Coup de foudre à Notting Hill

Not usually impressed with Romantic Comedies, i found this one strangely compelling. It really was a nice movie, littered with great characters, especially Spike played by Rhys Ifans (Hilarious).

The story demonstrates to the extreme that love can occur between the most unlikely of people, and the humorous portrayal of this, is both touching and realistic. And i mean realistically created, not necessarily true realism.

Worthy of your attention, this well written romantic comedy is a must for fans of the genre and is a good gamble if your not.

8/10

This film was surprisingly good, not my favourite romantic comedy in the world, and personally I think Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral are better. But it is a good film, thanks to the strong performances, fresh script and the film's look. While not laugh out loud funny, Notting Hill is nonetheless warm and charming. The script is fresh, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful. The part where Anna says "I am just a girl, standing in front of a boy, waiting for him to love her", may be cringe worthy to some people, but for me no matter how clichéd it is it shows a vulnerable side to Anna's character. The film is based on love revolved around unequal social standing, William being diffident and unsuccessful, Anna being the complete opposite. The photography is fabulous and the direction is excellent. Hugh Grant is charming as William and Julia Roberts is positively luminous as Anna, and the two have strong chemistry. Out of the supporting performers, Rhys Ifans stands out in a very zany turn as Spike. The music is lovely too. All in all, this is very warm, charming and pleasant, yeah the ending is predictable, but this is a well written and quite irresistible film. 8.5/10 Bethany Cox

Notting Hill is a neighborhood in London and it's the title of a romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Two of the most unlikely lovers you could ever imagine get together here.

Grant is the respectable, but somewhat dull proprietor of a bookstore in Notting Hill which specializes in travel books. It looks like he's getting by, but truth be told Grant's perfectly happy with just making enough to pay the bills and a little extra.

Back in the day after she retired from the screen for almost 50 years it was one of those urban legends in New York City to spot Greta Garbo out and about and you'd never know but when she might get a notion to stop into a bookstore like Grant's. In this case Julia Roberts plays a movie star not unlike the real Julia Roberts. Garbo mysterious she's not.

For if she was I doubt Hugh Grant would have considered approaching her. As for Roberts she's looking at Grant as a bit of respite from her life in the media goldfish bowl. When she's discovered it's disaster for both of them.

Notting Hill is a nice romantic comedy with very believable leads in a fairy tale fantasy. I mean who doesn't have a fantasy of wooing and winning some celebrity you might admire or be crushing out on. In that sense Notting Hill has a universal appeal.

In an unbilled part Alec Baldwin plays her boyfriend whom we learn little about factually. But he comes across as an egotistical fathead. One thing you're certain of, no matter what happens with Grant, Roberts and Baldwin won't be an item much longer.

Notting Hill, a nice romantic comedy/fantasy. May you win the celebrity of your desires.

After reading the synopsis, 'Notting Hill' sounds like just another melodramatic Julia Roberts rom com. Fortunately, that ain't the case. 'Notting Hill' is fun, sweet, intelligent and … well, simply said, very entertaining. London's Notting Hill does seem like a street you'd like to walk on.

While the storyline itself is larger than life, the characters are real. There is no overt melodrama. We can see that Curtis put a lot of heart and some Brit wit humour into the writing. After meeting William, Anna, Spike, Max, Bella and Honey, we, as audience, really connect to these very interesting characters and care about them. The table discussion in Honey's birthday scene shows how all the characters connect. While a nervous Anna, is new to the group, we see that she eventually gets a hang of them and feels comfortable enough to talk about herself.

Hugh Grant isn't anything different from his other rom coms. Julia Roberts is brilliant. I never liked any of her romantic comedies (e.g. Pretty Woman, I Love Trouble, Something to Talk About etc) but 'notting Hill is an exception. She gives a subtle portrayal as hugely famous but very vulnerable Anna Scott and does full justice. This indeed is one of her finest performances. Rhys Ifans as Spike is standout! While Tim McInnerny, Emma Chambers, Hugh Bonneville and Gina McKee (love her) are excellent. McKee's comedy is extremely subtle and her character is one of the most appealing. She underplays her part with tremendous grace and maturity.

All the actors share a very warm chemistry that just keeps adding on to its quality. The relationship and friendship between the characters is shown in a very sensitive way. While Spike and William are roommates who just seem to get along, we know that they like each other. Also William is about to cancel a date with the world's most famous actress to attend his sister's birthday party. The relationship between Max and Bella is beautiful.

Additional credit must be given to Coulter's amazing cinematography and the visuals. Watch the scene where Thacker is walking through the market and we see the weather change (indicating the passing time). There's a beautiful soundtrack that recites the moods of the scenes. And last but not least, thanks to Roger Mitchell for putting it all together to tell us this sweet entertaining story.

Julia Roberts is the queen of Romantic Comedies. Her iconic role in Pretty Woman should give her the title alone, but she's been in tons, some good while others weren't. However, she chose a good one in Notting Hill.

Notting Hill is a sweet, good-natured romantic comedy that succeeds on every level it is trying to be. The story is well-written and more original then it may come off from the trailers. This is a film about movie stars that actually have meaningful conversations about being movie stars. Hugh Grant is also dashing in the leading man role. Roberts actually gives best "Rom-Com" performance here, aside from the Oscar-Nominated, Pretty Woman. She restrains herself and isn't loud or obnoxious, just true to the character. This is some of her most underrated work.

With beautiful shots of London and a sweeping romance, Notting Hill is an example for future romantic comedies. I only had one problem: there is a huge gap in the middle where Roberts is off in America. I understood it was important to the story, but it didn't have to last 20 minutes. This is her story as much as it Grant's, but the writers put her on the back-burner.

While the ending is predictable, it's sweet and makes you smile. Wonderful film; 8.5