Two Weeks Notice (Sandra Bullock , Hugh Grant)

(Amazon UK link)

From time to time I browse Amazon’s recommended books and films, and add a few interesting-looking ones to my wishlist. That was the case for ‘Two Weeks Notice’ which was probably suggested because it features both Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. I’ve liked films with both of them in the past, and this looked, from the viewer reviews, like my favourite kind of light but reasonably intelligent romantic comedy.

I was given the DVD for my recent birthday, and we watched it last night. Sandra Bullock is entirely believable as Lucy, a somewhat disorganised lawyer who works for a charity. We meet her in the throes of lying down before bulldozers in the hope of saving her beloved local community centre.

Hugh Grant plays George, a billionaire, arrogant playboy. He does it well, but I could never quite believe in this character - the slightly awkward gentleman persona of other films was always in my mind. George’s firm is involved in knocking down the community centre, but they’re also looking for a bright, proactive lawyer. He bumps into Lucy, and manages to persuade her to take the job, promising a huge salary and also that he will save the community centre.

Lucy quickly discovers that George wants a personal assistant/PA as much as a lawyer and becomes increasingly frustrated that he expects her to answer the phone at any time of day or night, no matter how busy she is, for trivial concerns. Eventually she hands in her notice. Even that isn’t straightforward, until another young and attractive woman applies for the job.

Despite my never entirely believing in Hugh Grant as George, he and Lucy have a very good on-screen chemistry, with quick-fire dialogue and great timing. There’s some humour - we smiled several times, even chuckled once or twice - and the romance element, while inevitable, is mostly subtly done.

I appreciated, too, the contrast between faceless corporations who want to make more and more money, and the caring side of humanity which George had apparently never previously noticed. There's a political element, which I guess might upset some who tend towards capitalism, but it's not overt, nor pushed.

The rating is 12, which seems about right to me; not that it would be of much interest to anyone under the age of about 15 or 16. There are no explicit scenes, only partial nudity in a humorous context, and no violence. There are plenty of innuendoes and sexual references and some ‘strong’ language, however.

All in all, it filled the bill perfectly for a light evening’s relaxation. Don’t expect fast action or passion in this - but if you like good rom-coms, I would recommend this one, in a low-key kind of way.

Review copyright 2018 Sue's DVD Reviews