MORAL OF THE MOVIE

Never judge a book by its cover. With love, it doesn’t (or at least it shouldn’t) matter who you or what your circumstances are when you find that special someone and you see each other for who you truly are.

WHO I THINK WOULD MOST ENJOY THIS MOVIE

Any hopeless romantics looking for a good laugh will love this one, especially if you’re intrigued by the notion of romance in the spotlight of fame.

ADDITIONAL NOTES/COMMENTARY

Notting Hill was my introduction to Richard Curtis who is widely regarded as one of the best romantic-comedy writers around. He went on to write classic Rom-Coms such as Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About Time (also directed), etc. I’ll admit that Rom-Coms are a guilty pleasure of mine, so expect to see your fair share of Rom-Com reviews in this page. Nevertheless, Notting Hill is among the Rom-Coms that will stand out the most to me because of how well it blends the two genres. Curtis has a great knack for situational humor and there’s quite a bit of it in Notting Hill that got me laughing as if I were being tickled. In addition to that, the chemistry between Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts is palpable enough that I completely bought into the romantic storyline that formed the heart of the film. I bought everything that the movie sold me. The performances and the writing add up to make a very realistic yet comical portrayal of how an everyman and a famous actress fall in love. I’m a fan of underdog stories; especially when put in a romantic context. That’s exactly what this romantic story is all about. The underdog (Hugh Grant) sees Julia Roberts’ character for who she truly is and isn’t swayed by the superficial/materialistic nature of her circumstances (ie. Fame); so he falls in love with the person, not the circumstances. The same applies the other way around. I consider Hugh Grant’s character to be an underdog because it far too common that the everyman is overlooked because of their “normal” circumstances. Yet, he has the sense of humor and personality that makes him stand out. This is very generally applicable as we can be overlooked too often, but when we are truly seen for who we are, we stand out. In the end, Notting Hill poses the idea that we should fall in love with people that see us for who we are and vice-versa, everything else that is superficial/materialistic should be supplementary at best. In the end, Notting Hill is a great film that masterfully blends the romantic and comedic genres while also successfully teaching us something relevant about love.