Watched it again last night, "lack of Chemistry."
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Notting Hill
TxMike — 10 years ago(March 09, 2016 06:33 AM)
I own the BluRay of this movie and it is one I watch periodically, I like everything about it.
Every few weeks it seems someone posts something here about "lack of Chemistry". Well that's the whole point, isn't it?
Anna and William couldn't be more different. She is American, she is a famous and wealthy actress, she lives in a fantasy world with handlers, she seems very happy in it but realizes it is all fake, all superficial, with no genuine friends who like her for who she is.
He is English, he is mostly anonymous, he runs a book shop that loses money, but he has a great set of close friends, their idea of a good evening is celebrating a birthday and having fun.
This movie works precisely because of this and of course there is "no Chemistry" when it begins. Even William, the logical one, knows it and that is why near the end he tells her he will pass on her request. He just doesn't see it working. He doesn't understand Anna yet.
The movie would have been totally different, and vastly inferior, if they had hit it off right away and every encounter had turned out perfectly. We are entertained by watching the struggle, by enjoying the journey and at the very end we see that they do in fact "have Chemistry", it just takes a while for both of them to get to that point.
.... TxMike ....
Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes not. Either way the implication is staggering. -
speedy1383 — 9 years ago(July 04, 2016 01:11 PM)
Love the film as you do. But I hate hate how William seems to apologize or just grovel that he isn't in her league. It annoys me to no end when he does that constantly throughout the whole film. Ok we get it. She's famous, but she's still a human being.
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sunchick116-872-583383 — 9 years ago(September 02, 2016 03:05 PM)
funny enough, when the movie ended, my brain immediately said ' i think this is the first time i've ever seen a woman apologize'. i didn't see will apologize or grovel at all. every time she had a tantrum, he missed her terribly but never reached out. THAT would be groveling.
as to the OP, i completely agree with you. that WAS the whole point and furthermore, just because everyone else put anna on a pedastal, doesn't mean she did. she was insecure and paranoid and felt just as human as will. although i will disagree with you on one teeny point-they DID hit it off right away. she kissed him after changing her shirt. she liked him immediately.