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THE REWATCHABLES · July 19, 2024

Notting Hill

A 1999 romance / comedy directed by Roger Michell, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.

RomanceComedy1990sDirected by Roger Michell
Overall episode#73Source sheet order
Movie year19991990s
Tomatometer84%Critics’ score
Metacritic68View score
Roger Ebert3/4Original star rating
DirectorRoger MichellRomance / Comedy

FROM THE CONVERSATION

What they said about the movie

A celebratory, highly favorable discussion of Notting Hill as a top-tier romantic comedy, with emphasis on its smart script, celebrity/tabloid commentary, London setting, and the appeal of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. The hosts treat it as a prescient movie about fame while also indulging in jokes about wardrobe, logistics, and rom-com tropes.
Based only on this episode’s transcriptTimes approximateSpeakers were clearly identifiedExplore the connections

WHY IT WORKS

What made it rewatchable

  1. 01The first bookstore encounter between William and Anna is a perfect introduction to their dynamic and the movie's tone. About 8 min
  2. 02The movie-junket sequence is funny and reveals Anna Scott's public/private persona. About 8 min
  3. 03The dinner-party scenes and friend-group banter are warm, comic, and rewatchable. About 8 min
  4. 04The press conference and final speech deliver a memorable rom-com ending. About 16 min
  5. 05The movie is quiet, character-driven, and mostly timeless because it avoids dated tech-heavy plotting. About 8 min

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Their main criticisms

  1. minorJulia Roberts' wardrobe, especially the flip-flops in the finale, is terrible. About 24 min
  2. moderateThe travel bookstore concept feels dated and implausible now. About 32 min
  3. moderateHotel and security logistics are implausibly porous. About 56 min
  4. moderateThe film does not fully explain William Thacker's finances or why multiple women would dump him. About 56 min
  5. minorJulia Roberts and Hugh Grant have limited sexual chemistry, even if the film still works. About 56 min

SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO

Standout moments

Favorite

First bookstore meeting

Anna browses William's bookstore, signs the book with a cutting message, and meets Rufus in a quintessentially odd British exchange.

About 8 min
Favorite

Movie junket / Horse & Hound press event

William goes undercover at a press junket, giving the movie one of its most accurate and comic celebrity-media sequences.

About 8 min
Favorite

Birthday dinner / brownie scene

The ensemble dinner party, including the brownie competition, showcases the friend group's humor and warmth.

About 8 min
Favorite

Dinner parties and friend-group conversations

The post-break and matchmaking dinner-party scenes deepen the sense of community around William.

About 8 min
positive

William and Anna's day together

Their quiet day of running lines, eating ice cream, and joking about Mel Gibson is sweet and intimate.

About 16 min
Favorite

Anna's 'I'm just a girl' speech and press conference

The climactic public declaration of love doubles as the film's iconic rom-com payoff.

About 16 min

WHERE THEY DISAGREED

The biggest debates

They agreed Opening minutes

Is Notting Hill a top-tier rom-com?

Amanda Dobbins

Yes, it is top five.

Juliet Litman

Yes, it belongs in the top five and maybe top five of all time.

They left it as a friendly argument About 24 min

Do Julia Roberts' clothes age well?

Amanda Dobbins

No, the outfits and flip-flops are awful.

Juliet Litman

Yes, they have aged well or at least fit the era.

They partly agreed About 1:04

Would Notting Hill work as a 10-episode Netflix series?

Amanda Dobbins

Probably yes, because people would want to live in the world longer.

Juliet Litman

Yes, though the strength of the movie is also its compactness.

They agreed About 56 min

Does Hugh Grant have chemistry with Julia Roberts?

Amanda Dobbins

Not much sexual chemistry; they feel more like friends.

Juliet Litman

Mostly no, though the movie does not depend on it.

16 People discussedActors, directors, writers, and producers
very favorableHugh GrantAmanda Dobbins: Praised as perfect for Richard Curtis dialogue and at his peak here; the film is treated as his apex. Opening minutes very favorableJulia RobertsAmanda Dobbins: Seen as crucial to the movie's meta-celebrity commentary and as a major movie-star presence. About 8 min
favorableRichard CurtisAmanda Dobbins: Admired for witty, dry dialogue and for defining a certain British rom-com style. Opening minutes
neutralRoger MichellNamed as the film's director in discussion of the 1999 release, but not otherwise analyzed. Opening minutes · medium confidence
neutralRufusAmanda Dobbins: A comic bookstore customer whose signed book note helps open the film's tone. About 8 min
mixedAlec BaldwinAmanda Dobbins: Used effectively as the slick American boyfriend, though his presence now feels less appealing. About 32 min
favorableEmily MortimerAmanda Dobbins: Her brief date cameo is charming and memorable; the hosts wish the character had been dated longer. About 40 min
favorableMisha BartonAmanda Dobbins: A small cameo as a child co-star is noted as early and recognizable. About 40 min
favorableEmma ChambersAmanda Dobbins: Praised for making the sister role quirky and memorable. About 40 min
very favorableRhys IfansAmanda Dobbins: A standout supporting presence whose goofy physical comedy and scuba gag are very memorable. About 40 min
favorableHugh BonnevilleAmanda Dobbins: His birthday-party exchange with Julia Roberts is a notable bit of comic business. About 40 min
favorableGina McKeeAmanda Dobbins: Praised as part of the movie's warm friend ensemble and later remembered fondly from Bodyguard. About 40 min
favorableTim McInnernyAmanda Dobbins: Part of the supportive friend-couple dynamic around William. About 40 min
favorableJames DreyfusAmanda Dobbins: As Martin, he gets a memorable late-scene payoff with the Ghost joke. About 40 min
neutralJanet MaslinAmanda Dobbins: Referenced as a critic whose review called out the film's treacly ending speech. About 56 min favorableRoger EbertAmanda Dobbins: Mentioned as giving the film three stars and liking it. About 1:04
11 Conversation takesSpeakers shown only where the transcript identifies them
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Notting Hill as a rom-com

Ranks it as a top-five romantic comedy that largely holds up and feels remarkably quiet and effective.

Opening minutes
Juliet LitmanLoved it

Notting Hill as a rom-com

Agrees it belongs among the best romantic comedies and appreciates its subtle, non-flashy style.

Opening minutes
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Hugh Grant

Argues Notting Hill is the movie that secured Hugh Grant's comic-star identity after his scandal.

Opening minutes
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Julia Roberts

Sees the film as a turning point that fits Roberts' career arc and comeback narrative.

About 8 min
Juliet LitmanLoved it

celebrity media and press coverage

Likes the movie's prescient portrayal of press junkets, celebrity narratives, and public scrutiny.

About 8 min
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

first bookstore meeting

Loves the opening bookstore encounter for its perfect joke construction and tone-setting oddness.

About 8 min
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

movie junket

Thinks the Horse & Hound junket is sharp, funny, and revealing of Anna Scott's persona.

About 8 min
Juliet LitmanLoved it

press conference ending

Values the final press-conference speech as a genuinely strong rom-com ending.

About 16 min
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Hugh Grant

Declares Hugh Grant's performance here his career apex.

About 1:04
Amanda DobbinsLiked it

Julia Roberts

Feels this is not Roberts' career apex, though it remains an important and effective movie for her.

About 1:04
Amanda DobbinsLoved it

Richard Curtis

Treats this as Curtis's apex because it is one of his most successful and defining films.

About 1:04
5 ThemesThe larger ideas in the discussion

Celebrity and media scrutiny

The movie is treated as a sharp commentary on tabloids, paparazzi, and the way celebrity narratives are manufactured and repeated.

About 8 min

Rom-com evolution

The hosts place the film in the 1990s romantic-comedy boom and see it as both a culmination and a response to the era.

About 8 min

Fame versus privacy

Anna Scott's public image and William's ordinary life create the central tension between stardom and private life.

About 16 min

Found family and friendship

William's friends and their dinners give the movie warmth and make his world feel lived-in.

About 16 min

British specificity as universality

Notting Hill feels like a tiny, self-contained London world that nonetheless became a broader cultural reference point.

About 24 min
25 Facts and referencesProduction notes and other movies mentioned

Production note

The hosts say the movie was recorded for the Rewatchables 1999 series in 2019 and had not run on the main feed before this replay.

Opening minutes

Production note

The hosts estimate they've seen the film dozens of times, with one saying roughly 84 to 87 viewings.

Opening minutes

Production note

Juliet says she often falls asleep before the final press conference and rarely reaches the ending on a normal rewatch.

Opening minutes

Production note

Julia Roberts reportedly changed Anna Scott's quoted salary from 10 million to 12 million and then 15 million during takes.

About 40 min

Production note

Richard Curtis described Anna Scott as a hybrid of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

About 40 min

Production note

The final cut was reportedly three and a half hours long.

About 40 min

Production note

The blue-door house is real and tied to Richard Curtis; the original blue door was auctioned and later replaced.

About 40 min

Production note

The original blue door now reportedly sits on a property in Hope Cove, Devon.

About 40 min

Production note

The song 'When You Say Nothing at All' is tied to the film's soundtrack and 1999 radio/cover culture.

About 48 min

Production note

One trivia note says the Istanbul book author in the film really did teach in Istanbul and wrote nine books there.

About 1:04

Four Weddings and a Funeral

Used to explain Hugh Grant's early success and Richard Curtis's writing style.

Opening minutes

The Nanny

Referenced as Hugh Grant's guest appearance during his career lull after scandal.

About 8 min

Pretty Woman

Cited as a key 1990s rom-com and an earlier Julia Roberts star-maker.

About 8 min

Sleepless in Seattle

Part of the 1990s romantic-comedy landscape they compare Notting Hill against.

About 8 min

My Best Friend's Wedding

Used to discuss Julia Roberts's career arc and as a personal favorite in the hosts' canon.

About 8 min

You've Got Mail

Cited as the hosts' personal favorite and a close cousin to Notting Hill in tone and structure.

About 8 min

The Wedding Singer

Included in the broader 1990s rom-com survey.

About 8 min

There's Something About Mary

Mentioned as part of the late-90s romantic-comedy/comedy wave.

About 8 min

Never Been Kissed

Mentioned as a 1999 rom-com contemporaneous with Notting Hill.

About 8 min

When Harry Met Sally

Used as the launch point for the modern rom-com era and for comparing iconic endings.

About 8 min

Bridget Jones's Diary

Referenced as a Richard Curtis screenplay and as a later film that also uses Hugh Grant well.

About 1:04

Love Actually

Discussed as Richard Curtis's biggest success, though not the hosts' favorite.

About 1:04

A Star Is Born

Used as a comparison for Alec Baldwin's cameo presence.

About 32 min

Ghost

Referenced through James Dreyfus's 'I really loved Ghost' joke.

About 40 min

Jerry Maguire

Cited as another famous romantic speech ending in the same lineage as Notting Hill.

About 56 min
10 Running jokes and short linesRecurring bits captured from the conversation

'Just two girls' framing

The hosts jokingly present themselves as two girls at microphones asking the listener to indulge their enthusiasm.

Opening minutes

Juliet's flip-flop rant

A recurring comic complaint about Anna Scott's final flip-flops becomes a running grievance.

About 24 min

London / Notting Hill as a village

They joke about the neighborhood feeling like a small village and about knowing it primarily through the movie.

About 24 min

Hugh Grant's voice rising an octave

A behind-the-scenes anecdote and general bit about Hugh Grant's nervous energy and persona.

About 1:04

Brexit via Hugh Grant

They note that his Twitter and political opinions are a useful way to follow Brexit.

About 16 min

Amanda Dobbins

“It's top five.”
Opening minutes

Amanda Dobbins

“I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy”
About 56 min

Juliet Litman

“The fame thing isn't really real, you know.”
About 56 min

Amanda Dobbins

“Hugh Grant's Apex Mountain.”
About 1:04

Amanda Dobbins

“You should be in jail.”
About 8 min

MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT

Where to watch

UNITED STATES

Checking where Notting Hill is available…

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT

Movies to watch before and after.

Three movies to watch before Notting Hill, and three to watch next.

Finding six movies…Three to watch first and three to watch next.
Includes a Rewatchables episodePosters from TMDB.

ON THE MIC

2 voices on this episode

Juliet LitmanThe Rewatchables
Amanda Dobbins headshotAmanda DobbinsThe Rewatchables

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