NOTTING HILL

"It’s true, Notting Hill is greatly entertaining despite its shortcomings, because its shortcomings are in the cerebral area, not in the region of the heart. For example, you may wonder how such a world famous actress as Anna Scott can saunter alone and unrecognised in London’s inner city suburb of the title (in some scenes), when her face is plastered all over every bus and billboard in town. But the magic of this movie is in the performances that make it possible to suspend most of your mental functions and give yourself over to sentimental, romantic pleasure, laughing (and perhaps weeping a bit) all the way to the end credits. If only life were like that…but then that’s the point of escapist entertainment, which is what the filmmakers set out to make. And they’ve succeeded. Notting Hill takes you on a snappy little London holiday where the ending is how you’d like your own holiday to end. Don’t fight it."
Andrew L. Urban

"Notting Hill is written by someone who understands what humanity is about, and so we have a film that is very funny, yet unmistakingly real. On the one hand, this is a fairy story of sorts, with a beautiful princess and a froglike Prince, destined, as the tradition goes, to live happily ever after. A deceptively simple film, yet it's one of surprising detail. It takes us 2 hours to follow the journey of the Everyman bloke trying to find normality within a complex and impossible relationship. It's time well spent, for we get to know Curtis' intricate creations and what distinct levels of society they represent. Director Roger Michell, a masterful craftsman, gets the very best from his actors, all of whom are sublime. For some, Roberts may appear to be playing herself, but there is something quite magical and heartbreakingly honest about her performance that sets it apart from anything we've seen of her in the past, or even expect from her. She is breathtaking here, giving so much of herself, and playing this rather complicated creature that seems to have it all - but doesn't - with remarkable depth. Hugh Grant is perfect as the fumbling, hapless bookstore owner who tries to put his new life in perspective, but with little success. And the cast of British thespians, who play William's motley assortment of friends, is uniformly superb, right down to the smallest role. Tech credits are equally impressive, from the beautiful lensing of London suburbia to the evocative music of Trevor Jones’ haunting soundtrack. This may indeed be the year of effects-driven cinema, who knows? But Notting Hill is classy, clever, funny and quietly sentimental. It proves that the movies come alive with script and cast in sync; this is a film that represents the perfect marriage of the two. It's an irresistible and beguiling film that stands out from the crowd."
Paul Fischer