Notting Hill (1999) Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, Richard McCabe, Alec Baldwin. Screenplay by Richard Curtis. Directed by Roger Michell. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13, 3.5 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly www.nuvo-online.com Archive reviews at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Edward+Johnson-ott To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests
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A couple of years ago, I watched as a visibly uncomfortable Freddie Prinze Jr. was paraded in front of reporters like a prize steer during a promotional appearance in Hollywood. As the cameras flashed and the emcee pummeled him with a series of stunningly inane questions, the young actor looked desperate to get out of the room. The next day, I spoke with Prinze about the incident and he acknowledged that the experience was awful, adding, "To be honest, I'm still kind of learning how to do the celebrity stuff. It's not what I got into the business for. I understand that it's part of the job, but I'm not very good at it."
The British love story "Notting Hill" examines the pitfalls of fame and does a surprisingly good job at it. Regular readers know that I have little tolerance for most contemporary romantic comedies. Watching a glamorous couple meet cute, fall in love, scamper about while pop songs play in the background, fight over some contrived situation and, flung back together by ridiculous coincidence, make up just in time for one more song usually makes my skin crawl. but I surrendered to the charms of "Notting Hill."
The script, by "Four Weddings and a Funeral" writer Richard Curtis, follows the Romantic Comedy 101 formula religiously, but hits enough high notes to triumph over the clichés. What really makes this film special, though, is the exceptional work of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
Before "Notting Hill," Hugh Grant consistently left me cold. His acting technique, a combination of excessive blinking, twitching and stammering, was disquieting, to say the least. It's hard to enjoy a man who appears to be in desperate need of nervous-tic medication. Thankfully, he tones down the mannerisms this time around. As William, the quiet owner of a small London bookstore, Grant creates an engaging character. Kind, but self-contained, he projects a sweet sadness as a man who, having lost at love, finds comfort by wrapping himself in a blanket of benign depression. William's safe little cocoon soon unravels when American movie star Anna Scott walks into his shop.
As Anna, Julia Roberts is a revelation. Radiant as always, Roberts also shows remarkable depth here, perhaps because of her familiarity with the circumstances. Like Roberts, Anna is a superstar whose mere presence creates a sensation. Accustomed to non-stop scrutiny, she has developed an elaborate veneer and an equally sensitive defensive system. When she detects betrayal, she is quick to strike out at the offender, as happens in one of the film's most arresting scenes. Because of Robert's wonderfully nuanced performance, I completely believed in Anna and empathized with her plight. How hard it must be to strive for success in the arts, only to find yourself caged in a zoo of celebrity that never closes.
Roberts and Grant interact beautifully, gliding over the numerous bumps in the production. Curtis' script contains many sweet moments, surrounded by virtually every cliché in the book. I noted each formula situation, but instead of becoming irritated, I was content to let them roll by, knowing another treat was soon to come. Yes, William's gross-out roommate (Rhys Ifans) plays like a gimmick with legs, but Anna's nonplused reaction to him is so perfect. Yes, the camera needlessly emphasizes the gawkish appearance of William's working class extended family, but what an appealing family they are.
One contrivance I couldn't excuse was an extended scene at a press junket, where William must pretend to be a reporter to keep an appointment with Anna. After their conversation, he is swept into a series of one-on-one interviews with the other actors from her film. In the real world, junket security is air-tight, one-on-one interviews are rare and actors never, ever ask your opinion of their movie. In a story where dramatic credibility hinges on realistic portrayals of media-celebrity exchanges, the scene is just sloppy writing. To make matters worse, it goes on too long with too few laughs.
But enough carping. Better to think of the picturesque Notting Hill marketplace, or the delightful birthday dinner, or the striking passage-of-time shot showing William walking down the street as the seasons change around him, or the wonderful crane shot in the park, when the camera glides up into the night sky, adding a lyrical perspective to the couple below. And what a couple. Thanks to Hugh Grant and the luminous Julia Roberts, "Notting Hill" works, both as a love story and as a reminder that those figures ducking the paparazzi are just other people, as lost, foolish and essential as you and I.
© 1999 Ed Johnson-Ott
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