Notting Hill
Official Universal Site
Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee
Category: Romantic-Comedy
Rating: PG-13
"Can the most famous film star in the world fall for the man on the street?" Sure, if that man is Hugh Grant. Actually, I don't want to do this film a disservice. It was very good, and the subject matter was handled well. If I seem reserved - it's simply because I saw most of the movie in previews, and there really was nothing left once I reached my theater seat.
Roberts' requisite million-dollar smile was firmly in place as film star Anna Scott. Her portrayal shows an eerie "behind-the-scenes" of being a star. With handlers, assistants, and The Press filling every available crevice of Scott's life, it was a wonder she ever met the man on the street. Also present was Grant's trademark nervousness. But it worked here. As travel bookshop owner William, Grant was remarkably reminiscent of a youngish Jimmy Stewart, both earnest and likable.
The ensemble cast (this is from the creators Four Weddings and A Funeral, by the way) includes William's bizarre artist flat-mate Spike (Ifans), his red-haired bug-eyed enthusiastic baby-sister (Chambers), and his almost-stock-broker pal Bernie (Bonneville, Frankenstein, Tomorrow Never Dies). This group of misfit friends is rounded out by example-couple Max (McInnerny) and his wife Bella (McKee), who has recently become wheelchair-bound. The ensemble actors provide wonderful color and unerring British levity for principals Roberts and Grant, as well as the support needed when the romance gets too heavy.
I would rather have seen this movie cold. They gave away the farm in previews and commercials, and it really did dull this viewer's experience. And the brief glimpse of Alec Baldwin in a guest appearance unwittingly violated my personal code of "no more Alec Baldwin" movies. But apart from that, it was very sweet, very Four Weddings-esque, and I recommend it as a way to avoid light sabers and western spider-robots this summer. The rating of PG-13 is right on target.
Thumbs mad at the marketing department!
Copyright 1999 by Kathe