A cute, if somewhat standardized, love story.

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 1999)

The story is timeless: Boy meets girl and falls in love. They come from different parts of society, and this difference poses some serious problems that they must overcome if their romance is to be, for lack of a more romantic word, successful.
I am somewhat tired of Hugh Grant with his stuttering and nervous/clumsy sense of humor, but in this movie he gives an amusing performance as William Thacker, an as-common-as-they-get bookstore keeper in Notting Hill in London. One day he has a very special customer: Anna Scott, the most famous actress in the world, played by Julia Roberts. She buys a few books and leaves. An overwhelmed William goes to buy a drink, which he manages to spill all over Anna when they collide in the street. To soothe the now enraged movie star, he invites her home to his apartment to wash and change her clothes.
And the rest you will have to see for yourselves.
This is a very standard love story, but it was very cute and quite touching. I don't know any actress that can look so close to tears like Julia Roberts, and Grant's verbal mistakes made the entire audience laugh. The comic side-kicks could easily fit in a Disney movie, and the movie had just the right combination of romance and humor. The dinner discussion about "who is the greatest loser" is one of the higher marks.
I give this movie an 8 out of 10.