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There is a moment in Notting Hill when Julia Roberts, playing movie star Anna Scott, having found herself in the home of travel bookshop owner William Thacker (Hugh Grant) suddenly kisses him. And this is a hell of a kiss, folks, we're not taking a little peck here. Every time I saw this movie in the theatres, or have shown it on DVD to someone who hadn't seen it before, there's always been the same instant reaction: "Oh come ON." That just seems unbelievable to people. I bought it. Completely and in an instant. I guess that means I'm this movie's perfect audience.
Admittedly this moment occurs early-on in the film, we don't yet have a sense of who Anna is. But as the movie progresses, we discover this sort of behavior is completely in line with Anna's personality. One of her notable traits, arguably her defining characteristic, is that she has very little self-control, she is ruled almost entirely by her emotions. There is, essentially, no gap between emotion and action, between emotion and speaking. As she said in a different movie, "I fly pretty much by the seat of my pants."
We see this in Notting Hill when she hears two guys in a restaurant insulting her, then they insult William, and her instant reaction is to confront, embarrass, belittle and humiliate them. We see it when she discovers reporters surrounding William's flat after she's spent the night, and her instant reaction is to rip into him verbally, even when that is obviously, blatantly unfair.
So, do I have any problem believing that this woman, finding herself alone with a man she felt like kissing, would just suddenly kiss him? I do not.
I've heard the attitude from numerous people, "Oh, Julia Roberts plays the biggest female movie star in the world. What a stretch. She's just playing herself." They do her a disservice. Frankly I'm amazed Julia's performance in Notting Hill didn't get an least an Academy Award nomination. But then crowd pleasing romantic comedies aren't good Oscar bait. Or is it that this woman has given us so much extraordinary work over the years we take her for granted? Watch the scene where Anna's talking to William in his bookshop, late in the film, trying to convince him to give her one more chance. Julia's totally believable as a woman hoping against hope she can salvage the best thing she's ever had in her life, even as she sees it slipping away. Admire the dignity, the barely concealed pain, as she realizes it's not going to happen. Truly, this is the work of a master actress at the height of her powers. During this scene Julia Roberts as Anna pulls you in, you're just dying inside right along with her.
Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant have immense onscreen chemistry. William is such a thoroughly decent guy, sweet and witty and charming though slightly bumbling, it's utterly believable Anna would respond to his genuineness. He's everything she's ever wanted in a man but never had. Not since Julia's turn in Pretty Woman with Richard Gere has she had a male co-star with whom she's shared such perfect chemistry. Yeah, this is a mass appeal romantic comedy. And it does it very, very well. Notting Hill is on the short list of films I never tire of watching.
And in the end - as in Pretty Woman - the girl gets the guy for a wholly satisfying payoff.
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Reviews with images
Judging A Book By Its Cover?
I did not purchase this film because I am a fan of Julia Roberts, even less of Hugh Grant. I wanted to learn more about the "enchanting" lady of the Forsyte Saga, Gina McKee, and her acting skills from earlier films. Robert's wide, toothy smile has always been off-putting, so I was gratified that all through the story, she had that under control. What was most surprising for me was when, at the very end of the film, she unleashed that broad smile in a winningly authentic fashion that revealed the beautifully humble person she is, and that her role demanded. Even more, I was impressed by the straight-forward way Gina McKee handled the role of a woman confined to a wheel-chair by a crippling accident. What made Miss McKee so "charming" was her convincing portrayal of the calm spirit of a straitened woman who showed no trace of a self-pitying appeal for sympathy. All, even the viewers, were set at ease with the touching sense that their friend was at peace, embraced by the profound assurance of a husband's love, beautifully implied, rather than vulgarly expressed.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2005
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2019
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2018
I did not purchase this film because I am a fan of Julia Roberts, even less of Hugh Grant. I wanted to learn more about the "enchanting" lady of the Forsyte Saga, Gina McKee, and her acting skills from earlier films. Robert's wide, toothy smile has always been off-putting, so I was gratified that all through the story, she had that under control. What was most surprising for me was when, at the very end of the film, she unleashed that broad smile in a winningly authentic fashion that revealed the beautifully humble person she is, and that her role demanded. Even more, I was impressed by the straight-forward way Gina McKee handled the role of a woman confined to a wheel-chair by a crippling accident. What made Miss McKee so "charming" was her convincing portrayal of the calm spirit of a straitened woman who showed no trace of a self-pitying appeal for sympathy. All, even the viewers, were set at ease with the touching sense that their friend was at peace, embraced by the profound assurance of a husband's love, beautifully implied, rather than vulgarly expressed.
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Alessandro Berto
Arrivato via posta prima della data prevista
Reviewed in Italy on April 29, 2024