Notting Hill (Collector's Edition)

Buy This Item Notting Hill (Collector's Edition) by Universal Studios  Available from Amazon  $9.99  on 9-21-2008     They don't really make many romantic comedies like <I>Notting Hill</I> anymore--blissfully romantic, sincerely sweet, and not grounded in any reality whatsoever. Pure fairy tale, and with a huge debt to <I>Roman Holiday</I>, <I>Notting Hill</I> ponders what would happen if a beautiful, world-famous person were to suddenly drop into your life unannounced and promptly fall in love with you. That's the crux of the situation for William Thacker (Hugh Grant), who owns a travel bookshop in London's fashionable Notting Hill district. Hopelessly ordinary (well, as ordinary as you can be when you're Hugh Grant), William is going about his life when renowned movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) walks into his bookstore and into his heart. After another contrived meet-cute involving spilled orange juice, William and Anna share a spontaneous kiss (big suspension of disbelief required here), and soon both are smitten. The question is, of course, can William and Anna reconcile his decidedly commonplace bookseller existence and her lifestyle as a jet-setting, paparazzi-stalked celebrity? (Take a wild guess at the answer.) Smartly scripted by Richard Curtis (<I>Four Weddings and a Funeral</I>) and directed by Roger Michell (<I>Persuasion</I>), <I>Notting Hill</I> is hardly realistic, but as wish fulfillment and a romantic comedy, it's irresistible. True, Roberts doesn't really have to stretch very far to play a big-time actress who makes $15 million per movie, but she's more winning and relaxed than she's been in years, and Grant is sweetly understated as a man blindsided by love. Together, in moments of quiet, they're a charming couple, and you can feel her craving for real love and his awe and amazement at the wonderful person for whom he has fallen. The only blight on the film is its overbearing pop soundtrack, though Elvis Costello's heart-wrenching version of "She" gets poignant exposure. With Rhys Ifans as Grant's scene-stealing, slovenly housemate and Alec Baldwin in a sly, perfectly cast cameo. <I>--Mark Englehart</I> Reader Reviews This is one of about 5 films that I could watch over and over and never grow tired of seeing. All of the actors/actresses, even those with bit parts, are briliiant. The writing is great - it doesn't really 'drag' anywhere. There are parts that will make you laugh out loud, no matter how many times you've seen it. I recently upgraded to the HD DVD version - the transfer is amazing, and really brings everything out - titles of books on the bookshelves, food in the kitchen scenes, etc. - and all of the outdoor street scenes are simply beautiful. There's a 'change of season' walk (it'll make sense when you watch it) that I'd never really caught onto until I saw this film in Hi-Def. It's a winner.

Notting Hill (Collector's Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $9.99 Updated on 9-21-2008.

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