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Title: Notting Hill (1999)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Julia Roberts | ... | Anna Scott | |
| Hugh Grant | ... | William Thacker | |
 |
Richard McCabe | ... | Tony |
| Rhys Ifans | ... | Spike | |
| James Dreyfus | ... | Martin | |
| Dylan Moran | ... | Rufus the Thief | |
|
|
Roger Frost | ... | Annoying Customer |
| Henry Goodman | ... | Ritz Concierge | |
| Julian Rhind-Tutt | ... | 'Time Out' Journalist | |
| Lorelei King | ... | Anna's Publicist | |
| John Shrapnel | ... | PR Chief | |
| Clarke Peters | ... | 'Helix' Lead Actor | |
|
|
Arturo Venegas | ... | Foreign Actor |
|
|
Yolanda Vazquez | ... | Interpreter |
| Mischa Barton | ... | 12-year-old Actress | |
Every man's dream comes true for William Thacker, an unsuccessful Notting Hill bookstore owner, when Anna Scott, the world's most beautiful woman and best-liked actress, enters his shop. A little later, he still can't believe it himself, William runs into her again - this time spilling orange juice over her. Anna accepts his offer to change in his nearby apartment, and thanks him with a kiss, which seems to surprise her even more than him. Eventually, Anna and William get to know each other better over the months, but being together with the world's most wanted woman is not easy - neither around your closest friends, nor in front of the all-devouring press. Written by Julian Reischl <julianreischl@mac.com>
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After reading the synopsis, 'Notting Hill' sounds like just another melodramatic Julia Roberts rom com. Fortunately, that ain't the case. 'Notting Hill' is fun, sweet, intelligent and well, simply said, very entertaining. London's Notting Hill does seem like a street you'd like to walk on.
While the storyline itself is larger than life, the characters are real. There is no overt melodrama. We can see that Curtis put a lot of heart and some Brit wit humour into the writing. After meeting William, Anna, Spike, Max, Bella and Honey, we, as audience, really connect to these very interesting characters and care about them. The table discussion in Honey's birthday scene shows how all the characters connect. While a nervous Anna, is new to the group, we see that she eventually gets a hang of them and feels comfortable enough to talk about herself.
Hugh Grant isn't anything different from his other rom coms. Julia Roberts is brilliant. I never liked any of her romantic comedies (e.g. Pretty Woman, I Love Trouble, Something to Talk About etc) but 'notting Hill is an exception. She gives a subtle portrayal as hugely famous but very vulnerable Anna Scott and does full justice. This indeed is one of her finest performances. Rhys Ifans as Spike is standout! While Tim McInnerny, Emma Chambers, Hugh Bonneville and Gina McKee (love her) are excellent. McKee's comedy is extremely subtle and her character is one of the most appealing. She underplays her part with tremendous grace and maturity.
All the actors share a very warm chemistry that just keeps adding on to its quality. The relationship and friendship between the characters is shown in a very sensitive way. While Spike and William are roommates who just seem to get along, we know that they like each other. Also William is about to cancel a date with the world's most famous actress to attend his sister's birthday party. The relationship between Max and Bella is beautiful.
Additional credit must be given to Coulter's amazing cinematography and the visuals. Watch the scene where Thacker is walking through the market and we see the weather change (indicating the passing time). There's a beautiful soundtrack that recites the moods of the scenes. And last but not least, thanks to Roger Mitchell for putting it all together to tell us this sweet entertaining story.