Usual romantic comedy, but great screenplay.

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2000)

"Notting Hill" is an interesting romantic comedy, with two nice differences: Firstly, it is very well written, nearly as cleverly and as good as "Analyze This" and "As Good As It Gets." The relationships in the film are usual (half-witted but nice young man, beautiful and rich and clever but down-to-earth young woman, interesting but clueless bunch of friends, odd flatmate, close bond among a group of losers, funny helper at the shop...) to see in a romantic comedy (e.g., Pillow Talk had such interesting and actually non-existing but believable people), and the formula is pretty straightforward: Impossible love becomes possible after a series of strange events. Yet, the relationship between the people in the film and the lines they are delivering (Hugh Grant's "Surreal but nice" was a gem, so was the story about honey-soaked apricots and every word off of the mouth of Spike the subtenant) are wonderfully planned. The texture of the story is really wonderfully woven and fits together enormously well. You believe the story the screenwriter tells you, because it is easy to believe that such a story might actually have taken place. Secondly, the acting is brilliant. Hugh Grant is really believable as the half-witted holiday-bookshop owner and Julia Roberts shines in this performance (well, she sort of plays her real self, the international superstar, does she not?), yet the supporting cast, most from favourite TV series of Britain (from "Thin Blue Line" to "the Vicar of Dibley") are excellent. At the end, because of these two reasons, a film which tells you a run-of-the-mill fairytale becomes a real gem of a story to watch. It is easy and fun to watch, it is believable, and it is really funny nearly all the time. "Notting Hill" is a must see and I really mean it.