The most shocking film in years.

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2001)

By shocking, of course, I mean shockingly GOOD. Hugh Grant is one of those actors that I have never been able to tolerate, and I have never been a huge Julia Roberts fan either (although I was truly impressed with Runaway Bride), but Notting Hill is one of the best romantic comedies that I have seen in years, easily surpassing Runaway Bride, one of my current favorites.

Hugh Grant plays a normal guy who owns a travel bookstore in a tiny town called Notting Hill in London. He gives a surprisingly convincing performance in this role, and Julia Roberts is also excellent as the hugely popular Hollywood movie star because, whether you like it or not, she is a hugely popular Hollywood movie star. She plays the part of Anna Scott, the film star who happens to wander into William's (Grant) bookstore while in London shooting a film. One of the things that distinguishes this movie from other romantic comedies is the hesitant way that William and Anna grow to know each other. It's true that the whole oops-I'm-sorry-for-spilling-my-drink-on-you bit is not entirely original, but the good acting and directing made over-used material interesting again.
By far the funniest character in the film, of course, is Spike, William's nut-case of a roommate (or `flatmate,' as William calls him). Some of the things that he did in the film are funnier than anything I've seen in years. For example, the way that he blows smoke through his nose into the snorkeling goggles, the way he mistakes mayonnaise for yogurt, or the scene where he finds out that William turned down Anna Scott (`You daft prick').

While the movie may be a little bit long for some people, and as a whole, it doesn't really present anything really new in the genre of the romantic comedy, it moves along so smoothly and is so entertaining and funny that it is more than worth the extra time. I think that the fact that I am personally not a fan of either of the main stars, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed the film, says something about the quality of the movie. An excellent date movie, for everyone from first dates to happily married couples, so don't miss it. Just be prepared to be sore from laughing so much.