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Notting Hill (Collector's Edition) Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 59 Reviews)

One fine, funny romantic comedy
Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant each appeared in two movies in the summer of 1998. Roberts starred in the smash hit, Runaway Bride, while Grant had top billing in the unsuccessful Mikey Blue Eyes. All this proves is that she can carry a picture, and he can't. Business and star politics aside, Notting Hill is easily the best summer movie they were in.

The plot is as preposterous as they come, but this is permitted in romantic comedy. Grant plays William Thacker, who runs a little travel bookstore on Portobello Road in London's Notting Hill district. Roberts is Anna Scott, the biggest female movie star on the planet. This is amusing in itself, since Roberts is exactly that in real life. On location in England, Scott wanders into William's shop one afternoon. He doesn't even recognize her until a customer does. Later, he runs into in the street, where he spills orange juice all over the both of them. Accepting an invitation to clean herself up, she goes to his flat. Emotions begin to smolder. What unfolds is by the book boy meets girl, boy loses girl, etc., but it's all done in witty, bright and sophisticated fashion.

Notting Hill utilizes two of the oldest Hollywood romantic devices - the two main characters have failed at love, and they come from social scenes that are polar opposites. Its writer and director are shrewd enough to know that these are tensions which can add the comedy to romance. She flounders in his world, and we laugh. He stumbles in hers, and we laugh still more. Even in the inevitable scene where their world collide, and the romance seems doomed, we find amusement.

This is the best and most successful British comedy [excluding their trademark period pieces] since Four Weddings and a Funeral, which also had but one major American character. We get a parade of those eccentric English characters we adore. By far the funniest is Spike [Rhys Ifans], who is William's ditzy, clueless flat mate. Most of his best scenes cannot be written down for a family publication, but I can say that they are bawdy, as opposed to tawdry. Spike does not know how to dress, how to carry on a conversation longer than two sentences or how to react normally to life's simplest situations. He may be the one character who is most likely to also exist in the real world. Ifans is almost assured of receiving a Best Supporting Actor nomination next spring.

Roberts and Grant are in top form. She doesn't grin her way out of every emotional moment, and he keeps his trademark stutter in check. It's hard to say how much real chemistry there is between them, but it hardly matters, because they are two of the most charming and affable actors on the screen today. Their performance are right up their with what I consider to be their best - she in My Best Friend's Wedding, he in Sense and Sensibility.

The photography is excellent. One scene, in which William walks along Portobello Road as the seasons change, is remarkable. It's one of those complex-to-do creations that comes off as seamless and simple. Also of note is a moment where Spike, in his underwear, unwittingly opens the flat door and walks into a sea of screaming, photo-snapping journalists. It is a classic comedic moment.

I don't think it matters all that much that the plot is a tried and true one. After all, the point isn't whether or not you paint a landscape, but how well you paint it. If Notting Hill were a painting, it wouldn't be a masterpiece, but it would be very pleasing to the eye nonetheless.

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Wow! I never wanted a film to end as much as this one. I know now why it didn't get rave reviews in theatres. It takes forever to go anywhere and once it "arrives" it's leaves you saying, SO WHAT. The ONLY bright bit of acting in this movie was Hugh Grant ~ great in his stammering and perfectly-timed line deliveries and wonderful in the role of the well meaning, cheerful and simple fellow who falls for the unattainable lass, Ms. Roberts. Julia could have done much more with this role, but her performance left me wondering why she chose to play it like an actress asleep in front of the camera lens.

Supporting roles were good, i.e., Grant's kooky sister and his roommie, Spike. The soundtrack is nice, and fits the mood of the story, but if you're looking for a Julia Roberts love story to end all love stories, I'd pass this one up and rent Pretty Woman instead. Sorry folks, just my humble opinion! She's a good actress and wasted her talent in Notting Hill.

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I would like to say that I agree with some of the previous reviewers on this forum that Julia Roberts is not much of an actress. Just a pretty face. I rented this and went into it with a open mind. I haven't seen Julia Roberts in any other movies. This is the first. Julia Roberts did not add anything to the part. Hugh Grant was okay. I haven't seen him in any other movies either. So this was a first for me to see him. Now, as for the film. The story was pretty much bland and it was difficult to hold my interest. The film is very much a boy meets girl/ boy loses girl etc.... and you're basic light, fluff love story. The only humorous portion was Hugh Grant's slob/eccentric roommate and even that was only mildly funny. From what I understand, this is the formula film that Roberts generally is in and she does not change much from that formula. There is not any pretty scenery, vistas or even witty/clever dialogue. I think women would enjoy this film more than men. After watching it, you come away from it feeling like you haven't watched anything of substance. The film does touch on the difficulties that Roberts (who plays a famous movie star) has being famous and contending with the press and gossip in the London newspapers. I think most people would be satisfied to watch this film once and leave it at that. Others might really find it a waste of their time, while I know some people will turn it off after 15 minutes. It's not the worst film I have seen, but it is far, far below the standards of a really good film. I wouldn't recommend this as a film to keep in your DVD library. It is a toss away film. Not bad, just sub-standard all the way around. (I don't see what all the fuss is about regarding Julia Roberts as an actress. I see just a pretty face. There's a lot of prettier women out there in the real world). Two stars folks.

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