NOTTING HILL
It starts out as a normal day at William's travel book shop in Notting
Hill, London, until Anna happens in. An orange juice-related accident lands
her in his home across the street, where his propensity for small talk charms
the woman and she gives him an unsolicited smooch. She leaves, and William
thinks he's seen the last of her, but soon he finds himself invited into
her inner sanctum — her hotel room at the London Ritz.
The plot then mainly follows familiar lines with the couple becoming
more and more attached to each other, until the unforgiving British tabloids
(they're even worse than the American ones) discover some illicit photographs
taken of Anna way back when. "I was poor," she cries to William,
but there she is, plastered all over creation in her birthday suit. Then
William's wacky roommate Spike (Rhys Ifans) mentions to a few friends that
she's staying with them. One morning, William goes outside to get the paper,
and there are hundreds of press photographers, snapping away. Now the issue
becomes whether William and Anna can stay together under such circumstances.
Written by Richard Curtis, who penned Bean
and the aforementioned Four Weddings, this story is cute but a little
light on meaning, like those two. A typical Roberts/Grant vehicle.What makes
it a bit more interesting is the backdrop of supporting characters. There's
Spike, who considers himself a ladies' man even though he looks like a reject
from The Full Monty. Ifans is hilarious;
he practically steals the show. Also on board is the slightly less weird
Honey (Emma Chambers), still looking for the perfect man, and William's
ex-girlfriend Bella (Gina McKee) and her husband Max (Tim McInnerny), who
is William's best friend. Along with their friend Bernie (Hugh Bonneville),
a stock broker who is really terrible at his job, the group gets together
for Honey's birthday, and William invites Anna. After their initial shock,
they all accept her as one of the group, and this is one of the most enjoyable
parts of the movie. Better, really, than the trite William/Anna romance.
Making a cameo as Anna's boorish American boyfriend is Alec Baldwin, a surprising
face to see in this movie.
What else can I tell you? Roberts flashes her famous smile. Grant does his famous self-deprecating charm. The ending is as predictable as they come. Curtis and Michell rely on America's love for those nutty Brits to sell the film, and they will not be disappointed. ***½