First of Julia's summer hits is a miss

Rating: Null/10 (9 November 1999)

"Notting Hill" was probably intended to try to appease Julia Roberts hungry moviegoers until "Runaway Bride" hit the screens. Too bad its not a very good movie.
Plot is this: a divorced unlucky at love bookstore owner meets a famous American actress and they share an instant mutual attraction. It then follows their romance through his discovery of her boyfriend, then his roommates' deception of her "hiding place" when nude photos of her are printed in the British tabloids, and finally his decision that he didn't want to see her again.
Julia Roberts puts forth a less than stellar effort on this one. Her character (Anna Scott) isnt very well executed and she seems to be trying to save her best work for the superior "Runaway Bride". She has some good moments and her charm shines through often enough that you won't be disappointed.
Hugh Grant is lively as William Thacker, the owner of the small travel book store. He has some pretty decent moments, and is not as dull as he has been in previous movies.
The supporting cast really shines though. Ryhs Ifans is Spike, William's slightly less than hygenic roommate. He is both offensive and hysterical all in the same scene. The rest of the cast is solid and well done. Very believable characters.
"Notting Hill" was just good enough to hold over die hard Julia fans till "Runaway" hit, but it was quite plain thats all this movie was meant to be. It was overlong, drawn out and at times a bit dull. Next time you wanna have multiple releases Julia, make sure you put your best effort into them both.
2 out of 5