The 1990s had some truly great rom-coms, some of which are easily among the best romantic comedies of all time, and that includes Roger Michell’s Notting Hill, which arrived in theaters in 1999. Written by Richard Curtis, the film delivered scene after scene of great comedy and charming romance as we see Julia Roberts’s character — famous actress Anna Scott — fall for Hugh Grant’s Will Thacker, a divorced bookshop owner who lives in Notting Hill, London.
There is no shortage of great scenes and quotes from Notting Hill, which to this day, still make me smile, laugh, cry, and in some cases, swoon at the romance of it all. So let’s dig into some of the best quotes and scenes from the film, which is undoubtedly one of Julia Roberts’ best movies, and also one of Hugh Grant’s best rom-coms.
William Introducing Us To Notting Hill
Notting Hill does a wonderful job of introducing us to both of the main characters, but more importantly, the contrast between their lives. First, we see Anna on red carpets, looking stunning while being photographed and adored, and then we’re brought into Will’s side of the story, and his relatively simple life as a bookshop owner in the London neighborhood of Notting Hill. It’s a great way to set things up just before their meet-cute.
Will Catches A Shoplifter In The Act
There’s a hilarious politeness to the way that Will approaches Rufus, the man attempting to shoplift a book from his store. Will first has to break the bad news to the man that there are security cameras, and then the man must casually acknowledge that, ok, maybe there is a book down his trousers. But this situation needn’t escalate, and it really doesn’t, as Will gives him the opportunity to either buy the book or put it back.
"I was gonna steal one, but now I've changed my mind."
Anna’s funny reaction to witnessing Will’s encounter with a shoplifter is made all the funnier because, at this point, Will still doesn’t seem to recognize her. It isn’t until Rufus boldly approaches her for an autograph that he puts two and two together.
Will Awkwardly Offering Anna Food
At this point, Anna and Will’s encounter has escalated to a run-in involving a lot of spilled orange juice and Will inviting Anna into his home so that she can change out of her juice-soaked shirt, which she surprisingly accepts. But the awkwardness doesn’t end there, as Anna soon finds herself standing in Will’s kitchen — dressed in a shirt that’s probably more appropriate for nighttime wear, but is undoubtedly less sticky than the other shirt she was wearing — and politely declines all of the things Will offers her from his fridge (including apricots soaked in honey).
Will And Anna's First Kiss
None of what transpires before this event is what you’d expect to precede a kiss, unless you’re in a rom-com, of course, which they are. So the fact that Anna seizes an opportunity to kiss Will after their numerous awkward encounters is more charming and adorable than it is unlikely as far as I’m concerned.
"Oh my god, my flatmate. I'm sorry. There's no excuse for him."
Anna and Will’s first kiss might’ve ended on an awkward note, given how surprised Will seemed to be by it. Fortunately, this is the moment Spike (Rhys Ifans) walks through the door. Upon hearing the key turn in the lock, Will barely has time to offer some attempt at an apology for whatever it is his flatmate might say or do, which as we see, isn't really an overreaction.
"Imagine, somewhere in the world, there's a man who's allowed to kiss her."
What’s funny on the surface about this scene, in which Will and Spike are watching one of Anna’s movies together, is that we know that Will very recently got to be the man who’s allowed to kiss Anna Scott. But it’s even funnier when we consider that Spike doesn’t seem to have made the connection between the woman on the screen and the woman he pushed past when he came into the house earlier.
When Will Finds Himself Interviewing Anna
This entire sequence is nothing short of hilarious. Anna has invited Will to her hotel to speak to him and apologize for the kiss, but she’s still in the middle of a press junket for her latest film when he arrives. Will finds himself caught up in it, and rather than explaining to Anna’s publicist that he was invited by Anna, he quickly lies and says he’s a reporter from Horse & Hound, and follows through with interviewing her.
"Any horses in that one? Or hounds, for that matter. Our readers are equally intrigued by both species."
Because they keep getting interrupted by someone involved with the film, Will continues to try to interview Anna about a movie he has not seen, on behalf of the first magazine he saw in the waiting area for the interview. Naturally, there are no horses or hounds featured in the movie Anna’s promoting (which is set in space), and the same is the case for her next movie, which is set on a submarine. So his questions really go nowhere.
"This is one of those key moments in life when it's possible you can be really, genuinely cool and I'm going to fail just 100%."
While most people who encounter Anna make some attempt to play it cool, Will’s sister Honey (Emma Chambers) proves to be especially self-aware from the start and, upon meeting Anna when Will brings her for Honey’s birthday dinner, quickly reveals out loud that there’s no way she’ll be able to be cool in this situation. And then she pitches the idea of being best friends.
When Bernie Finally Realizes Who Anna Is
Ah, Bernie (Hugh Bonneville). Unlike everyone else at Honey’s birthday dinner — including Max (Tim McInnerny) and Bella (Gina McKee) — who catch on fairly quickly that Anna is “Anna Scott,” a famous actress, Bernie completely misses this observation. Even when he’s asking Anna about her work as an actress, he doesn’t seem to connect the dots. It isn’t until Anna excuses herself to use the restroom that he’s informed of who she is, and he has to rethink everything they just talked about in an entirely new light.
Anna Joining In On The Contest To Win The Last Brownie
It’s so great to see Anna sitting back and enjoying the easy levity during Honey’s birthday dinner. But things take a more serious turn when, facing one last brownie available at the table, an impromptu contest about who has the saddest life-situation erupts with the brownie being the prize. Not wanting to be left out, Anna takes a shot at it by sharing some of the not-so-glamorous things she’s had to deal with in her life. After a pause, they laugh off her attempt to get the last brownie, but up to that point, this was a sweet but sad moment of vulnerability from Anna, and one that everyone at the table seemed to appreciate until the tension needed to be broken.
"You said whoopsidaisies"
It’s impossible for me not to laugh at this scene every time. Maybe it’s the way Anna laughs and then insists that Will confirm that he did, in fact, say “whoopsidaisies” as though he’s a little girl from fifty years ago in blond ringlets. Or maybe it’s the fact that, after this embarrassing situation that Will tries to pretend didn’t happen, he once again tries to climb over the gate to the park and falls back down with a second “whoosidaisies," which prompts an even bigger laugh from Anna.
"Come and sit with me."
I love the way Will lets Anna sit by herself on the park bench, as though he knows she’s having a special moment after reading the inscription on the plaque. And then she invites him to sit with her, which he does. The sequence is enhanced by the way we’re looking down on it from above, the view moving slowly away from them, as though even the camera wants to give them some privacy in this simple, romantic moment.
William Wearing His Prescription Goggles At The Movies
We should’ve known that Will owning prescription snorkeling goggles might come back at a later point in the movie. And so it does, when he can’t find his glasses and is late for his movie-date with Anna. He ends up sitting next to her, watching the movie while wearing snorkeling goggles, which she seems to find very amusing.
When Anna Tells Off The Men At The Restaurant
It’s such a satisfying moment, after watching Anna and Will listen in on a table of men nearby at a restaurant talk about Anna Scott. At first, it seems like the conversation might be friendly banter, but it soon devolves into some very rude and crass words about who they think Anna Scott is. When Will has heard enough, he approaches the table to ask them to stop. The men brush him off and are only silenced when Anna chooses to approach them and put them in their place.
Meeting Anna's Terrible Boyfriend
Just when it seems like things couldn’t be going better for Will and Anna, we find out at the worst possible time — when Anna has invited Will up to her hotel room — that Anna has a boyfriend. Jeff (Alec Baldwin) has surprised Anna with a visit. Of course, we immediately don’t like him, even though he’s being friendly in an overly confident sort of way, and totally oblivious to the fact that Will is not, in fact, the room service guy, as he’s pretending to be. But Jeff soon proves that he’s the absolute worst when he suggests Anna not “overdo it” when ordering food for herself, lest she gain weight and it reflect poorly on him. Except that’s not how he says it.
"You are lovelier this morning than you have ever been."
It isn’t until later in the movie that Will and Anna spend the night together, and it’s under strange circumstances, as Anna is hiding out from the press after some old photos of her have resurfaced. The morning after their night together, Anna quotes Rita Hayworth in talking about how men went to bed with a fantasy but woke up with a real person the next day and were disappointed. It’s clear she’s concerned that Will might be experiencing something like that, but he assures her with the most perfect response imaginable.
"Can I stay a bit longer?" Anna - "Stay forever." William
Just when I thought Will couldn’t top his “you are more lovelier” line, when Anna asks him if she can stay at his home a bit longer, he assures her that he’s just fine if she never leaves.
Spike Posing For The Photographers
Spike’s not a man to miss an opportunity. Unfortunately, he’s also maybe not a man to keep his mouth shut, as he proved when he admitted to Will later that he might’ve told a few people at the pub about Anna staying at their house. But before this confession, he enjoyed a few seconds in the spotlight of the paparazzi by flexing his muscles for the cameras.
Time Passing After Anna Leaves
Once again, things with Will and Anna fall apart just as they were starting to get going. At this point in the movie, our hearts are as broken as Will’s as we see him back to his life in Notting Hill, the passage of time reflected in the changing of seasons as he walks down the street. To add sadness to heartbreak, the scene is set to Lighthouse Family’s “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
When Honey Announces Her Engagement
At this point, any good news helps, and during a dinner to acknowledge the closing of their friend’s restaurant, Honey has some good news. She’s decided to get engaged. It’s impossible not to be happy for her, but then it becomes funny when she turns and informs Spike that he’s the person she’s getting engaged to. Fortunately for both of them, Spike’s into it. And it’s adorable.
The Interruptions When Anna's Attempting To Reconnect With Will
Will and Anna have tried to be together numerous times at this point, and something has always happened to thwart their romance. When Anna is attempting to profess her hopes that something could happen between her and Will, they’re interrupted numerous times — once by a call from Will’s mother, and another time by the customer who’s returned, despite the shop not carrying John Grisham thrillers. While Will does take the call from his mother, he flatly sends the “Annoying Customer” (as Roger Frost’s character is actually credited) away.
"I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her."
It’s an iconic line, and likely the one fans remember most from the movie (along with Roberts' tearful delivery of it), so, of course, I’m including it. But this is also a line that’s meant to remind Will that, beyond her fame and fortune, Anna really is just a woman who hopes he’ll love her back. Sadly, it takes a bit more than that for Will to get beyond all of the other stuff.
"Well, you know. Anyone saying they want to go out with you is pretty great, right?"
We might give credit to Spike for reacting appropriately — calling Will a name and acting totally disgusted — when learning Will has turned Anna down. But it’s actually Bernie who seems to change Will’s mind. After all, everyone is supportive of Will’s decision not to reconnect with Anna, but when Bernie points out how nice it is when someone wants to go out with you, Will seems to realize that, at its core, that’s the situation he’s in. Anna wants to be with him. The other stuff really doesn’t matter.
Spike Directing Traffic
Other rom-coms have pulled off the last-minute dash to find the love interest and ask for a second chance, but Notting Hill is a masterclass in the trope, as we see Will and his friends set off to find Anna, first at her hotel, and then at the hotel where her press conference is taking place. This is how Spike ends up saving the day by jumping from the over-packed car and straight into traffic where he clears a path for Max’s car to get through.
"Thacker. His name's Thacker."
It’s not a moment we’re expecting, but it’s one of the funniest quick bits in the movie, in my opinion. Will has interrupted the press conference to ask Anna for a second chance. At this point, no one but Anna seems to know who he is. So when Will is speaking hypothetically about the man whose house Anna was photographed at, another reporter helpfully interjects that the man’s name is “Thacker.” Which is, indeed, Will’s name.
The Way William And Anna Look At Each Other At The Press Conference
The grand finale happens when Anna re-answers the question about how long she’ll be in London, and she answers “indefinitely” this time, indicating that maybe things aren’t over with her and this Thacker guy. And that’s when the room figures out that the man in the pink shirt is, indeed, Will Thacker, and all their attention turns to him. But Will and Anna can’t take their eyes off of each other, and it’s clear they’re both in this for the long haul.
When Spike Shows Off His Ridiculous T-Shirts
Early in the film, we get a good sense of who Spike really is when he shows off several t-shirts he has in mind for his upcoming date. As though an “I love blood” t-shirt might be a good option. Fortunately, Will discourages him from wearing it. But the one Spike lands on isn’t so great either.
Will And Anna's Kiss In The Park
After sneaking into the park at night, Will and Anna share their second kiss. Once again, Anna initiates it, but it’s in response to Will questioning if the park really was worth all of the effort it took to break into it. I love that the movie later ends with them lounging together in that park. Presumably, they’re allowed to be there at that point, but it’s a great callback to see them back on that bench, just being together.
"Sorry, they always do that when I leave."
Well, how would you react if your friend or family member showed up at an intimate birthday gathering with a mega-star? Will’s friends kept it cool throughout most of the night, but the moment they left, they erupted in cheers and laughter at the whole situation. And Will humorously brushes it off when he and Anna hear it from outside, as though this is just how they act when he leaves.
"There's something wrong with this yogurt."
What’s funnier - that Spike is eating spoonfuls of mayonnaise that he thinks is yogurt, or that he continues to eat it even after Will informs him that it’s mayo? Not sure, don’t care. It’s gross, but so funny.
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