Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Roger Michell
Written by: Richard Curtis
Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Rhys Ifans
Produced by: Duncan Kenworthy

The Nutshell

The most famous actress in the world falls in love with a bumbling, charming British man.

The Review

    There is a term critics use quite frequently that you may have heard in the past: star vehicle. What it means is a film that was specifically tailored for its star. In a Bill Murray comedy, the humour is always his style of humour, etc. Notting Hill is the most blatant star vehicle I've ever seen. Julia Roberts, the most famous actress in the world, plays... the most famous actress in the world. Hugh Grant, a shy, stuttery-in-a-charming-way Brit, plays... well you can figure it out. Top their character choices off by making the film itself a romantic comedy and you've done it: you've created the safest film ever made for two of today's hottest stars.

    The plot is as implausible as it is simplistic. Anna Scott (Roberts), in London making a film, enters the travel bookshop of William Thacker (Grant). Thacker, while in awe of the famous face in his store, manages to remain somewhat calm in her presence, unlike everyone else who encounters her. Later, Thacker happens to bump into Anna again, spilling orange juice on her. These two events bring them together in his apartment, which begins the romance of Notting Hill.

    Director Roger Michell doesn't try any new camera tricks or original ideas; he doesn't have to and he knows it. A romantic comedy starring Roberts and Grant couldn't fail if it tried. So the plot devices are familiar (the lovers flight, make up, fight, make up etc.) and the films feels like an old friend. One single character doesn't fit the mold, that being Thacker's bizarre flat-mate Spike (Ifans). Spike is a dim Welshman who wears clothes strange enough to doubtless make a London fashion designer proud, and says crude, drug-influenced things. His presence is most welcome throughout the film, as it is the only thing about this film that isn't tame.

    Something has to be said for the acting in Notting Hill. While their roles may not be a stretch, Roberts and Grant make the most of their screen time. Roberts is charming as Anna Scott, but it is Hugh Grant who excels as Thacker. He does such a good job of playing the bumbling Average Joe, that when in the presence of Roberts and her character's Hollywood-actor boyfriend (a very familiar face in a surprise cameo), Grant actually seems like a nobody. It is nice to see such great acting in an otherwise formulaic romance.

    This film will doubtless make oodles of money, and fans of both Roberts and Grant will love the film. To be honest, it almost made me cry, and I'm usually not a sucker for this kind of thing. If only someone in Hollywood could figure out how to write an original romantic screenplay, films like Notting Hill could start topping people's favourites lists. As it is, this is an amusing distraction that you will enjoy, but probably not love.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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