Notting Hill is an iconic film, and if you don’t believe that then you can just click out of this post right this damn minute. Yes, the allure of its stars have waned a bit as time went on. Yes, it presents an image of London somehow devoid of any people of colour. Yes, it asks you to believe that a STRUGGLING travel bookshop owner owns a nice little two-bedder in zone one.
But Julia Roberts telling Hugh Grant that she’s “just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her” is one of the greatest lines in cinematic history, and if you disagree then take your negativity elsewhere. Bye.
Anyway, Moonlight director Barry Jenkins was lucky enough to be sitting next to a woman on a plane who happened to be watching Notting Hill, and rather than, say, select the film from his on-air entertainment set, we were lucky enough that he decided to live-tweet it instead. Without sound.
In other news, the woman next to me is watching NOTTING HILL. A few choice folks will get the irony of this happening on my last flight of this sojourn. Also… Julia Roberts is STUNNING in this film. And holy shit Lester Freamon is in this?!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
What follows is a wonderful tale of utter confusion, that’s almost as good as rewatching the film for the one billionth time.
After peeping these dolly/zoom combos in this dinner scene I looked up the director and OF COURSE it’s Roger Michell!!! a G and a Gent, was a Telluride regular for quite some time.
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
And this really is THE primo soundtrack for a NOTTING HILL watch, fyi pic.twitter.com/VAGoyPUUXo
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay so I can’t actually hear the movie, somebody help me, what’s up with Hugh’s character? He just made out with Julia Roberts and I’m like… HUH? Julia just looks waaaaaaaay too much for his character in this! But I can’t hear it so maybe he got game? Like English cat game???
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay somebody tweeted me that Hugh owns a bookstore, but… on their first date Julia had that braid AND that onesie body suit tucked into jeans and flat heel boots, she was basically Jay-Lo on IN LIVING COLOR! Translation: TEW MUCH FOR HUGH!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
And my ITunes is starting to actually sync with the movie. They seemed to break up and now Julia is in a space suit (?!) and THIS just came on!!! pic.twitter.com/FF2LTL0s5d
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Yoooooooo is that wild lookin English cat I ain’t seem him in forever!!! The dude with the crazy hair, he got jokes I remember that dude!!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
He means Rhys Ifans, a.k.a. Spike, a.k.a. Hugh Grant’s housemate with terrible taste in t-shirts.
Okay I maybe should stop drinking I had NO IDEA that woman was in a wheelchair. Like… is that a reveal or did I just miss it??? I mean, obviously this thread is being helped along by our friend Woodford Reserve 😬
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
WHY IS THERE A SCENE OF HUGH GRANT SHAVING?! Everybody knows HUGH GRANT DONT SHAVE!!!! That dude ain’t NEVER NOT BEEN CLEAN SHAVEN!!! I doth protest!!! English cat game means HUGH AIN’T TO SHAVE BRUH!!!!! Flag on the play Coach Michell!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Clearly a period piece BTW: what kind of bookstore owner has a flat like THAT in NOTTING HILL? This one actually isn’t a joke, what we’ve done to our neighborhoods, to property values and the VALUE of certain jobs is so damn sobering, depressing
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay: Julia Roberts on a roof in Notting Hill. In Hugh Grants sweatshirt on a roof in Notting Hill. Little to no makeup. Reebok trainers. Wow. If I were Julia and I saw myself in the mirorr, SAW MYSELF looking that way, FEELING that comfortable? Okay THEN… then I would get it.
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Oh god oh god watching a quasi love making scene between Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts over someone’s shoulder is like CRAZY AWKWARD!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
But wait, did I miss it??? Like, she walked in this Oxford two-sizes too big a weeeeeeee bit PRETTY WOMAN but I didn’t say that 👀 And then there was a circle dolly and a dissolve and his hand on her back…
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Wow and now she is PISSED!!! Because I was looking at my phone figuring out how to do a poll I have no idea why she is pissed 😫
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Random thought: the makeup artist working with Julia on this film is SUPERB. At first I thought it was too cute a tell to reduce her makeup as she grew comfortable with him but they stuck to it and it’s subtle and just superb. Hats off to script sup and make up artist there 🙌🏿
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay so Hugh is in his bookstore now and as a lover of books and a believer of miracles I can see, I can FINALLY FULLY see how Julia Roberts as Jenny From The Block fell for this English Cat Game, I salute you book slinging grey Oxford wearing remnants of shaving Hugh Grant 🍷
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Fuuuuuuuuuug JULIA ROBERTS IS LIKE… Julia Roberts is a lamp you find in some antique shop in Novia Scotia. A bulb rather. With infinite lumens and a millionwatt range. She looked at him and I felt his loss. There was a time when this woman’s smile could literally replenish you
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
The Wi-Fi is finally getting spotty. But I think we’re near the end? I just lost a tweet when the Wi-Fi gave out. But that’s fine. I should get back to my actual writing.
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
But… all I can think as I watch this is… I love that I get to do this for a living. And I have no idea what he’s saying but he better be spitting some SERIOUS English Cat Game because that’s JULIA FUGGIN ROBERTS bruh and she is SHO NUFF in this flick!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
SHE LEFT?! SHE WALKED OUT THE DOOR!!!!!!! THIS MOVIE IS THE SHIT!!!!! 🙌🏿
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
She’s not coming back, right?! Tell me there’s no epilogue?! And now he’s at an AA meeting?!?!?
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
He’s at the… bookstore? And everybody just got into one tiny ass car, I’m shooketh!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
He’s at the… bookstore? And everybody just got into one tiny ass car, I’m shooketh!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Then again he didn’t have Waze or GPS so this runaround is understandable English Cat Game can only overcome so much. Also… I need a coffee, like… yeah 😊
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Oh LORD this just transitioned into PTSD that’s a press junket! That’s a junket, right?! Look I got love for the press but oh LORDT that wide shot sent a shiver down my spine 😬
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Oh he’s gonna ask a question!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
YAAAAAAASSSSS!!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Julia shot him that brow!!! Them eyebrows was like ANNNNNNND SAY SUMTHIN!!!!!!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
BUT WHAT DOES HE SAY?!?!?!? What does SHE say?! Damnit she’s smiling. His ass had better had EARNT THAT! What did he say?!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Someone helpfully pointed Jenkins in the direction of the iconic quote he’d missed earlier.
https://twitter.com/erinbiba/status/948733339292270593
And he replied:
Wow wow wow wow!!! But wait, she walked OUT after this! I mean, that’s an iconic line and she still walked out?! Badass!!! https://t.co/SfnmLlw8Ag
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
But back to our previously scheduled thread:
Okay and now EVERYBODY’S KISSING except English Cat Game Number One Hugh Grant?
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay I has whiplash they got married she had a premiere the woman in the wheelchair got a FANTASTIC bob and now… there’s kids running around an English park with Hugh reading…. what on earth was he reading to her???
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
It’s over?!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
It’s over, y’all.
I hope this isn’t embarsssing tomorrow….
Two hours closer to LA though, there’s joy in THAT 🙌🏿
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
And FYI, I have no idea what the next film is but it stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. I’m going to drink some coffee and abstain from tweeting THAT 🤣
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Everything is wonderful. Also, before you go, please appreciate this gif of Hugh trying to explain his feelings with a very clumsy love metaphor.
Love heroin. The injectables…. of love.
