Notting Hill (1999)

Let’s all agree not to ask how a man whose bookshop sells nothing affords a famous blue door in a pricey corner of London. That’s still easier to buy than the rest of Notting Hill, a fairy tale in a cardigan where William mostly apologizes his way into dating the most famous woman on Earth. Hugh Grant’s stammer and wince are basically a second language. Julia Roberts plays Anna with a tired edge that makes the fame stuff feel heavier than the jokes around it. The best scene isn’t even about them: a dinner party where friends compete over who has the saddest life to win the last brownie. Rhys Ifans’s Spike, the roommate with zero shame and no clean shirts, is the comic MVP. It made $364 million worldwide on a reported $42M. A 7.1 because the cast is charming and the third act is pure wish fulfillment. $2,486 says the next time someone at dinner tells a sad story, you try to top it for the last brownie.

What works: Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are a lovely mismatch, and William’s friends, especially Spike, give the movie its warmth and laughs.

What doesn’t: William is too passive to carry a whole romance, and the finale piles on fairy-tale coincidences until it tips into fantasy.

Who it’s for: Rom-com fans who want something gentle and British for a rainy night on the couch.