We finally broke down and rented "Two Weeks Notice" last night. We'd both been mildly intrigued by the previews we'd seen despite both of us being less than huge fans of Hugh Grant. Actually... we both dislike him quite a bit. Nonetheless, we couldn't resist. So here's my review:

From the start you know the genre and class of movie you're sitting down for. It's in the same little cubby as films like "Sleepless in Seattle" or ...well... basically any Meg Ryan movie. Cutely funny and all about boy meets girl. But, there's the lurking danger it will dive right to the fetid depths of "Forget Paris" instead of "When Harry Met Sally". OK, those both lean more to the Billy Crystal side than Meg Ryan, but that's a different scale which also includes cartoons and slapstick. But, I digress. As I said, you know where this movie's coming from right from the start. And you, of course, know that they'll get together in the end. You just don't know how yet.

Visually TWN is bright and breezy. The shots are usually wide and uncluttered and, all in all, the cinematography is unobtrusive. If you've seen "Jack Frost" (despite it being a dismal piece of crap it is a good example of his work [and he does well with snow]) or "My Best Friend's Wedding", then you know László Kovács' style. Nice, but not too overly nice. I noticed nothing overly exciting about the sound, but the dialogue was always crisp and up close. The music was fairly predicatable but fitting. Editing was clear and evenly measured (courtesy of Susan Morse who edits with 'confidence' although I can't explain exactly what I mean by that or how I arrived at that word... that's just how I perceive her work).

On to the show. First I must say that Hugh Grant was tolerable for most of the movie and I enjoyed the fact that, despite once again playing a snob, his snobbishness is less frat boy and more 'I might be a little nuts'. Sandra Bullock is her usual cute self and this role is really nothing new for her except that... she's a hippie at the start! That came out of left field. But, thankfully, she's quickly coifed and clothed and we get past this. Not that I prefer the whole corporate thing... I just prefer it over the whole hippie thing. I'll leave you to the IMDb synopsis for more on the what and why of the film.

All in all the direction is even and the movie has its moments but don't expect Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn. The movie, in the end, is a lot like László Kovács' cinematography; it was nice to look at and I mostly enjoyed it. The story was cute and they did let it play out all the way 'til the end instead of rush into it all. I did get a bit confused when her friend suddenly shows up again, but maybe that was me... or... maybe the character was superfluous. I dunno. I'll attribute it to me, in fairness, since I'll probably never see this film again to check. If anyone else watches/watched it and thought "who's that woman she's crying with?" before realising or being reminded that it's her friend from the beginning, drop me a line and we'll go with "their fault". ;)

Marc Lawrence [yes, the "Family Ties" Marc Lawrence] makes his film directorial debut here (although he's written a buttload of stuff [including TWN and directed some TV]) and seems capable. Interestingly enough he also wrote Miss Congeniality, another Sandra Bullock vehicle and this familiarity probably played a bit in choosing her for TWN. It's too early, I think, to say where or how far he'll go in this role.

On the Battlefield Earth(0) to Rear Window(10) scale, I give it a Sweet Home Alabama(5/6). It will play well in the 'Sunday Afternoon Movie' TV market.

PS - I got my official notice that my visa was approved today.