NOTTING HILL (Dir. Roger Mitchell)
Sometimes I wonder why I watch certain films. I wonder why I subject myself to such shit. I wonder why I take the time to sit down and spend two hours watching Hugh Grant woo Julia Roberts and, simultaneously, every girl in the cinema at the time of showing. Then I think to myself, 'I guess it's all for the greater good'. Quite what that greater good is, or will be, I don't yet know, but I bloody well hope it's worth it. Because I threw up in my mouth so many times during Notting Hill that I almost lost faith in life itself, let alone this mysterious 'greater good', and I wasn't sure whether it was harder to shake the feeling of deep regret from my conscience or the aftertaste of sick from my mouth.
Notting Hill is a Richard Curtis film, which means it'll star Hugh Grant. Herein lies the film's first and most disastrous flaw, because it means 50% of its runtime is comprised of High Grant being charming, bashful, having floppy hair, stuttering over cleverly written romantic remarks, and being endearingly adorable in that aw-isn't-he-cute-don't-you-just-want-to-take-him-home-and-keep-him-in-a-hutch kind of way. And, for some reason, Julia Roberts falls in love with him. Roberts, by far a better actor, outacts Hugh even in a film that was written for him, though she doesn't get much chance to show off within the confines of Curtis' witty, white-middle-class rom-com romp set in - no surprises here - Notting Hill, London.
At several points during Notting Hill, I will admit, I enjoyed it. Rhys Ifans plays Grant's oddball housemate, providing much-needed comic relief at times when the main character - and main plotline - are veering uncontrollably towards the sort of moment that causes the more romantically inclined viewers to stroke Hugh Grant's face. Richard Curtis is a fantastic writer - there's no denying that once you've seen Four Weddings. So, ultimately, who am I to complain about a fluffy, 90s Hugh Grant rom-com?
Yeah, exactly. You could hardly say I'm the intended audience.
★★☆☆☆