The story revolves around a bookshop owner in London named William Thacker (Hugh Grant), whose routine life is turned upside down by the appearance of a famous American actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) in his store. A casual encounter over some orange juice that has been spilled resulted in a kiss that developed into a serious relationship. The typical guy and the dazzling movie star fight to compromise their vastly contrasting lifestyles in the name of love as they grow closer to one another.
This classic movie made me feel a lot of emotions in one go. Although the plot of the story is the typical rom-com movie that we often watch, I still love how the cast was able to portray and execute their roles, especially Anna (Julia Roberts). It’s easy for me to admit that I hate the character in this movie! This is an indicator that the cast portrayed their roles very well. But you cannot blame me, Anna is always taking William for granted. And the fact that she flirted with him when she was still in a relationship sucks.
Aside from that, the cinematography was good. It was serene. I love these kinds of film because it gives me a nostalgic feeling about what past movies are like. Though I was born during the 2000s and still discovering amazing movies, I like these better because it makes me feel at home compared to watching 4k ultra HD ones.
The scene that I hated the most was when William went to her hotel and he found out that her boyfriend is there. I was hurt that Will had to pretend that he was the hotel’s staff— unable to say something because he was shocked by what he just witnessed.
Aside from that, I observed that she comes to Will when her situation did not go as planned. As an actress, it’s easy for her to spit harsh words at Will and then take them back whenever she wants to. It makes me feel bad for Will because he’s so in love with Anna that he will still accept her despite being turned down a couple of times. Like she’s a complete red flag for giving him mixed signals when all Will wants is to be with her. I know an actress’ life security and privacy are hard but at least, she should be clear with her intentions 😦
Later in the movie, Anna proposes that she wants to be with Will, I wanted him to be the one who’ll turn her down… and he did. But Will being Will, cannot endure being apart from Anna. So, he went to her press conference to confess that he wants to be with her, too.
Perhaps, one thing that I learned from watching the movie was that aside from not minding what the media tells about us, we should always observe how we treat someone. The world does not only revolve around us. And as much as we want to be selfish sometimes, we must always be kind to everyone. Kindness does not cost much. As for Anna, even though she unconsciously tends to mistreat Will, her sincere apology still sways Will. And I think that works for some people— accountability can easily melt a pure heart. As long as we reflect on our mean behavior and take action to not let it happen again, we’re good. However, on the other hand, there are always limitations to everything. It does not mean that if someone deeply cares about us, we can be abusive towards them.
So yeah, I spent most of my 2hrs pitying Will, but even though I hate Anna, I still cannot deny that I want what’s best for Will. They deserve to be happy as much as I want them to grow in both separate ways. Also, kudos to Will’s friends! I love how supportive they are in his love life ❤
Overall, the movie was 3/5. It did not exceed my expectation but I still love how simple and chill the movie was. No heavy drama!
Needless to say, this movie made me fall in love with Hugh Grant hahahahha or perhaps just William. I really love that kind of guy. Someone who’s not driven by ego and pride. I hope we all find someone like him. After all, we deserve the kind of love that is healthy and best for us. Happy watching!
The Classy Classics 