Snip-in
I'm writing a movie review after exactly 3 months, 3-Idiots was written on 2-January-10. Ok, I did get time to watch only a few movies in-between and none of those were worth mentioning. 'Harishchandrachi Factory' had a lot of expectations, considering it to be the India's nomination for 2010 Oscars. Overall it was a nice movie but overhyped and somehow didn't succeed in putting a lasting image on the mind. I was waiting to write a review on the same, but I didn't feel like it after watching it. And recently while browsing the DVD rental, I came across 'Notting Hill' and picked it up for Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. I was not having any great expectations from the movie (no expectations actually help at times:-)), but chose just so that these two are there and being a romantic flick, I was looking forward towards it as just a good time-pass.
Well it's a typical Brit romantic comedy with a very nice 'Hollywood' (or Bollywood?) style plot. It's a story about two people, a very ordinary book-seller William (Hugh Grant) who is staying and having his own book-stall in Notting Hill London, and a very famous Hollywood film star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts). William's wife had left him and for several years he is staying single and moving on with life in a very uninteresting way. He is somehow managed to live in a closed circle of his friends, a sister and his roommate - Spike, with whom he is sharing his apartment. William's life has become very monotonous, his book-selling (sells only travelogues) business is also doing just ok, but he has made up his mind to live like that forever, enjoying a cup of coffee with his assistant in the shop every morning, or the very weird things which Spike is doing at their home. And one day a nice looking lady with big dark glasses to cover her face (read identity) (does she look like a vampire in those big glasses and black robe…? No way!) comes to his shop, and to William's surprise she's a famous and leading Star of Hollywood.
The movie gets into somewhat pulsating pace after their meeting (and because of the entry of electrifying Julia) at William's house, due to a small accident which takes place in front of William's shop, where he tumbles and spills the orange juice on Julia's dress and then offers her to come to his house for a change-over. And while leaving his house something happens which leads to Anna's emotional outburst. She, even if being a big Hollywood Star, falls in love with a small-time book shopper of Notting Hill. And then the movie goes through all the ups-and-downs like any other love story, with some subtle differences because of the somewhat unusual plot. The villain is obviously played by the situations and the huge public image that Anna carries globally. Her boyfriend (a very small cameo by Alec Baldwin) also pops-up from nowhere at a very 'crucial' time when William was visiting her room for a cup of coffee on a moonlighten night. Both had to then part their ways, only to come together in a press conference about Anna's new movie, where she makes William ask a question, and her responses resulting into another 'They happily lived ever after……...' kind of climax.
Well, the plot is not a lot unusual. But the movie has reached a great level and hats-off to the acting skills and sheer presence of Julia and Hugh. Hugh Grant has played the blue-eyed, girl charmer, chocolate-hero one more time, well almost stereo-typed in that role he is…... But still the best fit for the character, with his so-overwhelmingly perfect and dense Brit accent, to underline the whole ambience of 'Notting Hill'! Apart from the accent the way he has underplayed William - being consistently poker faced, is truly awesome. He has been doing that for some time but still is exceptional in giving very apt and convincing expressions.
Hugh's poker faced character of William actually goes super-well with Julia's very expressive portrayal of Anna Scott. I've been watching her movies for last 2 decades, and for the first time I've almost fallen in love with the character Julia has played. I liked it more than 'Pretty Woman (1990)' the first and ever lasting 'till date' (not anymore because of the 'Notting Hill'! :-)), and the 'Duplicity (2009). But 'Anna Scott' is been probably the best ever performance till date - her lively expressions, vibrant eyes, and of course the cozy smile makes her the confident Anna Scott the Star, as well as a very amicable friend of William. She has played that with ease - especially these 2 different shades of the character come across superbly when she invites William for the press interview the first time, a very confident Anna at the hotel room, and when she goes to William's friends place for his sister's birthday, a very amicable and the girl-next-door Anna. That's superb and unparallel.
One of the most impactful aspects in addition to both of them, is the Music / Songs. The songs are very sweet, and rhyming. I'm actually trying to get the audio CD of the same. The other aspect is Cinematography. I can recall two shots in the movie which are registered in the mind. The first one is literally 'above all' - Both Julia and Hugh are in the garden at night - and the crane mounted camera which shows the front view of both of them and then moves up in a swirling / rotating mode and gets converted into a top view / bird’s eye view, almost 40-50 feet high. Cinematographic excellence – Command over camera placement, movement and creativity is phenomenal. The other one is actually a song - 'Aint No Sunshine'. The short song (90 seconds?) is picturised on the same streets of the 'Notting Hill' where William walks across and passes through lanes and bi-lanes, and as he walks forward the season changes from Summer to Rain to Winter to Summer and so is the mood of William. The camera pans along with Hugh in a very subtle way where some of the shots are taken in slow-mo helps creating a delicate touch to the mood of the song. The song in the background accentuates the emotions and what's happening in William's life very effectively.
Snip-out
Only thing that looks odd is the ugly and weird character of Spike. He has played it well. But it looks very odd when two most wonderfully looking, nicely dressed, and almost perfect people and characters are in the same frame, and someone like Spike pops-in in a very bizarre attire (and traits) actually dilutes the mood of the audience, well I'm sure at least for some of them.
Snip-O-Meter
I was probably unfortunate till a few weeks back, or may be very fortunate to watch the movie in the March of 2010 at least 11 years after it's release in 1999. Julia must be 31 and Hugh must be 39 while filming this, but they look so young and share a great on-screen chemistry. As Anna Scott, Julia truly looks as if a Star, a girl of dreams, a poster girl - very far from the reality (like her movie advertisement painted on the sides of the double-decker bus in London). But as the movie progresses the same Anna slowly starts transpiring into the much realistic girl-next-door, and gets together with an ordinary book-seller in Notting Hill. It's all about the coincidences, believes, strong desires, people at different junctures in life and still having many similarities, excellent acting performances, songs and an intense Brit humor. This one has to be in the home collection. And this should NOT be saved only for a rainy day, or only for a lazy weekend afternoon screening. This is a true All-Time favorite and anytime watch.
