What a charming movie this is. This film and its pairing of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant is right up there with the best romantic comedies of any time period, and it feels a bit like 'Roman Holiday'. Roberts turns in a fantastic performance, mixing the regal elements of her character with vulnerability, strength, and playfulness well. She hits all the right notes without overdoing it, keeping the feel of the movie light. Grant delivers perfect British witticisms and one-liners, and is highly lovable. His friends in the film, including his roommate (Rhys Ifans), are all brilliant and add humor and depth. There are also some nice scenes in the London itself. Certainly a target for cynics, but to me, sweet and enchanting.

I like Julia Roberts, who doesn't, but only a moron throws away Emily Mortimer for her. The man and his characters are insane. Still, he makes outstanding RomComs.

This has good eye candy, a great cast, outstanding tunes AND it turns out wiry is hilarious, if painful on the eyes.

This is a must see for fans of RomComs, Roberts, Grant or Ifans. I can still watch this yearly.

You have never seen such realistic portrayals of awkwardness, nor so many of them. Hugh Grant runs a humble bookshop in the little urban village of Notting Hill and one day a glamorous movie star, Julia Roberts, enters the store and pokes around. He doesn't recognize her but he kind of, well, likes her. On his way home to his humble flat and his skinny and nearly insane flat mate he bumps into her again, spilling something all over her shirt. With abundant apologies he invites her in so that she can clean up. She does so. And as she leaves his flat she unexpectedly leans forward and gives him a great big smooch, leaving poor Hugh Grant dumbfounded.

He later makes a date with her but shows up while her interviews with reporters is still going on. He must pose as a writer from Horse and Hounds magazine and ask her silly questions like did she use horses in her last movie. ("It took place in outer space.") But mistaken identities are a staple of successful romantic comedies and of comedies in general. They were probably staples when Aristophanes used them. And that's what this is, a traditional romantic comedy, with three ups and two downs.

What makes this different is the understatement and unease in the budding relationship. Nobody is better at discomfiture than Hugh Grant. Hugh is as good as Cary, better maybe. Some of the other staples I could have done without -- Hugh's eccentric but warm family, a near-slapstick ending, the soggy music. (A melancholy rendition of "Love Makes the World Go Round" when Hugh seems to have lost Roberts and is moping around.) It's a colorful comedy though and I enjoyed it. There are just enough touches of realistic diffidence to tickle the heart of anyone who was once swamped with the neuropeptides of true love and then lost it.