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Rating:  - Yuck
Personally I thought this was a boring film with phoned-in performances by both Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, and what little plot there was had no suspense or mystery or charm whatever and the entire project lacked the style usually found in Richard Curtis' work. Even a strong supporting cast that included Gina McKee was not much of a boost. I usually go for these sorts of movies but this is one Britcom (very little "com" to it, by the way) I didn't enjoy.
Rating:  - Romantic Comedy - Hugh Grant
I enjoy happy endings and romantic comedies. Not a thought provoking movie, but a good one when one is in the mood for a good chick flick. Plus Hugh Grant is eye candy...
Rating:  - classic romantic comedy
Notting Hill is a modern single man's fairy tale and I don't mean that in a bad way. Julie Roberts never looked better, Hugh Grant is his charming best, the supporting cast are all likeable. The story is believeable and beautifully directed. If your like romantic comedies or are just looking to watch a good movie that you will walk away from feeling good then "Notting Hill" is the movie for you.
Rating: - Love Conquers All in Notting Hill
This is a charming movie that I've seen several times and will probably see again. It's an upbeat, miracles happen, "celebrities are people too" kind of movie.
Boy meets girl, girl says "NO", then changes her mind. And keeps changing it. Anyone who has said "No", when his/her heart was yelling, "Yes Yes Yes ", can relate to this movie a lot.
One of the aspects that I found so interesting was the rigidly controlled structure under which Anna was required to live her life. And how relentlessly she had to smile, regardless of how she was feeling. It must be tough to have to be "on" so much of the time. NOTTING HILL gave us a window into the world in which celebrities live and some of the challenges they face.
This is a heartwarming, funny movie starring 2 talented actors playing 2 really likable characters. I have a weakness for movies with American/British romantic pairings, since Americans and Brits are culturally so different; in this movie, the plot is sweetened with the added romantic complication of wealthy/famous and not so wealthy or famous. It's a heartwarming rollicking ride !
I highly recommend Notting Hill.
Rating: - "Surreal, But Nice": Pleasant Romantic Comedy from Richard Curtis
Of course in real life this would not happen, at least not to me. William, owner of a small bookshop in Notting Hill, not only falls in love with a Hollywood star Anna Scott (played by Julia Roberts who is virtually playing herself), but also he really begins to go out with her. Can an ordinary guy be the true love of the star whose face covers magazines every week? Here is a one story, delightfully romantic and told with humor, about the possibility of such a romance. The story sounds implausible, but still a very good one.
Despite some incredible situations, the chemistry between the two leads makes us forget them temporarily, and their romance is enchanting (and a bit predictable) to the end. In addition to Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant (and their undeniable star power), the film is supported by gifted actors playing colorful characters; they are Gina McKee, James Dreyfus, Emma Chambers and inimitable Rhys Ifans as Spike, the most unusual lodger in London. Amusing cameos of Alec Baldwin, Matthew Modine and young Mischa Barton as child actor (like she was then) shoud not be missed.
Pleasant romantic comedy "Notting Hill" is written by Richard Curtis, whose works before this one include equally romantic "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and less successful "The Tall Guy," both of which are based on the American-in-London situations. His script of "Notting Hill" is always witty, giving us some sly comments on human relations and film industry. (In fact, I am using it as the text for my English class in Japan.)
Some people may say this is not real Notting Hill (you don't see Notting Hill Carnival, for example) and probably they are right because, as I said, in real London this would not happen. It belongs to the ever-overcrowding genre of romantic comedy where romance means a lot, and in this respect "Notting Hill" is a success.
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