Notting Hill, a modern-day fairy tale, is now available in high definition. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant star in this story of a mild-mannered bookstore owner and an actress who happens to be the most famous woman in the world.
One day William Thacker (Grant) accidentally meets Anna Scott (Roberts), a famous actress from America who is in London filming a movie. Thacker is not a suave man by any stretch of the imagination and bumbles his way through their meeting. A deep friendship then grows between the “commoner” and “the princess”, so to speak. As their relationship deepens and they fall in love, cracks begin to show as the differences in their individual lifestyles surface.
Anna is introduced to William’s friends and feels at home, yet when he is in her environment, he feels like a fish out of water. After all, she can have any man in the world and he is only a simple bookstore owner. How can he compete with her Hollywood relationships?
In the end, after Thacker decides her fame is too much for him to live with, she confronts him in a memorable scene in which she claims she is “just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” When it comes down to it, they are just that. They are people who love each other and if they want to be together they must find a way to reconcile their two lifestyles.
As stated in the beginning, this is a modern day fairy tale, and a “feel good” movie. It’s great for a rainy day or anytime a viewer wants a fun, uplifting film. And, the soundtrack is amazing.
Bonus features on this new Blu-ray include deleted scenes and music videos. There is also a look at how they created the “Seasonal Walk on Portobello Road,” a great scene in which in the span of about a minute, Grant slowly walks down the street and “through” the four seasons, to show how much time has gone by.
Another bonus is with Hugh Grant who talks about making the film. And viewers get to see his parents who came to the set. Grant humorously discusses the crew’s wardrobe, and his “nude” scene. This is really a fun look at the film from his perspective.
And another addition in the Blu-ray edition is a look at the casting and various aspects of the movie. The memorable scene in which Anna appears at the house of William’s friends for the first time is priceless, and is discussed in detail in this great “making of” feature.
Needless to say, Notting Hill is a charming movie that is timeless. The chemistry between the actors is strong and they definitely make a good on-screen couple. This movie has been adored since audiences first saw it in 1999. It’s a romantic comedy that has a lot of both romance and comedy. It’s equally split between the two, and perhaps that’s why viewers have taken it to their hearts.
Notting Hill is rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief strong language.
