Tag Archives: Hugh Grant

Coupling

Chemistry.  Some couples got it.  Some don’t.

We were all reminded of this fact during Sunday’s Oscar broadcast — for three plus painful hours.   Co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco were oil and water on stage; no casting director is going to be beating down their doors any time soon to pair them up in a movie.

But what about the truly great film couples?

I pondered this very important question as I vegged out in front of the TV last night, re-watching City of Angels. (I was tired, okay?  Plus, that movie was made back in the days when Nicolas Cage was a good actor.)

Here’s my list of great film couples (in no particular order):

  • Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, The Notebook
  • Vivenne Leigh and Clark Gable, Gone with the Wind
  • Matthew MacFadyen and Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
  • Colin Firth, Renee Zellweger (and Hugh Grant), Bridget Jones’ Diary
  • Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca
  • Patrick Swazye and Jennifer Grey, Dirty Dancing
  • Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
  • Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand, The Way We Were
  • Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, When Harry Met Sally
  • Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw, Love Story

It’s not an exhaustive list.  In fact, I’m sure I’ve missed one of your favorites.

What couple would you add to the list?

Remember — you can’t win if you don’t play.


True friendship

Back before Sandra Bullock was “Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock,” she took some time off from doing romantic comedies because she wasn’t happy with the quality of her work.

She returned to the genre in 2002 to do a film with Hugh Grant called “Two Week’s Notice.”  While the film wasn’t a huge success, their pairing was, and the two became great friends off-screen.

Hugh proved that fact this very week.

The tabloids have been filled with news of the affair of Bullock’s husband, Jesse James, and her move out of the family home.  Mere weeks after she dedicated her Oscar — and every other acting award — to James, his admitted infidelity has taken the shine off of her awards season.

Helping to divert attention from his good friend’s troubles, Grant stepped in Wednesday night and got into a tussle at a society party in London with his former PR manager Matthew Freud.

Grant said he didn’t want to speak to Freud — who handled the publicity around Grant’s run-in with a prostitute way back in 1995 — and called him a derogatory name.  Freud responded by smearing chocolate cake on Grant’s white shirt.  Grant threw a punch and a glass of white wine.  Freud volleyed by emailing pictures of the besmeared Grant to friends.

Affair?  What affair?

I hope Sandra appreciates Hugh’s gesture.  It won’t stop the media frenzy, but it created a nice diversion.

No one can resist a food fight.