PLANET SICK-BOY: http://www.sick-boy.com
Julia Roberts? Playing the role of the most popular actress on the planet? It sounds like the biggest head-trip in the world, but it's actually Notting Hill, the best romantic comedy produced by Hollywood in recent memory.
Roberts (My Best Friend's Wedding) plays Anna Scott, the kind of movie star that often finds herself the fodder for tabloids all over the world. One day, on a rare occasion where she is not being ushered by a publicist, Anna stumbles into a store that specializes in travel books. The shop, located in the diverse Notting Hill section of London, is owned by a chap named William Thacker (Hugh Grant, Nine Months).
Within a few minutes, William lives out the fantasy of every male over the age of twelve – meeting a rich, beautiful celebrity and having her instantly fall for your `regular guy' charm. Of course, my fantasy doesn't usually involve dumping orange juice down the front of her and then having her clean up at your flat, which happens to be right across the street. In my fantasy, it's usually barbecue sauce.
Thanks to his Pig-Pen-esque Welsh roommate Spike (Rhys Ifans, Twin Town), it's days before William finds out that Anna has called and asked to meet at her hotel. A gleeful William hurries to the hotel, only to find himself smack in the middle of the press junket for Anna's latest flick, the sci-fi thriller Helix. This hysterical scene involves William being mistaken as a member of the press (namely Horses and Hounds magazine) and being forced to interview the stars of Helix, a movie that he has never seen. Believe me, critics will be raving about this scene, as it plays out as a bit of an inside joke just for them.
The film really takes off when Anna accompanies William to his younger sister's birthday party. The partygoers try not to overreact to the presence of such a huge star, while Anna, amazed by the activities of common folk, just tries to fit in. At the end of their next date Anna asks William back to her hotel room, only to find her boorish boyfriend (the well-cast boor Alec Baldwin), which brings both the wonderful evening and their blossoming relationship to a screeching halt.
Notting Hill will likely draw comparisons to Best Picture nominee Four Weddings and a Funeral (Richard Curtis wrote both Hugh Grant vehicles), and with good reason. In Four Weddings, the story was slowed down by the romance between Grant and Andie MacDowell, just like it is here. The best moments are not when director Roger Michell's (Persuasion) camera focuses on just Hugh and Julia – they're when William's close-knit friends, or the perpetually filthy Spike, are on the screen.
Although it's more than just a chick flick, will Notting Hill's female viewers be able to sympathize with the Julia Roberts character? Despite the fact that she is both famous and gorgeous, Anna has more to complain about than a leper at an arm wrestling competition. My guess is that they will. Like Howard Stern eloquently said, `It's like Pretty Woman, only in reverse!' (2:03 - PG-13 for sexual content and mild adult language)
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