The Popkorn Junkie :: Two Weelks Notice

Romantic comedies are some of my very favorite types of cinema, if they are original and not drawn into the same old lame scenarios and clichés, as in the case of "Maid in Manhattan". Those timeless romantic comedies, like "Pretty Woman", "IQ", and "My Best Friend's Wedding" follow basically the same formula, but throw a little something extra in to make them unique and luring. "Two Weeks Notice" isn't quite as good as those films, but it managed to make me laugh and really care about the two principal characters.

Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy Kelson, a Harvard graduate who is obsessed with improving the environment and conserving landmarks. Essentially, she is a goody-goody nerd with the body and face of a supermodel. Go figure, eh? When does that ever really happen? Only in Hollywood, people. She eventually meets a billionaire land developer named George Wade (Hugh Grant). Wade hires Lucy for two reasons: (1) he likes the way she works, and (2) he wants to have sex with her. How blunt. Grant and Bullock are complete opposites and spend most of the film arguing over their various beliefs and opinions. Halfway through the film, Grant agrees to let Lucy quit and go back to doing her morally fulfilling pro-bono work. She is replaced by June Carter (Alicia Witt--NOT June Carter Cash...yuck), an attractive redhead who, it would seem, would have nothing on her mind but seducing Grant and winning him over.

WRONG! This is when "Two Weeks Notice" becomes an 'original' romantic comedy. It turns out that Alicia Witt is just as sweet as cherry pie and never makes any abnormal advances towards Grant. When she does come on to him, it it out of pure instinct. Alas, though this makes this an original picture, it kind of hampers it in a way. Her not serving as the ruthless Sharon Stone-esque villain turns the second half of this film into sugary romance. Grant and Bullock all of a sudden become sweethearts and we are left wondering how that made the transformation so quickly. That's Hollywood dazzle for you. So, now for the basics...

WHAT I LIKED: I liked the chemistry between Grant and Bullock. Hugh Grant has always been one of my favorite actors ("Nine Months" was hilarious and "About A Boy" was marvelous also, not to mention he is nominated for a Golden Globe this year), but Sandra Bullock seems to always make a really good movie, and then ruin it with three terrible ones. She impressed me in this film because I also liked "Murder By Numbers" earlier this year--that's two in a row for Sandra. I also liked how this film strayed sometimes from the basic romantic comedy plotline of two complete opposites overcoming obstacles to win one another's affections. The Alicia Witt factor was half a plus and half a disaster.

WHAT I DISLIKED: I disliked how syrupy the second half of the film became. I was kind of liking Hugh Grant as the conceited and sarcastic billionaire who cared as much about sex as he did money. I also liked Bullock as the nerd with morals who had no reason to be remotely attracted to Grant. It reminded me of the speech Cher gives to Jack Nicholson in "The Witches of Eastwick" about he being the most repulsive man she had eve seen, only to go straight to bed with him. Sure, he was the devil, but the comparison is valid. And, of course, the Alicia Witt factor hindered as much as it helped.

So, "Two Weeks Notice" is not your typical romantic comedy, but really doesn't do a whole lot that is new and original. This will be an optimum date movie and I recommend this over "Maid in Manhattan" thoroughly. Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock fans will be pleased, but the Bruce Willis, 'bone crusher' action fans will probably walk out having just awoken from a long and comforting nap.

-- Billy Ray ( 2 1/2 pops out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

All I have to say is Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock make an absolutely wonderful team! Their chemistry is excellent and they possess the same magic of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Like Hanks and Ryan, I hope they go on to do more movies together. The film is delightful and very, very funny. Though the two characters don't like each other much from the get-go, they don't exactly loathe each other and you can feel the sexual tension. It's not one of these dopey romantic comedies where the two of them claw at each other nonstop and at the last 10 minutes, we're supposed to believe that they're really in love. My only major criticism is (SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!) the romance that develops between Grant and Alicia Witt. It seems to have been thrown in simply to add on a plot obstacle and soon enough, we arrive at the obligatory scene where Sandy Bullock catches Hugh and Alicia in his hotel suite, both half-naked. But with a film as charming and relentlessly likable as "Two Week's Notice" I was able to let it slide. The dialogue is packed with wit (written by Marc Lawrence, who also wrote "Miss Congeniality" and "Forces of Nature") and delivered with great precision by the two talented performers. Robert Klein is a talented, underrated comic and has a few funny scenes as Bullock's father. Basically, I laughed a lot and felt great when I left the theater. I'd say the film did its job.