Notting Hill rises above its romantic comedy rep

Rating: Null/10 (7 October 1999)

I like a good, independent, totally artsy, unintelligible film as much as the next reviewer does., so I can talk about `twin brands of manipulation' and `autoerotic narcissism' with ease, researching the history of `Boxing Helena' with one hand and whipping off two hundred words about `The Blair Witch Project' with the other. That aside, I am willing to run the risk of corniness by stating my opinion that `Notting Hill' is a brilliant jewel among movies, despite its reputation as a sappy love story.
The movie's plot is formulaic, (boy meets girl, etc.), but with an original twist: the girl is the most famous movie star in the world, Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). The boy she meets is William Thacker (Hugh Grant), a British entrepreneur, who lives in the small London neighbourhood of Notting Hill. So what happens when their two worlds collide? They fall in love, of course. They have minor problems along the way, of course. And, of course,in the end, they live happily ever after.
Regardless, there are plenty of things to set `Notting Hill' aside from the `Pretty Woman'/`Sleepless in Seattle'/`You've Got Mail' romantic movie stereotype. It isn't often that I walk away from a movie completely enthralled with the characters, especially Bella, Max's wife. She is confined to a wheelchair but still an exceptional and elegant woman. Her husband shows such obvious adoration in his gentle lifting her off to bed.
They have a quiet but deep love, and the happiness they share gives Anna and William's budding relationship a kind of framework-an idea of what true love should be. Max and Bella don't steal the spotlight, but instead reflect it onto the main characters.
Each member of the ensemble cast reveals a distinct personality, instead of portraying the stock characters of `the best friend,' `the wacky sister,' or `a disabled wife.' Bernie is not just the loveable loser, but demonstrates great comedic talent. Upon meeting Anna at Honey's birthday dinner, he asks her occupation, and proceeds to tell the story of a friend from school who tried to be an actor but who ended up making his living as a waiter. One of the funniest things in this movie is the look on his face when, after several minutes of conversation, he realizes who he's talking to. People in the theater were laughing out loud. These are the sort of characters I love. If they were real people, they'd be invited to my next dinner party.
The dinner party scene is a great example of how this movie blurs the lines of casting, until the actors play off each other and have all the chemistry of a close-knit ensemble. All the `supporting' characters are developed as much as William and Anna. The closing of Tony's cafe is the setting of several poignant moments in the story, and I feel a sort of distant sympathy that could be more realized with more plot details. Ah, such are the perils of the editing process.
The typical romantic comedy has typically bland camerawork, but the cinematography gets creative in `Notting Hill.' There's a spectacular aerial shot of the two lovers in a park, like sparkling stars in the sky. Another innovative shot comes after Anna has left William to make another movie. To portray the passing of time, William is shown walking through the market in his neighborhood, and as he walks, time is marked by the change in seasonal weather from rainy to snowy to warn breezes and sunshine.
As per any Hugh Grant movie, the dialogue is witty and delivered well; I loved the press interview scenes, with Grant posing as a writer from Horse and Hound. Grant has considerable comic talent and we all come away saying, `Awww.' In fact, this entire movie makes us want to just say, `Awww.' But fortunately, it's none the worse for it.