Charming, If Slightly Improbable Romance

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2014)

Writer Richard Curtis set out to answer a question: What if I showed up to a regular get-together with friends, accompanied by the World's Most Famous Woman? This is his answer. Hugh Grant plays a bookshop owner, in Notting Hill, who lives his life within a very small area. Of course, as these things go, he has a chance encounter with Julia Roberts, who is stretching her acting muscles by playing a famous, superstar actress. After an awkward first encounter, a series of events lead to a slightly more charming, if improbable second encounter. From there, an incredulous, and rocky romance develops.
As with four Weddings and a Funeral, the film is largely a series of sketches, driven by dialogue between the characters. Curtis excels at this kind of stuff and his scripts have memorable exchanges. Perhaps his plots are a bit far fetched, though stranger things have been known to happen. They do tend to tread a bit on a romantic fantasy of life; but it is a romantic comedy, after all.
The cast are first rate, with Hugh Grant returning to the Curtis world as yet another charming, awkward man. He can pretty much play this part in his sleep. Julia Roberts plays a version of herself, though with a bit of tweaking here and there. The rest of the cast are filled with terrific character actors, including Curtis alumni Tim McInnerny (Black Adder series) and Emma Chambers (Vicar of Dibley), as well as newcomers Gina McKee, Hugh Bonneville, James Dreyfuss and Rhys Ifans. Curtis knows how to write character pieces and these actors make music of his writing.
It's easy to pick apart the reality of the film, that a famous actress would find true love with an ordinary guy that she, literally, bumped into; but, the scenario is so wonderfully done that you don't really care. The chemistry between the leads makes you forget the plot holes and the rest of the cast create an atmosphere that would be attractive to anyone, famous or not. It doesn't have a huge laugh quotient, but peppers the film with some really great comedic moments to keep you amused, while it charms you and brings a tear or two to your eye (like the scenes at the park bench, or when Roberts is in Grant's shop, begging him to forgive her). You can dismiss it as forgettable fluff; but, chances are, you'll be swept up in it, even if it's for just a little while. That's what movies do.