Doing My Research

I’ll be moving to London in T minus twenty five days, and like the conscientious student I am, I have been doing some prep work. I’ve pre-registered for classes, settled my accommodations, memorized the appropriate Wikipedia entries on the LSE, Bloomsbury (my neighborhood), London and England, and upped my daily intake of tea (two cups a day in case you’re wondering). I’ve also been observing British culture. As I've mostly been surrounded by the French and Dutch (with some Italians and Germans at work), this has meant watching movies. If I am to be schooled in Britain, I should get to know and understand Britons. With that in mind I’ve been watching various British romantic comedies in the hopes that I’ll be able to understand their humor and talk like they do. So here are my picks for best movies set in and around London. (FYI: Many of the descriptions contain spoilers):

1. Notting Hill: What can I say about Notting Hill? You can’t really point to anything outstanding in it but it just leaves me with a warm glow every time I watch it. It’s got all the elements of an enjoyable movie: do-gooder protagonist who can’t seem to catch a break, check; likable yet vulnerable female lead who falls for our protagonist, check; crazy roommate to provide substantial comic relief, check; a dollop of British humor added by a gang of lovable co-stars, check; tons of plot twists, check; a bit of fantasy—who really thinks a movie star would fall for a travel bookshop owner from Notting Hill?—check; a catchy soundtrack (Ronan Keating, Elvis Costillo and Shania Twain), check. A plethora of gorgeous London scenes, check. And (SPOILER ALERT) a happy ending, check. What more could you want?
   
2. Sliding Doors. There’s nothing I love more than a woman picking herself up off the matt after being beaten and bruised (not literally) and living to fight another round. This time this comes in the form of a make-over montage where Helen cuts off and then dyes her hair blond after finding her boyfriend shagging another women. The movie puts a new spin on the tradition phoenix-rising-from–the-flames motif by showing two sides to Helen’s life which is quite intriguing. A bit too intense to be that flighty flick you turn on to feel good. And yes, it stars Gwyneth Paltrow, but her accent is quite good. And John Hannah’s James more than makes up for that with his do-good earnestness. And Jeanne Tripplehorn is hilarious as the brash American.
3. Love, Actually. Major points are given for including my five favorite things in one movie: Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, international politics (the "Love Actually moment"), Portuguese people and Christmas. Top points for the scenes of London decorated for Christmas. And the interwoven stories are especially well done. Kudos to the filmmakers for showing all aspects of love: loss of love, love doing you wrong, unrequited love, friendship love and young love. I had to subtract points for including the story line of Colin, the googlieyed Brit keen on going to America where he’s convinced he’s “Prince William without the scary family,” and for guest staring Kiera Knightly.
4. Bridget Jones’ Diary. All around great movie. Great pick-me-up factor as throughout you’ll be thinking, “Well, at least my life’s not as bad as hers.” Hilarious dialogue and instant messaging sequences are pretty cute. The plot developments are rather predictable but it’s not that we’re particularly concerned with. Just frothy and ridiculous enough to be watched over and over again. I had to take points off for the choice Renée Zellweger as Bridget. The more I watch it, the less I like her accent and she's slightly annoying in it. But she did gain like a million pounds for the role, so we should give credit where credit is due. Plus Colin Firth AND Hugh Grant star. And Grant is great as the crude and suave Daniel Cleaver, instead of playing the dashing romantic lead (for the millionth time—I love you in them Hugh, but show some range my man). This marks the beginning of my love affair with Colin Firth. It’s been love ever since.
5. Sense and Sensibility. I had originally kept this spot open for when I saw Four Weddings and a Funeral but that was a bitter disappointment. So, instead, the last spot goes to Sense and Sensibility. A dark horse pick I know, but it's quite good. A stellar cast--Emma Thompson, a young Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and yes, Hugh Grant--but it's also mixed in with a little old school Jane Austen fun complete with fancy dress balls and snobby British high society. I know Pride and Prejudice is a theme in Bridget's Jones, but this is the real Jane Austen movie. Complete with eighteenth century empire waist dresses, high collars and top hats. The action is a bit slow and the dialogue sparse for Thompson, but it's a solid movie and worth a look.

Honorable Mention goes to:

1. About a Boy. Stars Hugh Grant and was therefore a worthy contender and the dialogue was hilarious at times. But it just didn’t resonate with me. Too melodramatic to really be a feel good comedy. I don’t want to watch this one over and over. Also, five is a small number and there just aren’t enough spots for everyone.
2. Pride and Prejudice. I badly wanted to include this into my list, and as I don’t particularly care for the Kiera Knightly version, I'm talking about the BBC miniseries which is many times better. But alas, it is a TV mini-series and does not fit the aforementioned movie criteria. But still very worth a watch. All 6 hours of it. In case you’re still on the fence, I’ll say this: Colin Firth. ‘Nuff said.
   

Those are my picks. Yes, I am aware that the majority contain Hugh Grant and that most are created by the same people but I don't care. I like what I like. Thoughts?