Surprisingly funny.

Rating: 8/10 (25 December 1999)

So, my wife tells me she rented Notting Hill. I say, "Oh, great, another romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts. Goody." So, she puts it in the VCR. I get on the internet in the same room as the television pretending to be paying attention while I'm actually checking up on my Fantasy Football team. Then, to my surprise, in ten minutes I'm off the internet and watching this surprisingly funny and charming movie.
Hugh Grant is typically Hugh Grant. He is charming in a self-deprecating sort of way with a marvelous sense of comedic timing. Julia Roberts plays a character that could easily be modeled after herself and does a good job if you can do a bad job playing yourself. The supporting cast really makes the film, especially Rhys Ifans as Spike, the lecherous Welshman with the heart of gold.
This is a great date flick. You'll even laugh at all the right spots just to spite yourself.