visit and the clumsy, yet handsome man spills juice on her clothing. Will invites Ana back to his flat to clean her shirt and in repayment for his kindness and out of nowhere, Ana gives Will an awkward kiss. This plants the roots for the film´s eventual romantic involvement between the two, but not instantly.
Time passes and Will believes he may never hear from Ana again. His short minded roommate Spike fails to give him a message that Ana had left a message. Will nearly misses Ana, but tracks her down at an expensive hotel, where she is staying under a false name based upon a cartoon character. Ana invites Will to visit her at the hotel and he barges into a press conference, where he pretends to be a reporter for Horse and Hound magazine. The interview is awkward, but endears Ana towards Will even further. He is charismatic and charming in a boyish and innocent way. With the chemistry beginning to build between the two, Will invites Ana to the only thing that pops into his mind; his sister´s birthday party.
Upon arriving at the sister´s flat, Will´s sister Honey (Emma Chambers) gushes all over Ana and proclaims to be her biggest fan and new best friend. Although all of Will´s family are in shock at Anna Scott being among them, Ana enjoys herself and smoothly gets past numerous awkward moments, from her veterinarian ways to her superstardom. After this first evening out, Will and Ana begin a short term relationship that moves swiftly and powerfully, but abruptly ends when Ana invites Will to her hotel and her boyfriend Jeff (Alec Baldwin). This breaks Will´s heart, but he pretends to be a room service servant to avoid confrontation and leaves Ana alone to return to America with her famous actor boyfriend.
The relationship is not over and Ana returns to London and seeks out Will. She proclaims that under her fame and fortune, she is simply a girl in love with a boy and asks Will for a second chance with her. Will realizes that he cannot match up to her lifestyle and her jet setting and busy schedule will only result in heartbreak. He turns her down and leaves her leave his shop with heartbreak of her own. Spike calls him a wanker for his actions and his family lets him know that he has made a grave mistake and that he should track down the lovely American actress and profess his love to her and do what he can to make their romance work. A frenzied street chase with more entertaining Spike moments results and Will poses as a reporter during a press conference and gets his chance to win over Ana.
As much as I tend to avoid Julia Roberts´ films, I´ve always enjoyed "Notting Hill" and consider it among my favorite romantic comedies. Part of the allure of this film is my appreciation for Hugh Grant´s brand of comedy. Back in the Mirimax days, Grant entertained me with a number of funny and delightful films. "Sirens," "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain" and "Sense in Sensibility" were films that led me to have a desire to see "Notting Hill." There is just something about his mannerisms and clumsy charisma that has placed Grant at the top of my list of favorite male leads in a romantic comedy. "Notting Hill" is an American effort and a big Hollywood film and one of the rare Hollywood efforts that did not try to change the formula that makes Hugh successful. After this film and aside from "Mickey Blue Eyes" and "Small Time Crooks," Hollywood has never figured out how to effectively use the veteran British actor.
Another actor I thoroughly enjoyed in "Notting Hill" was that of Spike and the credit for this character is wholly deserved by actor Rhys Ifans. The Welsh actor has not been in many big films, but he is an entertaining character actor that was perfectly cast for "Notting Hill." I´ve always found it disappointing that Hollywood has not tapped deeper into Ifans talent and he has only had bit parts in roughly a dozen smaller films. "Little Nicky" with Adam Sandler, "Vanity Fair" and "Hannibal Rising" are a few other films that have been fortunate enough to have Ifans involvement. Roberts herself is just fine in the film. She is asked to portray the biggest female star in Hollywood. This isn´t a stretch of any sort for the actress. After all, she was one of the biggest female stars in Hollywood, if not the biggest. Her slick and serious nature in the film contrasted perfectly with Hugh´s dimwitted charm.
"Notting Hill" is a fun film and a quality romantic comedy. I will very rarely give props to a Julia Roberts film. I recently had the pleasure of reviewing her "Erin Brokovich" and recommended that film as well. I feel almost hypocritical in my stance after spending years expressing my displeasure for her involvement in many pictures. She works well in this film and it is impossible to say she doesn´t do a good job portraying a role that could very well be based on her own life. The reason to watch this film is Hugh Grant and the supporting performance of Rhys Ifans. This is a very funny film that has some of the comedic value of the earlier Mirimax films starring Hugh Grant, but contains that high budget Hollywood polish that those films lacked. If I was asked tomorrow to sit down with a pretty girl and put a romantic comedy into my HD-DVD player, "Notting Hill" would be my choice.
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