Notting Hill

rated - SIMMERING

These filmmakers really know what they're doing. Richard Curtis, the film's writer, also wrote Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bean, which makes him responsible for writing 3 of the 4 most succesful British films ever made (box office-wise). (The other film in the 4 is The Full Monty ).

It's easy to see why this film is so successful. It's funny and it's romantic, it has hugely attractive stars and it's an alternative to Star Wars Episode 1. I enjoyed it a lot, but I didn't think it was as good a film as Four Weddings and a Funeral . I suspect that's because of 2 things: one, the group of friends in Four Weddings and a Funeral was much more real, much more believable and so ultimately more moving. And two, the story itself was just too unbelievable to allow me to immerse myself in it, the way I did in Four Weddings .

On the other hand, the unbellievability of the story is crucial to the film's message, as well as its humour. The message, as I take it, is THIS JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN GUYS, SO GET USED TO THE IDEA AND GET ON WITH YOUR OWN LIVES. THEY COUNT!