Notting Hill

Well, as an English person I found it profoundly annoying. Notting Hill is one of a number of unfortunate movies about England made for Americans. They often have Hugh Grant in them playing his lovable idiot role. Him and Rowan Atkinson. The dialogue (dialog) is Americanised, the plots are so stupid. I mean, how could anyone fall for Andie McDowell? The version of England that they portray makes me want to puke.

I'm sorry you feel that way about it.. But I'm talking about "Notting Hill". Not "Four Weddings and a Funeral."

eoe, I haven't seen this movie because everything that Hugh Grant is in he is the same bumbling idiot englishman and once you have seen three or four what is the point of spending another fiver?

geez...where are his fans?

Wish I could help. I haven't seen the film.

I wish you could help too, edgar but, being Englishmen, I guess I can understand their rejection of this particular actor. It's probably like a Black man rejecting your stereotypical thug or hoodlum portrayal, especially if there are never any other Black character types shown to balance it out. The fact that Mr. Grant's characters are usually charming and intelligent doesn't override the fact that they're also usually clumsy and not the most macho of men.

Of course, this is EXACTLY what the women love about him.

eoe, I think you hit the nail on the head. Brits in Hollywood movies fall into a limited number of stereotypes. Posh twit (like Hugh Grant), eccentric loony (Rowan Atkinson), braw Scot, (Sean Connery), toned-down cockney (Michael Caine), etc. It gets a bit tedious.



I should have written that I object to Hugh Grant as an "Englishman" rather than as an English "person", because I know plenty of English women who swoon at Hugh Grant's movie characters. (I know plenty who don't as well)

I'm a swooner, usually. He walks a fine line, and when he gets too precious ("aren't I adorable?") it turns me off. Usually he has enough intelligence to avoid that, though.

Yeah, eoe has hit it on the head. The movie Notting Hill is pretty dire. Every single frame oozes tedium.
In comparison, the real Notting Hill oozes a vibrant atmosphere. A very modern London district.

For those who wish to wallow in the Hugh Grant, El Hurley & Jemima Puddleduck soap opera, check here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=388859&in_page_id=1773

So why do you suppose that the powers that be chose not to represent the true nature of the location of this movie? Was it even shot on location?

Ugh. The gossip may be another reason Americans are more tolerant of him -- we don't get all the minutae (or at least, I wasn't aware of the whole Jemima thing until that link).

I think onscreen he's a type that a lot of women like but don't get to see very often, the gorgeous but sensitive and funny and intelligent one instead of all broody and violent.

Filming Locations for
Notting Hill (1999)

Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill Gate, Notting Hill, London, England, UK
(William watches Anna's sci-fi movie)

Ealing Studios, Ealing, London, England, UK

Kenwood House, Hampstead Heath, Hampstead, London, England, UK
(Henry James filming)
London, England, UK

Nobu Restaurant, Metropolitan Hotel, 19 Old Park Lane, Mayfair, London, England, UK
(Anna & William's dinner date)
Notting Hill, London, England, UK

Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London, England, UK
(Market scenes, exteriors)

Savoy Hotel, Strand, London, England, UK
(final press conference)

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

The Hempel Hotel, Craven Hill Gardens, Bayswater, London, England, UK
(Anna & William's wedding)

The Ritz, Piccadilly, London, England, UK

UCI Empire Cinema, Leicester Square, Soho, London, England, UK
(William and Anna attend her premiere at end of film)

-------------------------------------------------------
From IMdb.
Definitely shot on location.

It's odd that the moviemakers would misrepresent such an exciting and lively location.

I guess the makers wanted a squeaky clean, happy, feel good, rose garden kinda movie.
Make the natives appear friendly, so as not too upset those from overseas

Aren't the natives friendly?

One thing I do remember is graffiti on the doorpost. That was 'colorful'.

Yes, but a friendly image of the natives gives reassurance to others.

You say that this homogenized image was filmed to make the fans over here comfortable but, I just don't get that. We're pretty accustomed to grit and urban reality in film. I can't see how an earthier image of the neighborhood could have hurt the storyline at all.

Personally, I think that if the same basic storyline was played out in more of a realisitic portrayal of life in modern London, the film would have been far more popular.

At one stage, I was expecting to see Bobbies on bicycles two by two, pass by in the background.

Sorry, eoe, but it was just plain silly.

What finally made me throw things at the TV, was when foppy, floppy Mr Grant fell whilst trying to climb that tree, and said "oops-a-daisies!"

For a start, the saying is "oops-a-daisy", and no male who has passed puberty would even dream of saying such a thing in normal, everyday life, unless he was picking up a toddler who had just fallen over. Even THEN, it would be very unliklely.

The whole thing was a marketing strategy, as it has obviously been discovered that a character such as the one that Grant portrayed, goes down well with a female audience, especially in America.

They could have done SO much more with the story line.....if only they had kept it real.

Anybody else?

I'm practically afraid to say so now, but I loved it! I guess eoe and I will just have to go sit in a dark corner all by ourselves now and no one will play with us anymore, but at least we can talk about Notting Hill together...

I'd like to watch it again soon, actually. Of course it was fluff, but it was fun, dammit, and amusing and cheery. I watch a lot of the critically-acclaimed, art house, "serious" movies too, but sometimes it's just nice to watch a good old fashioned happy-ending movie. Plus I really think it had some clever bits in it too. Nyaaah!