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Let me preface this review by stating that I'm not a huge fan of
Four Weddings And A Funeral. I found it highly overrated and when
Notting Hill proudly proclaimed itself "from the creators of Four
Weddings" I wasn't excited. I was somewhat surprised and enjoyed
Notting Hill more than Four Weddings, but probably not for the reasons
its creators entirely intended.
With a story obviously close to both of the principals, Notting
Hill refers to the area of London where the story calls home. Anna
Scott (Julia Roberts) is one of the world's most famous actresses.
William Thicker (Hugh Grant) is an anonymous bookshop owner in Notting
Hill. Through a chance encounter, the two begin a whirlwind friendship/romance.
But can William handle the price of Anna's fame, or is Anna the
one with the real problem?
I did marginally enjoy Notting Hill, but it had very little to
do with either of the two leads. I've never been a huge Hugh Grant
fan, although I did find him quite likable in the character of Will.
Julia Roberts, as much as I do usually enjoy her work, isn't entirely
likable here and I found myself actually despising many of her actions.
You're generally supposed to root for the couple in a romantic comedy,
but I kept wanting to see her left in the wind. She's just not always
the nicest person.
The fun in the film is totally reliant on all the background characters.
Rhys Ifans is Spike, William's roommate, who brings Notting Hill
all its biggest laughs. He's a total caricature of a character,
but one that is endlessly amusing. I found it unusual that I would
rather watch the supporting characters more than those that you're
supposed to watch in the foreground. Ironic isn't it?
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Universal has done another bang-up job with the beautiful anamorphic
widescreen transfer. Colors and fleshtones are strong and accurate
without even the slightest amount of drifting. Detail is strong
with shadow detail coming through the disc's perfect black level
exceedingly well. Only the slightest amount of pixelization is evident
and that's very, very seldom. The transfer's lack of any noticeable
edge enhancement gives Notting Hill a smooth, very enjoyable air.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
Here we go again. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is ritual comedy
sound design all the way. What this typically entails is a predominantly
mono presence in the dialog and effects with only the music responsible
for being able to call this soundtrack stereo. There is virtually
no surround presence outside of the music envelopment. Bass extension
is also limited to musical passages and never strains to reach down
very far at that. This is a standard mix that provides nothing to
distinguish itself as a 5.1 mix for a film made in 1999. While Dialog
is always clear, there are occasions where whole sequence sound
too ADR produced, leaving dialog at these moments sounding detached
from the whole. A French Stereo track is also included with English
captioning. Packaging mistake alert!!! The back states that the
disc also contains Spanish subtitles, these are no where to be found.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Labeled a Universal Collector's Edition, here's what you'll find
in the Notting Hill DVD: A screen-specific running commentary with
the film's director, writer, and producer has a little something
for everyone. It can be funny at times for those who what to laugh
during their commentaries, technical for those involved in the details
of a film's production, and boring for those who have been suffering
from insomnia (Pete, the disc's in the mail just in case!). It's
very British and very dry. (Editor: Hey, I think it goes along
much better with some tea and crumpets...)
"Hugh Grant's Movie Tips" is a short few minutes of on-set
footage with Hugh being just charming. This wears thin pretty fast.
A small selection of deleted scenes, complete with alternate ending,
are included in rough-cut form. They're mostly unnecessary with
the exception of a few more moments spent with Spike. Trailers finish
off the video portion of the supplements. Notting Hill's original
trailer can be found on the regular supplement page while the trailers
for The Bone Collector and The Story of Us are both found under
the section "Universal Showcase." All three trailers are non-anamorphic
widescreen with stereo sound.
Onto the text portions of the disc, The Travel Book is our first
stop. This section is compiled of text and addresses as well as
a map of the shops and eateries along Notting Hill. Universal's
usual production notes with cast and crew listings close out the
set.
Parting Thoughts
I'm not making judgments about the movie itself here, but as a
special edition DVD I think Notting Hill fails a bit, especially
compared to Universal discs that feature making-of documentaries.
It is not bad, mind you, just that I've seen all this done before,
done better, and done more extensively. If you're going to label
something Collector's Edition, you'd better make sure that it's
worth the label.
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