Great Romantic Fun

Rating: Null/10 (23 May 1999)

I enjoyed this film tremendously. Being a huge fan of Four Weddings and a Funeral, I purposely tried not to expect much from this film. In my opinion it surpassed 4 Weddings quite easily and I thought the acting from both Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts was superb.
This is classic Hugh Grant - playing a nervous, not so cool guy (William Thacker), who, unlike many around him isn't awestruck by the stardom of Anna Scott (Roberts). Julia Roberts portrays Scott well, showing both her business-like side, and her vulnerability. Scott immediately likes Thacker (and vice versa) but because of the worlds they live in, the chances of a relationship between them seems very surreal (a word used often in the film).
The audience are left wondering what Scott's true feelings for Thacker are, but we can see that Thacker has fallen for Scott. He has fallen for the real Scott, the one that is 'just a girl' and not the movie star version. This is one of the things that she finds so attractive about him - the way he treats her as a person, and not as a star.
I wasn't sure about the chemistry between Grant and Roberts at times, but considering the times they met, and the nature of their character's relationship in the film, it is probably spot on.
The story isn't all about romance - there are some good comedy moments in here, in the same vein as 4 Weddings. This is a film with some substance to it, and in my opinion, this is one of the most enjoyable film's I have seen in a while.