Surreal, but nice

"iI'm also just a girl, asking a boy, to love her."

The Broken Hearts Gallery Poster — Notting Hill Movie Poster (c/o IMDb)

Notting Hill

PG-13

21 May 1999 (UK)

124 minutes

Available on Netflix

Directed by Roger Mitchell

Written by Richard Curtis

Starring Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee

Synopsis:

William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is a London bookstore owner whose humdrum existence is thrown into romantic turmoil when famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) appears in his shop. A chance encounter over spilled orange juice leads to a kiss that blossoms into a full-blown affair. As the average bloke and glamorous movie star draw closer and closer together, they struggle to reconcile their radically different lifestyles in the name of love.

Contains sexual references and content.

What’s up guys!! Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! And to celebrate the fourteenth, we’ve come with a review of one of the classic rom coms ever made – Notting Hill – starring the beauty that is Julia Roberts and the handsome Hugh Grant.

Side note: Due to Jhanya being bedridden for the next few days, she was only able to add a few comments for this review. Do note though, that her thoughts are similar to Ria's.

Ria: I always knew Notting Hill to be a classical romcom and that it was super well-received by many, but I’ve never actually watched it (please don’t come for me). And aside from knowing it’s a romcom, I definitely know that really awesome and esteemed actors – Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant – portrayed the main characters, so I really expected good acting.

Jhanya: As a romcom film lover, I've always liked Notting Hill because of the actors and the cute premise. But despite that, the film is still no When Harry Met Sally level of writing.

Ria: Before I get into what I liked and disliked about the whole movie, I’d like to first talk about the plot.

The plot was really and most definitely a romantic comedy. The whole plot centered on how they met, how they were pushed to a whirlwind affair, their on-off relationship and basically everything about their relationship. What I loved about the plot was that it was told from the point of view of the guy. Usually, we see the romance through the female (or both sides), so it was really great to see this only in the view of a very very normal guy. My problem with the plot was one of the major plot twists. It really didn’t sit well with me and because of that, my view on the female main lead really changed and was altered (for those who’ve watched the movie, I think you know what I’m referring to). Anyway, I’ll delve more into this later.

Let’s start on a good note. What I liked most about the movie were the acting, cinematography, and soundtrack.

Julia Roberts. I loved her acting in this film! I think it really encompassed the character and she really was able to deliver her lines well. I also love her facial expressions because they really helped the audience see what she was truly feeling in the moment.

Hugh Grant. He’s so handsome wtf ?!?! I had Jhanya search for his pics in sunglasses and omg :”) Anyway, his acting was also really on point! I loved his relationship with his family, friends, and roommate, and his outlook on life. It really showed him being a normal guy. And similar to Julia Roberts, his facial reactions are clear as day and I really loved that about him. And his stage presence is *chef’s kiss*

And together, they were explosive! Loved their chemistry together. It was super great and I really felt that ✨love✨.

Next, cinematography. There’s this particular take where Hugh Grant was walking and the seasons changed, and I just loved that take! That is the epitome of cinematography and visuals. No words said, just visuals, and everything happening in the scene was enough to portray what was desired. Also, the movie really showed the beauty of Notting Hill. It showed the locals, the stores, the usual busy days in Notting Hill, and it was really beautiful.

Jhanya: There's this particular scene past the halfway point when the seasons are changing that had me fangirling over how creatively it was executed. I wanna know if it was done practically or if there was already CGI mixed into it.

Ria: Finally, the soundtrack. I actually don’t know most of the songs, but they’re so good! They fit the scene perfectly and as a whole, they arc together.

Jhanya: It was fun singing along to some of the songs. Most of them were real classics <3

Ria: But with every like, there are dislikes.

The first dislike is that particular part in the plot. SPOILER ALERT. I didn’t like that they had to add cheating into the plot. It really made me dislike the female character and made me want a better person for the main lead guy. He doesn’t deserve getting dumped down every time he trusts the girl a little bit more. He’s a normal guy that deserves the world honestly. I love him so much and him getting brought down by Anna Scott every time really puts me off. And cheating is really not something I never condone. At all. (dear future crush pls don’t ever cheat on me, I’ll hate u for it). ANYWAY. Although from the start I knew they were endgame, at some point in the movie, I would’ve been okay with them not being endgame.

Jhanya: Same as Ria, as much as I'm a fan of Julia Roberts, I found Ana Scott pretty toxic. I understand that her career environment isn't the healthiest, but there were really times that she went over the line.

Final Thoughts

Ria: Overall, Notting Hill is a pretty okay movie for me. I probably won’t rewatch it, but I’m happy I did. It’s definitely the epitome of romcom movies and both main leads really did well, as expected hehe.

Jhanya: Notting Hill is a classic rom com film, but also a pretty unhealthy one haha. I can imagine it being released this decade and receiving so much criticism from people.

Rating

Criteria	Jhanya	Ria
Screenwrite/Plot/Flow (1.5)	1.25	1
Cinematography (1.5)	1.25	1.25
Visual Effects/Realism (1.5)	1.25	1.25
Casting/Acting (1.5)	1.5	1.5
Morale (1)	0.25	0.25
Soundtrack (1)	1	1
Originality (1)	0.5	0.25
Rewatch Value (1)	0.75	0.5
TOTAL	7.75	7
Final Score	73.75