I watched this on the plane to Tokyo on the 11th of October, 2024. An absolute classic romcom, and I can’t believe I didn’t watch it earlier. The first impression is how odd it is to see a young Hugh Grant, and also Roberts but she hasn’t changed so much.
Something about the two of them is utterly irresistible. They didn’t have the sheer chemistry of Pitt and Jolie in Mr & Mrs Smith, but their relationship in the abstract aesthetic was wonderful - Hugh’s crisp, slow diction and low key humour, Robert’s sheer charm and the mix of polished actress with young vulnerable woman.
The scene where they’re in bed facing each other was my absolute favourite, closely followed by the entire dinner party near the start.
And of course, they get together at the end. That bit was perhaps the weak part of the movie but, given that it was preceded by hours of yearning plus a really nicely written (and aaargh to watch) scene where Roberts asks him for love and he says no (“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her” my DARLING), means I’ll allow it. It was a really nice payoff.
I find it hard to review romcoms, I’m just a sucker for them, but maybe I just have good taste (or only watch those everyone agrees are good lol).
The roommate Spike was so annoying (and kind of weird now) but he came together nicely in the end. I fell in love with the couple Grant stays with, the man who’s his best friend, and his wife, whom he used to date. They were gorgeously written. I wish I knew them.