1540. Two Weeks Notice (2002)

Starring: Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock, Alicia Witt

Director: Marc Lawrence

Running Time: 101 mins

Two Weeks Notice is an American film about a lawyer who, after taking up a job working for a millionaire real estate developer, decides to hand in her notice after she becomes frustrated with always being at her boss’ beck and call.

Hugh Grant being cast in a role like this spells the entire plot out in itself. A formulaic romantic comedy from start to finish, there’s not much that’s really engaging about Two Weeks Notice, save for the fantastic performances from and chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant, who both make the film hugely more enjoyable than it could have been.

Let’s start with those performances. As ever, Sandra Bullock is fantastically likable throughout this movie. Her characters is a good mix of bumbling and competent, and she does a great job to make her a little different from the extremely generic rom-com lead (although the script doesn’t make that easy for her), and as a result plays the central part in making this at times a surprisingly fun watch.

Also, Hugh Grant’s not that bad either. In fact, his performance is a lot plainer than the likes of Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral, but it’s the fact that he doesn’t overact so much makes him a lot more entertaining to watch. His performance is pretty charismatic, and the way he plays off Sandra Bullock is really good fun throughout, with the pair fortunately not bickering, but instead providing loads of good sparring, sometimes even with a few good jokes in and around.

That’s by far the best thing about Two Weeks Notice. Its light-hearted atmosphere is a plus too, steering away for the most part from chick flick drama in exchange for a more enjoyable and pleasant vibe, although I can’t give director Marc Lawrence too much credit, because he unfortunately doesn’t manage to give the film any unique feel within the rom-com genre.

It’s not the worst case you’ll ever see, but there’s no doubt about how this film follows a very clear formula, both in its storytelling and directing. As I said earlier, if you’ve ever seen another Hugh Grant film, you know every one of the beats this film is going to take. Although the good performances and light-hearted atmosphere make that far more tolerable, it is still frustrating to see yet another film follow such a beaten track.

Overall, Two Weeks Notice is a surprisingly watchable film, given its entertaining lead performances, a light atmosphere that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but its major drawback comes in the form of an incredibly formulaic plot, providing little else than the sort of rom-com we’ve all seen before, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.0.