There are plenty of incidental pleasures; some of the supporting players—especially Tim McInnerny as a lousy cook and Rhys Ifans as a scrofulous Welshman—threaten to steal the picture.

For all its cheesiness, Notting Hill delivers a very great deal of pleasure...

The ending is happy and ironic in equal measure, but most of the fun is just getting there with the right chemistry and compatibility.

Notting Hill may be built on an unlikely premise, but it’s the sincerity beneath it that makes it last.