Meggin Watches Notting Hill

Just like some successful romantically comedic American films have the classy, hard-to-get British guy, the same goes for some British films with the American girl factor.

I spent several hours the previous night Google searching "British teenage romantic comedies," because:

1. I love the film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, and I want to watch more British films similar to that.
2. I am already quite frankly bored of summer (it being my first week out of school for summer hols), and I need something new to watch, and
3. My Netflix DVD queue has been filled with an endless marathon of classic Doctor Who serials of the Tom Baker/Elisabeth Sladen era, enough to last the whole summer, but those won't get mailed to my house until next week, so I need something to bide my time.

My Googling results came up with one film in particular: Notting Hill. After reading the synopsis, I noticed that Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant are in it, and that a book shop in England is involved. Being a fan of all three of these factors, I typed the name into the Netflix search, found it on instant streaming, and pressed play.

Might I say, of the countless drippy love films I've seen for the past two years of my life, Notting Hill is a breath of fresh air. It's not exactly a teenager film - and by that, I simply mean the story isn't about two teenagers in love. After watching several French romantic films, Notting Hill deals a lot less with the sexual tension of a relationship but more of a comedic romance. And please don't get me started on some American romantic films, especially the ridiculously sappy Nicholas Sparks tear-jerkers that always make me want to gag to death, resurrect myself, and repeat my actions. I am so glad I decided to watch Notting Hill, let's put it at that.

The story is as follows: William Thacker, a somewhat attractive man, I might add, feels his life going in a downward slump since his wife left him for a man who resembles Harrison Ford. William now lives in a flat at Notting Hill in London with a slightly dim-witted bloke named Spike, and William also owns an unsuccessful travel guide book store. However, his life gets turned around when a woman walks into the shop, but not just any woman: Anna Scott, the famous Hollywood actress.

In some aspects, Notting Hill reminds me of another film called Dan in Real Life, where a columnist falls in love with a woman he met in a shop while on his family get-together holiday. While Dan talks to his family about the woman he met, William often discusses his relationship with Anna to his friends and family.

What I love the most about this film is the insane amount of comedy, especially of the sarcastic factor. William (portrayed by Hugh Grant), always has this perfect facial composure whenever he blurts out witticisms. He appears to be nonchalantly making up sarcastic statements to Anna Scott (portrayed by Julia Roberts) when on the inside, he's freaking out. Also, Spike is hilarious. I would love to have him as a flatmate just to witness him blunder through life. The people and relatives that William surrounds himself with all have their own bit of humour as well. For example, at William's sister's birthday party, everyone at the table has to talk about how miserable their lives are, and whoever leads the most miserable life gets the last brownie. I find this a somewhat morbid yet entertaining practise, and I honestly might try it at a party one day.

Notting Hill has certainly earned a permanent spot on my Netflix instant queue, at least, until I get the chance to buy it on DVD.