William owns a travel bookstore, although he has never traveled. His world centers in Notting Hill, a trendy neighborhood in London. One day, Anna Scott, a famous movie star known throughout the world walks into his book store.
The movie, Notting Hill, is the unfolding of their relationship. It s typically British, with the American star fitting into the British culture.
My favorite character in the movie is Spike.
While crude and sometimes annoying to our main characters, he brings an important dynamic to the main relationship. I must admit, when I first saw Notting Hill, I didn t identified Spike as my favorite character because I was absorbed in the primary storyline. I think it s perhaps becasue Rhys Ifans has become a favorite actor, that so I appreciate him in the role.
It s a mind game to equate the handsome, classically-trained actor with the unkempt and foul-mouthed character. That s real acting, along with some makeup and such.
After the Spike character, I think I like most of the characters about equally.
Regardless of the on-screen time, each one brings a quality to the movie that makes it more than a linear romance story with a few laughs. The subplots are developed just enough that it seems to mimic life reasonably well. It weighs in at two hours, four minutes.
Most people find it difficult to handle more than 90 minutes of a movie. For me, I m pleased for a film to be as long as possible, provided I m enjoying it.
Among my favorite scenes are the ones that include the circle of friends coming together to discuss the significant moments in their lives since the last gathering.
Such friends are very precious, and not so easy to show in the course of a two hour movie when another story line is predominant. I think Notting Hill does this extremely well. It s magnificent to fall in and out of love with the caring eyes and ears of friends and relatives.
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