Not bad

Rating: Null/10 (14 May 2001)

Yet again, we have a British film which doesn't offer anything knew. Notting Hill is an average lightweight picture, which never challenges or tries to be different. We have the usual Hugh Grant, oh boy, he doesn't have a wide range of acting skills, does he? This is the same role as Four Weddings and a Funeral. The British film industry is technically superb, we have the best film technicians in the world, our films are photographed with a sense of verismilitude, but we lack ideas, this is why we'll never compete with Hollywood from a money point of view.
Notting Hill is a simple, very simple picture, the story never takes off in any direction. You'll come away feeling that the picture didn't achieve much. Interesting to note that the film tries to paint movie stars in a fresh light. I think it's the simplicity of the picture which makes it undemanding for the viewers, it wasn't boring, but not exciting, either. The direction is good, I thought the scenes were handled well, even the predictable finale, one could see it coming a mile off. I think a better script could've helped.
The acting is fine, I think the supporting work was excellent, but Hugh Grant was just too light, and Julia Roberts was terribly shallow, she had nothing to offer.
It's not surprising to see why the film made money, but the lightweight script was disappointing, still, I think most romantic film fans will enjoy it.