Nodding Hill - Rating: Two Eyes Closed

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 1999)

American movie star on location in England meets unsuccessful travel book store owner and falls in love, ... I think. How do you make this "romantic? comedy?" saleable? Hire all purpose mainstream box office attraction Julia Roberts and bad boy Englishman Hugh "Flopsy" Grant as the leads. For filler - it can't be all teeth and hair - round it out with a colourful cast of British extras slumming for money between BBC gigs, stage work, and pogey. By the time this star vehicle reached its tedious conclusion, I had experienced several power naps and didn't care how happy, or unhappy, the unlikely couple had become.
The only memorable bit in this movie was when Julia's actress character was making small talk with one of Hugh's fascinating friends/relatives. The poor Brit was unaware of her star status and assumed that she was a struggling actress. When he asked her what she was paid on her last film, the reply, "$15 million", was funny at first, and then you realize, hey, the joke is on us - we're paying that salary for this ... !
If you bought a ticket or rented "Notting Hill" for, as Austin Powers would say, "s**ts and giggles", you only got half your money's worth.