Notting Hill (1999)

Julia Roberts stars, in arguably her best role, as a lovable, glamorous movie star; Hugh Grant teams up with writer Richard Curtis for the second time, and we've got a winner. William Thacker (Grant) sells travel books in the title neighborhood, and Anna Scott (Roberts) -- in the neighborhood shooting a movie -- stops in for something to read. William's nervous charm makes an impression on her and an impossible romance is born. Curtis and director Roger Michell (far more intuitive than Four Weddings director Mike Newell) find all kinds of complex emotional entanglements having to do with celebrity, but they avoid the dark satire that could easily have resulted. Once again, the colorful supporting cast provides a welcome reality to William's fantasy life, and once again, Grant strikes up a remarkable chemistry with his co-star. Only a pandering ending ruins the spell. Alec Baldwin appears unbilled as Anna's obnoxious boyfriend. read more...

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Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Even if last year's amazing Nurse Betty left us with the slightest doubt that Renee Zellweger could act, Bridget Jones's Diary erases that doubt for good. She stars as the title hero from Helen Fielding's popular novel, a slightly overweight thirtysomething who smokes too much. Like all of us, Bridget searches for love. She finds herself attracted to the wrong men, particularly her boss (Hugh Grant), a charming creep who knows just what to say and when to say it. On the other hand is the bland Colin Firth who first appears with a godawful reindeer sweater at a New Year's party. read more...

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About Last Night (2014)

In 1986, when director Edward Zwick brought David Mamet's play Sexual Perversity in Chicago to the big screen, the title had to be changed to the completely innocuous About Last Night, because the word "sexual" was deemed to scary for audiences; they might think the film was pornographic or something. read more...

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The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Many people are going to trumpet Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right as revolutionary in its frank depiction of a happy lesbian couple who have successfully raised two teenagers. Then you'll hear others crying foul over the fact that one of the lesbian characters has a sexual affair with a man. But what's truly remarkable about the film is that the writing is so strong, the performances so rich that none of this stuff actually matters. What matters is that viewers will be spending time with characters so vivid that they seem to live on past the edges of the movie. read more...

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The Break-Up (2006)

What looks like a raucous frat-boy comedy is really a surprisingly canny depiction of a stagnant relationship. Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) won't say what she wants, while Gary (Vince Vaughn) does exactly as he pleases, and together they own a valuable Chicago condo. The clever director Peyton Reed (Down with Love) sustains a string of remarkable conversations, arguments and desperate ploys, while upsetting the expected rom-com formula. The humor instead seeps from the many crafty character roles; Judy Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio and Jon Favreau really shine, but Aniston and Vaughn break into entirely new territory. The movie could have used more build up and a stronger female presence, but it's a brave, subversive look at the ugly, needy side of Hollywood romance. Vaughn co-wrote the story and produced. read more...

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