--- title: "Notting Hill: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/notting-hill/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/notting-hill" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 8 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Notting Hill (1999): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 8 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Notting Hill an enjoyable, polished romantic comedy, with praise clustering around Richard Curtis’s dialogue and the appeal of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. The reviews repeatedly credit the leads’ chemistry, Grant’s comic delivery and a supporting cast that gives the romance room to be funny. For most, the charm and emotional payoff carry a familiar fairytale, though enthusiasm is generally warm rather than unqualified. Reservations centre on slack pacing, contrived obstacles and a soundtrack that presses too hard. Critics also differ over how convincingly the film handles celebrity and how much its comfortable London setting invites scrutiny. Sight and Sound objects to what it sees as a hypocritical fixation on wealth and success, while still admiring Grant. Eye for Film is the clearest dissenter, finding the self-deprecating humour tiresome and the star appeal insufficient to compensate for the lack of pace or wit. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 1999. The critic calls it a smartly cast and consistently amusing romantic comedy with strong dialogue from Curtis and able direction from Michell that balances sentiment with tart lines, crediting Grant's expert delivery. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-28-ca-41691-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 1999. The critic finds it a thoroughly enjoyable, well-crafted and funny romantic comedy despite some smugness about its London setting. He singles out Julia Roberts' strong, humane performance and the witty script by Richard Curtis for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian/0,,51724,00.html) ## Empire — Caroline Westbrook Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. It delivers solid crowd-pleasing romcom entertainment with sharp one-liners, quirky supporting characters, and strong chemistry between Grant and Roberts, though it falls just short of Four Weddings and has a slightly naive take on media intrusion. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/notting-hill-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 1999. The critic finds the film bright with witty dialogue and likable leads in Grant and Roberts, praising its charm and realistic take on celebrity while noting some mannerisms in Grant's performance and an overreliant soundtrack. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/notting-hill-1999) ## Variety — Derek Elley Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 1999. The critic praises the genuine engaging charm, strong cast chemistry and emotional payoff in the fairytale romance, while noting it is slick but occasionally gawky and ten minutes too long with some construction issues. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/notting-hill-1200457114/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 1999. The critic sees the film as an amiable romantic comedy centered on the Notting Hill setting and the odd-couple dynamic between a star and a commoner, appreciating the director's touch but sensing some overload in its social observations. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/06/07/boy-meets-goddess) ## Total Film — Total Film team Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 May 1999. The film repeats the Four Weddings formula with funny moments and appealing performances from Grant and Ifans, plus strong use of locations, but the second half flags with contrived obstacles, limited material for Roberts, and intrusive soundtrack. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/notting-hill-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Charlotte O'Sullivan Notting Hill is a sly but unconvincing film that inverts the Four Weddings formula by making glamorous America dominant over impotent Britain. The critic praises the acute sections on American narcissism and Hugh Grant's performance but faults the film's hypocritical obsession with money, success and wealth. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/131) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Rating Critic's Pick. 28 May 1999. The critic highlights the film's glossy charm and intelligent pedigree from director Michell and writer Curtis, noting how it pairs mismatched stars in a story that mixes romance with knowing commentary on celebrity. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/28/movies/film-review-looking-for-a-book-and-finding-a-man.html) ## Time Out — GA 10 September 2012. It's a calculated but very enjoyable romantic comedy that plays up to naive fantasies with polished entertainment, neat conceits and gags. The critic notes its complacently white, well-to-do perspective on W11 life and some over-extended moments but calls it an agreeably slick affair overall. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/notting-hill-1) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic finds the apologetic humor tiresome and the film slow-paced, relying too much on Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts' charms without sufficient supporting elements or wit. The reviewer singles out the overused self-deprecating jokes and lack of pace as complaints. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/notting-hill-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/notting-hill.md