Movie Advent Calendar #04 – Notting Hill

“Whoopsidaisies!”

In 2011 I did a musical advent calendar that I posted to Google+ (remember that) and a final summary on this blog. In 2012 I did a cinematic advent calendar of twenty four films. These were films that I really liked and have enjoyed at the cinema. In 2019 I did a televisual advent calendar of twenty four television programmes. These were television programmes that I really liked and have enjoyed watching. This year on a similar theme I will be posting a movie advent calendar of twenty four movies.

I did go and see Notting Hill at the cinema, I think I saw it in Leeds of all places. I have always enjoyed comedies by  Richard Curtis. In my previous calendar I did choose Four Weddings and a Funeral, which is probably my favourite Richard Curtis comedy. For me Four Weddings and a Funeral was the first time I thought to myself and recognised that there was a British film industry that could make great films. There were lots of films that echoed the success of Four Weddings, but though good in their own right, for me none compare to Four Weddings.

I enjoyed Hugh Grant’s portrayal of his character, Will Thacker. Richard Curtis described the starting point as “the idea of a very normal person going out with an unbelievably famous person and how that impinges on their lives”.

I also enjoyed Hugh Bonneville as Bernie, Tim McInnerny as Max and Gina McKee as Bella. Though there are two leads, the other cast are essential to make this film whole and act as a foil to the actions of Will and Anna.

On the surface this is very much a romantic comedy, but under that surface is an examination of “celebrity”. Many of the comic moments are about how people persevere and interpret the concept of celebrity. 

The film was (rightly) criticised for not reflecting the real diverse character of Notting Hill. It failed to reflect the demographic of the area. As a journalist said “only Curtis could write a movie about Notting Hill, London’s most diverse borough, and not feature a single black face in it.”

This is a film I enjoyed at the time and I do watch again now and then.

Get Notting Hill at Amazon.

Cinematic Advent Calendar #14 – Four Weddings and a Funeral

Four Weddings and a Funeral

For me Richard Curtis’ Four Weddings and a Funeral was the first time I thought to myself and recognised that there was a British film industry that could make great films. There were lots of films that echoed the success of Four Weddings, but though good in their own right, for me none compare to Four Weddings.

I think one of the reasons I like Four Weddings is that back in the early 1990s when the film was released I seemed to be attending a lot of weddings (and sadly a fair few funerals too). Some of the weddings I went to did seem very familiar to the weddings in the film. Similar experiences and characters.

If you have seen the film, you will probably remember the first wedding where the Hugh Grant character, Charles, and Charlotte Coleman’s Scarlet wake up late and speed down the motorway to get to the wedding in an underpowered mini. I remember going to one wedding, driving a Talbot Samba up to Rochdale. I wasn’t like the Hugh Grant character, I did set off in plenty of time, but what I hadn’t anticipated was traffic problems on the M6, just by Manchester, so there followed a frantic drive cross country, road atlas on my knees. Roaring into the car park by the church, running into the church and nearly knocking the bride over… Back in those days things were different. Today I have traffic reports sent to my phone and TomTom satnav not only helps me to get to my destination, but also gives me an expected time of arrival. How things have changed. Drinking in the hotel on the evening of that wedding was also reminiscent of some of the scenes in the film too.

I went to another film near Durham and the evening dancing was akin to the Scottish dancing scene at the third wedding. Lots of drunken people flinging themselves around the dance floor to fast folk music.

This was also the film that launched Hugh Grant’s career, not too many films he has made were as good as Four Weddings, even if he often seemed to play the same character as Charles. Charlotte Coleman was excellent as the dizzy Scarlet, what a shock when she died in 2001 at just 33.

Charlotte Coleman was excellent as the dizzy Scarlet

Simon Callow played the loud Gareth with aplomb and enthusiasm. I did feel, as did a lot of critics, the weakest performance in the film was by Andie MacDowell as the American love interest.

I can still watch and enjoy this film many years later, and as well as enjoying the film it reminds me of those weddings I attended back then.

Get Four Weddings and a Funeral at Amazon.

Download Four Weddings and a Funeral at iTunes.