Notting Hill

Roberts "stretches" in this romantic comedy.

Features: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant
Director: Roger Michell
written: June '99
Notting Hill is a pleasant enough romantic comedy. Instead of the complete implausibility of a takeover artist falling for a hooker a la Pretty Woman, we have the even greater implausibility of an A-list movie actress falling for a schlub bookstore owner. What the hell: go with it. Julia Roberts is the movie star (and since she's numero uno on the actress' pay scale; to say she's playing herself is putting it mildly). Hugh Grant is the schlub, so yeah, gotta have that cuteness factor cuz she ain't gonna fall for just any schlub.

Course you have to have these two meet and that is handled well enough. It's the continuation so they can fall in love is where the problem lies. The scriptwriters had to come up with something and that's what you get: something. It ain't pretty, but the script's machinations get the job done. So at times the dialogue moves with all the smoothness of a sputtering Yugo.

Roberts' and Grant's chemistry is there onscreen. The two play off each extremely well. Roberts does the American bit of being bitchy truthful when the need arises while Grant does the veddy British understatement with aplomb.

Roberts gives a speech at one point where you could here a pin drop in the theater. While Roger Ebert gave it away on Siskel & Ebert, I refuse to do so. Suffice to say for a woman movie star playing a movie star to give such a speech was ballsy indeed. Roberts is commended for not using her star power and having the speech excised from the script. Kudos to her.

The music is blatantly obvious. When Grant is zooming after Roberts in a mini-car, the soundtrack blares: "GIMME SOME LOVIN'! GIMME SOME LOVIN'!" So subtlety is not their middle name.

Notting Hill is a pleasant enough diversion. You want a romantic comedy, you want it starring Julia Roberts, then this movie is for you. No more, no less.

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