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Notting Hill (Collector's Edition)

Notting Hill (Collector's Edition)

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
Review: I really enjoyed this film, and I'm a fan of neither of the central stars. The characters were delightful, and Grant's ability to fade into befuddlement and to come up with off-the-wall explanations for his slightly eccentric family were delightful. His protrayal of an average nice guy confronted with the ultimate fantasy and quite unprepared to deal with it--as who would be--was charming. Roberts was her usual vulnerable self, a princess in a tower just waiting for the right knight in shining armor to rescue her. She does it frequently, and she does it extremely well. Perhaps that's why she seems to be one of the more high demand stars and one of the ladies of the film industry most admired by men. Maybe she's the epitomy of what they would like all women to be. Perhaps the most delightful characters were the friends and family of the hero, each of whom had a personality distinctly their own with which the viewer could connect, and for whom a happy resolution to their various problems one could hardly help but desire. A pleasant company with which to spend time, and worth another visit.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I usually hate romantic comedies, but...
Review: I hate romantic comedies, but I can't hate this one. It's actually very good. If your girlfriend (or boyfriend) forces you to watch cheesy movies, watch this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Just as I was giving up on romantic comedies....
Review: Notting Hill was in one word "superb". It kept the promise of delivering a light romantic comedy, without going overboard on the cheez. I loved William's off-beat, mayonaise eating roommate, and his Anna Scott fanatic sister. The acting and casting worked perfectly. Hugh Grant (william) always plays a very good confused and lovestruck Englishman (as evident in Four wedding and a funeral) and Julia Roberts plays out her life basically. The script was clever and full of wise-cracks that will keep you entertained for the entirety of the movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: what a quiet achiever
Review: When "Nottinghill" was shown in my local cinema, I opted not to watch it. I thought it would be one of those Hollywood movies with those too good to be true story line. My friends who went to watch it told me that it's a wonderful movie & still, I stood my ground. Lately, with the release of DVD, I decided to watch it one evening when I've nothing better to do. My intuition about the storyline being too good to be true was right. Despite so, the movie's honesty & its believeable cast made this movie very watchable. All and all, it's a feel good & heart-warming movie & reminding Joe Blogg like us out there that it's ok for us to ponder for good things that might happen to us when we are the least expected.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great romantic comedy
Review: I think this film needs no review, it speeks for itself. Hugh and Julia are the golden couple. Music fantastic, screenplay great and the whole film itself is on the highest level. One of the best films in it's category.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Sweet!
Review: This sweet and charming movie really makes you laugh. The combination of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant is well thought out. His shy and quiet side blends very nicely with Roberts bold and dashing personality. She's just wonderful in this light and romantic comedy. It's a wonderful addition to any Julia Roberts movie library. Nice Choice!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An intelligent romantic comedy
Review: Don't be fooled. Despite the fact that it stars Julia Roberts, the current reigning queen of Hollywood, "Notting Hill" is a British film to the core. Not only is this witty romantic dramedy set entirely in London, but the cast (including co-star Hugh Grant) and crew are composed largely of Brits. Rather than prove a distraction, this fact serves to inject the film with a delightful touch of characteristically British black comedy and fierce wit that is a refreshing change from the torpid drudgery of recent American entries like "You've Got Mail." The film also flows at a mature, leisurely pace that is wonderfully anti-Jerry Bruckheimer.

"Notting Hill" is the second feature film written by the talented Richard Curtis, whose first endeavor, "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (another British production), catapulted Grant to stardom back in 1994. Indeed, it is largely owing to the intelligence and realness of Curtis' script that "Notting Hill" remains on solid ground even through the standard, formulaic scenes of melodrama that invariably find their way into films of this genre.

Grant plays William Thacker, a quiet, conservative owner of a small travel bookstore located in Notting Hill, a bustling but quaint merchant district of London. Thacker's life of calm stability is invigorated tenfold when Anna Scott, an American international film star, walks casually into his store looking for a travel book on Turkey. A series of comical events allow for Thacker and Scott to cross paths on several more occasions, which eventually lead to their growing romantic interest and the complications that ensue. Sound trite? Well, it's not for originality of plot that "Notting Hill" is to be commended, but rather for what writer Curtis, director Roger Michell, and leads Roberts and Grant do with it.

Curtis and Michell have fashioned the film in such a way that the two leads are allowed to shine in all of the strengths that have endeared us to them. Roberts infuses her role with a naturalism and grace that can only come from real world experience with some of the painful issues the film presents, such as the ruthless disintegration of one's private life and the emotional scarring that results from having one's personal heartbreaks splashed across newspapers even before getting an opportunity to properly consider them. If the success of actor Tom Hanks is due largely in part to his "Everyman" image, then Roberts' success (she recently became the highest paid actress in the world, now commanding a salary of $20 million per film) is very much owing to her ability to play at once the Hollywood goddess and the T-shirt and tennis shoes clad "girl next door." As Anna Scott, Roberts is equally convincing glowing in the flash bulb barrage of media attention as she is snuggled in bed in a man's oversized button-up.

Needless to say, Grant is also outstanding in the film. It is clear that Curtis wrote the role of William Thacker with Grant in mind, and he provides the actor with many moments to flash the bumbling charm that has very much become his trademark. But Grant transcends the role of "the witty Brit" by infusing Thacker with a raw vulnerability that is masterfully and subtly conveyed in his luminous blue eyes and ruggedly handsome face. There is one scene in particular, in which Thacker overhears Scott making some brutally insensitive comments about him behind his back that presents us with perhaps Grant's best and most touching reactionary performance to date.

The major flaw in the film is the increasingly irritating presence of Bernie, Thacker's oversexed, foul, and clueless roommate who is drastically overplayed by actor Hugh Bonneville. Clearly, Curtis intended for Bernie to be the comic relief in the film, but Bonneville's shameless overacting seems ludicrous and out of place in a film that is brimming with subtle, quality performances from not only the two leads but also a notably stellar supporting cast. Curtis and director Michell should have left the comic relief in the hands of the other actors, for there is more than enough charm and humor in the film without the excesses of Bernie, who is mildly amusing at best.

Added to this is the noticeably jumpy sound editing that plagues the film. Indeed, the music in "Notting Hill" often proves more of an interference than a complement to the quality of the rest of the work, as a good score should be. Nevertheless, "Notting Hill" is a top-notch romantic comedy/drama with a wonderfully literate script, fine, nuanced performances, and effective, subtle direction.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I would shag Julia
Review: Everytime i watch this film i cry my eyes out. i love it the woman in me comes out and i can't stop it. Julia if you read this i would shag you so how about it?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a sweet, heartwarming movie
Review: I have to say, though, that Honey, William's sister, is the highlight of this film, but I love the story of a famous film star and a regular bookseller. I also love the British actors showcased here, and especially, Welsh actor Ifans, whom you shouldn't watch if you have food or drink in your mouth.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surreal
Review: That's how Grant describes his relationship with the actress portrayed by Julia Roberts in Notting Hill.

The film uses Grant's formulaic hemming and hawing acting style that fans have come to expect, and rather enjoy. It's an unrealistic film, but that is what makes it so enjoyable. We're caught up in the unreality of it all.

There are a few surprises along the way. Grant's character acts in ways that we don't expect a character to act. It all ends happily, but not quite in the way that we might expect it to.


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