Now Notting Hill is not your average, soppy, icky romance. Come on, both the protagonists are mature and sensible individuals who have their respective issues to sort out. It’s one film I really liked. Julia Roberts has looked prettier before, I agree. Hugh Grant is bumbling, a near-klutz but I still liked him! One picture that stayed with me was that of the seasons changing in London as Hugh G walks through the streets to the song, ‘Ain’t no sunshine when she goes…’. One time that I echoed these thoughts was when Mummy went to Kerala leaving the three of us alone. ‘And this house just ain’t no home, ain’t no sunshine when she goes, it’s not warm when she’s away….’.
An interesting snippet among so many others…
Anna: What is it about men and nudity? Particularly breasts — how can you be so interested in them?
William: Well…
Anna: No seriously. I mean, they’re just breasts. Every second person in the world has got them…
William: More than that actually, when you think about it. You know, Meatloaf has a very nice pair…
Anna: But… they’re odd-looking. They’re for milk. Your mum’s got them. You must have seen a thousand of them –what’s the fuss about?
My thoughts, totally…
Especially when you consider that last year, nearly 2 million women got breast implants done in the USA.
P.S. I have wondered if someone were to make a Hindi adaptation of the same film, who’d be cast in the role of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts? I landed on Sanjay Suri and Sushmita Sen respectively…
rileen says:
Ah, you’re possibly torturing poor by talking about this movie :-p
I enjoyed the movie, adn a great soundtrack, too! As for the maturity bit, that reminded me of the “I’m just a girl …..” line 🙂
October 19, 2004 — 7:10 am
Lakshmi says:
Kyon? Does he detest the film?
Actually, I kept wishing that she’d said ‘woman’ instead of girl. Girl she was in Pretty Woman,, certainly not in Notting Hill.
October 19, 2004 — 7:15 am
rileen says:
No, no, he was crazy about the movie & esp. Julia Roberts back when it was released 🙂
It’s thanks to him that i got to hear the soundtrack so many times.
Actually, I kept wishing that she’d said ‘woman’ instead of girl. Girl she was in Pretty Woman,, certainly not in Notting Hill.
That’s to rather miss the point, isn’t it 🙂 ?
October 19, 2004 — 7:19 am
hariputtar says:
i think people sort of sidestepped the issue. the post is as much about the boobs-issue as it is about the movie.
the argument above is bogus/interesting – depending upon POV.
lips:
– everyone has got them (including everyone’s mum/dad and meatloaf)
– u have spit, phlegm and other disgusting stuff on lips. people still lust after them.
hair:
– like wise. (some people maybe bald. or have them in unmentionable places.)
– dandruff, oily-secretions, lice. (and unmentionables when they are around unmentionable places.)
navel:
– everyone has got them. (including ur close relatives mentioned above.)
– navel often has odoriferous wax.
dicks:
– half the population has got it. (including ur dads.)
– they have excretory function. (and let us let it rest there.)
… i mean why should people lust about anything then ?
and if, anything is worth lusting about … why not boobs then ?
October 19, 2004 — 5:06 pm
Lakshmi says:
You’re right! I wondered if anyone even noticed my thoughts in that direction… Well, your points are logically invincible. Can’t say anything to refute them! But don’t you agree that boobs occupy the topmost priority… in the minds of most men. Well, theories abound about prehistoric man and how that part of the anatomy in women became a hot favourite with them… Lemme look it up and tell you.
October 19, 2004 — 5:20 pm
hariputtar says:
– in ruff-n-tuff settings, where medical care and nutrition were not easily available, mother’s milk may have been the most important factor in survival of infants etc. (and size of boobs may have had a relationship with *productivity*.) early human/humanoid societies may have had concept of communal-care where some women may be breast-feeding children of others too. thus such women as those that had large capacity to breast feed must have had a larger utility factor. and men were genetically programmed to react favorably to them.
– in societies with post-feminist sensitivities, not having boobs became chic among *hep* women. and for having a better mating chance with them men got programmed to react favorably to waif-figures.
– boobs are the first things that will be noticed in a top-to-bottom scan.
– they are the features that will (in most cases) still be noticeable after a woman is reasonably well-clad.
– if boobs are not important something else will be. and then there will be much ado about that being inordinately important.
October 19, 2004 — 7:17 pm
radhika74 says:
breast size has nothing at all to do with milk production. Breasts were simply meant to serve dual roles..the erotic as well as functional,just like penises.
October 20, 2004 — 2:19 am
hariputtar says:
i invoke “shankaracharya vs mandan mishra” – well. u must be right. beyond this point i can only theorize.
October 20, 2004 — 8:37 am
deelight says:
Hahahah! Well said!
October 21, 2004 — 8:13 pm
arunshanbhag says:
Since we are discussing breasts and implants, heres a sobering thought.
Slightly dated US figures.
Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2003-2004 include:
* Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. women, with 211,300 invasive cases expected in 2003. It accounts for nearly one out of three cancers diagnosed in U.S. women.
* Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in U.S. women; 39,800 deaths are expected in 2003, with an additional 1,300 deaths among U.S. men.
* Other racial and ethnic groups have lower incidence rates than whites and African Americans.
🙁
October 19, 2004 — 7:15 am
fugney says:
Other racial and ethnic groups have lower incidence rates than whites and African Americans.
According to one theory food habits have something to do with it. Apparently garlic and ginger, etc., help.
October 19, 2004 — 8:00 am
arunshanbhag says:
absolutely right. ethinc food have a protective effect – don’t know why. Environmental too!
Amazing eg of Japanese women in the US have a significantly higher incidence of breast cancer, while it is nearly non-existent in their mothers and sisters in Japan 🙁
Stick to an ethnic diet!
October 19, 2004 — 8:13 am
fugney says:
Evidently it helps other cancers as well…. all those funny chemicals methinks……
October 19, 2004 — 9:09 am
gotjanx says:
Does that give a breakdown based on age ?
Here is the thing : It has long been claimed that cancer ( not just breast cancer ) cases have been on the rise as our dependence on chemicals, pesticides blah blah have increased. What people seem to gloss over is that the average life span of a person has doubled since the last century. Cancer is a disease which is much more prevalent in older adults. While there seems to be a larger incidence of cancer amongst white women, it could also be thats cause that is the longest living group in America. As they grow older their susceptibility to cancer increases.
Why japanese women don’t get it, is a excellent question. Forgive me, post reading this I tend to be a lil’ doubtful about statistics :).
October 19, 2004 — 12:43 pm
arunshanbhag says:
most cancers are diagnosed in the relatively young 40 – 50 age group.
Life expectancy has been increasing from the high 60s to the high 70s.
🙂
October 19, 2004 — 1:05 pm
gotjanx says:
Most cancers, could be, since the group by itself is the largest. Most cancers per thousand is the highest in 65 + age groups.
Wasn’t life expectancy in mid 40s right after WW2 ?
Probability of me having gotten my numbers wrong — about one :).
October 19, 2004 — 1:21 pm
fugney says:
Particularly breasts — how can you be so interested in them?
Darned reptilian brain……
October 19, 2004 — 7:24 am
shri says:
I kinda liked ‘Notting Hill’ too. Especially, the song, ‘When you say nothing at all’.
October 19, 2004 — 7:28 am
Lakshmi says:
And that park-bench too…with the inscription!
October 19, 2004 — 10:08 am
lalunadiosa says:
I really like that movie too – its funny w/o being ridiculous….plus as you mentioned the acting is excellent….I love the OST…weirdly enough was listening to it today morning itself!!!
Sigh….Brit rom-coms are the best…I feel the urge to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral for the nth time!!!
October 19, 2004 — 9:31 am
Lakshmi says:
He is so adorably young in that… love that hair!
October 19, 2004 — 10:05 am
Lakshmi says:
If you like his bumbling avatar, you have a HOST of films to choose from! Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mickey Blue Eyes, Nine Months… One film that he didn’t bumble-fumble too much was Bridget Jones’ Diary.. He was unbelievably sober!
October 19, 2004 — 10:05 am
savyasachi says:
A very nice movie, even if it is way too idealistic…..
October 19, 2004 — 11:05 am
romad says:
Some of my favourite snippets from the movie are those when he’s posing as a journo for “Horse and Hound”(!) –
– when he’s interviewing the actors of Julia Roberts’ latest film and asking them whether they had any horses in the film .. only to be told that the movie is set in space!
– the part at the end, where in a packed press conference, he raises his hand and asks “The readers of “Horse and Hound” would like to know – if this chap apologises to you and tells you what a big buffoon he’s been, would you forgive him?”
🙂
Creative license with that last quote! 🙂
October 19, 2004 — 11:41 am
Lakshmi says:
Howz this?
WILLIAM: Is this your first film?
GIRL: No — it’s my 22nd.
WILLIAM: Of course it is. Any favourite among the 22?
GIRL: Working with Leonardo.
WILLIAM: Da Vinci?
GIRL: Di Caprio.
WILLIAM: Of course. And is he your favourite Italian film director?
October 19, 2004 — 11:53 am
romad says:
Hahahhaha! *rofl*
Heck, it’s incredible how one never gets tired of seeing Hugh Grant make these sheepish foot-in-the-mouth-isms in all his romantic comedies. 🙂
Btw .. do you have a copy of the script of Notting Hill with you .. or did you just type that piece of dialogue out by yourself??
October 19, 2004 — 12:44 pm
Lakshmi says:
I read most scripts here… http://www.script-o-rama.com/
October 19, 2004 — 12:48 pm
Anonymous says:
you READ scripts online?????? How lacking in occupation are you exactly?
October 19, 2004 — 8:52 pm
Lakshmi says:
🙂
Anybody’s guess…
October 20, 2004 — 5:57 am
Lakshmi says:
It’s a funny film. I laughed out LOUD at certain scenes… Features James Caan and Jeanne Threapleton among other stars.
October 19, 2004 — 12:49 pm
99kanitas says:
who’d be cast in the role of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts?
rahul bose and madhuri dixit
breast cancer
several ppl’ve been wearing pink wristbands lately… “Share Beauty, Spread Hope”
October 19, 2004 — 10:09 pm
Lakshmi says:
RB and Madhuri… decent choice.
October 20, 2004 — 5:58 am
sea_lalitha says:
I liked the movie too….saw it a long time back. And please let’s not make a hindi movie….I am sure they will screw it up with songs in Switzerland. It’s been a long time since I saw a sensible Hindi movie…I think Jhankar Beats was the last one.
October 19, 2004 — 11:07 pm
Lakshmi says:
Phir Milenge has got some good reviews though I haven’t seen it yet…
October 20, 2004 — 5:58 am
deelight says:
Oh so then you’d love LOVE ACTUALLY! I loved the movie and the soundtrack and Hugh Grant and ofcourse the humour!
October 21, 2004 — 8:16 pm