As someone who loves romantic comedies, “Notting Hill” immediately captured my attention with its simple, calm environment and complex relationship between two people from completely different worlds.

Written by Richard Curtis, directed by Roger Michell, and produced by Duncan Kenworthy, “Notting Hill” was inspired by Curtis’s fascination with contrasting worlds and his own personal experiences.

“What would happen if a movie star were to walk into a small, everyday shop in a normal part of London?” is exactly what this film explores, and it does so in the best way.

The rom-com came out in 1999, made approximately 363 million dollars worldwide at the box office, and stars Julia Roberts as Anna Scott and Hugh Grant as William Thacker.

“Notting Hill” follows a divorced man who owns a small travel book store in Notting Hill, London. He seems content with where he is in life, but not much more than that.

It also follows a famous Hollywood actress trying to navigate the boundary between what she wants and what she has to do.

The movie opens with a montage of Anna that fades into William walking through Notting Hill, describing all the small things that make up the place he lives, which is his “favorite bit of London.” This shows why he loves Notting Hill, even with struggles in his life, like his wife leaving him for another man and now living with an eccentric Welshman named Spike.

Anna walks into William’s travel bookshop and looks around. They banter a bit before she leaves, then they run into each other again and he accidentally spills coffee on her.

They go back to his flat, where she gets cleaned up and they share a small, sweet interaction.

He tells her she is “heavenly,” but does not push further. Whether it is because he is a respectful, decent guy or because he can sense her boundaries, he keeps his distance in a quiet, considerate way.

She leaves, then returns to the door after forgetting a shopping bag. When he retrieves it, she kisses him.

Before leaving, she says it is best not to tell anyone about this, and he cheekily agrees.

Shortly after, William learns Anna tried to reach him when Spike fails to pass along her message that she is at a hotel under the alias “Flintstone.” He finally speaks to her again, and they make plans for later that day.

William arrives at the hotel, where he is mistakenly treated as an interviewer for her new film and awkwardly interviews actors before finally speaking with her. They plan for her to be his date to his sister’s birthday.

At dinner, his friends and family do not fully recognize her at first, but when they do, they try to stay cool around the Hollywood star. They end up enjoying her, and she fits in effortlessly, laughing and joking as if she belonged there.

One of the sweetest moments comes when they sneak into a private communal garden and share laughs and a romantic kiss before sitting on a lonely bench together.

The humor continues throughout the film as their relationship builds until he discovers she has had a boyfriend in America the whole time.

Shortly after William finds out, she shows up at his door because of nude photos of her have been leaked. It happens only a short time after, keeping everything in a very quick emotional shift between the two moments.

Even after the pain she causes, he tells her not to worry and that it will be alright. They talk over tea, where he learns she is no longer with the other guy and has been thinking about him.

Anna stays the night, sharing quiet and funny moments with William. Being a gentleman, he takes the couch and lets her have his room.

That night, she comes downstairs and they share a tender kiss, leading to them spending the night together.

The next morning is perfect until paparazzi arrive. Anna opens the door wearing only William’s clothes and ends up blaming him for the situation before leaving, telling him, “I will regret this forever,” even if she does not mean it.

After more bumps in the road, Anna returns to his bookshop and finally lays her heart bare. But after everything, William cannot fully trust her and pushes her away to protect himself.

Even with this though, Anna has left and came back so many times by this point that it is hard for William to even trust or believe it. So trying to protect his heart he pushes her away this time.

Rightfully so after all the times she has cast him to the side and he forgave her.

Before leaving she delivers the heart tugging line that makes me cry every single time. “Don’t forget, I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

William talks with his friends and family, who help him realize he made a mistake. They track her down to a press conference, where he apologizes and asks her to reconsider. After his confession and apology a reporter asks how long she plans to stay in Britain, she answers “indefinitely.”

The film ends with William and Anna married and back at the garden sitting on the same bench together.

Not only is this a great film about two people from different worlds coming together, but the way it is shot makes the story feel even more personal and raw. The soundtrack also guides us through their emotions, making the relationship even more relatable.

Needless to say, this film humorously and emotionally represents two people falling in love and finding their way back to each other through the challenges of fame and normal life, which is why it ranks fourth on my top romantic comedies of all time list.