Review of Notting Hill (1999) by John E — 24 Mar 2010

Notting Hill is a wonderful comedy following a sorrowful William Thacker trough a fairy tale romance after his wife leaves him. Looking for love he by chance runs into one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Anna Scott. Through many trials together and much hurt on his end, they find themselves captivated by each other's devotional love that is a moving kind, captivating the audience.

The direction by Roger Michell (My Night with Reg) was very good. He was able to captivate the audience by using his veteran actors' strength to solidify the true emotions of the characters. The filming of the project was very well done and did a good job of getting the most out of the characterization needed in the emotional times. The ability to do this in a romantic comedy is rare because of the subject matter and the fact it is so hard to find actors with the ability to do this is truly remarkable, but with his cast it is almost assuredly a breeze.

The writing was also a great feature. Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral) did a very decent job that really came to grow on the audience. In light of an old subject with very little fresh material left, it was quite new despite its basic storyline bones. In the long run it was truly all the same but the way in which it was presented proved that there still is a chance for a new spin on even fairy tale stories that, though cliché in essence, represents much more. This fresh idea really captivated the audience with love, and the added laughter amongst aided to make it a greatly appreciated and new idea.

The acting goes without saying. Hugh Grant (Nine Months) at the helm of any romantic comedy has a chance to be a successful one due to his charming personality that wins it over with all ladies. The accent also aids in his comedic flair that he presents to the film with stunning ease. Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman) plays the same charming American girl and will never be able to grow out of this role no matter how hard she tries. She is the American sweetheart for as long s she wants the role and it appears she will won't let it go for some years yet. The supporting cast of the film was very good. It truly accented the film's main characters and aided the ability for the film to flow instead of clump along as in most romantic comedies. The true hero of the supporting cast was Rhys Ifans (Twin Town) as he played the grotesque yet truthful and good moraled room mate of William. His filthiness and brutal honesty pulled the most laughs out of the film and made the script's character come to life. The rest of he cast, though serious in nature aided the main two into roles that were almost of sudden ease and made for their exact characterization. The entire cast had a great chemistry and truth about them. They were seemingly at ease and comfortable to their roles as if it almost came from the heart and were true to the people they actually are in person. The transition must have come easy or the cast is just phenomenal at their work.

The entire film was a new, fresh way of the romantic comedy genre that has gone stale due to the over production of its kind in the film industry. The script must have really been able to capture the actors because there were no small names within its pages and the acting was above and beyond what is to be expected from its genre. The direction was good and it made for a complete and great film. Though this kind of film has become stale and cliché, this new perspective, despite its similar skin and bones, was wonderful.