I recently watched An Awfully Big Adventure, which was put in my Blockbuster queue some time ago, although I don't remember when, or even how I found out about it. But I do know that I put it in my queue because I found out that both Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman were in it, and I tend to like movies with both of them in it (i.e. Love Actually and Sense and Sensibility). And while I thought it was a good movie, the ending is too much of a downer for me to want to watch it again. So if you don't like movies where Alan Rickman dies, don't watch this one. And a bit of a warning, this is an R rated film, for reasons of minor sex and the occasional bit of female nudity.
But that's not why I'm writing about this movie today. No, what keeps haunting my mind is the Harry Potter connections I kept making while watching it. For one thing, see that guy (Hugh Grant) up there? Does he not look like a bad Harry Potter cosplayer? And beyond his looks, his character's name is Meredith Potter. And of course Alan Rickman is in it, as I mentioned before, which is a connection in and of itself. But what first got me thinking in this direction is that the main character (the girl up there, Stella) is staying with her Uncle Vernon and Aunt Lily. So it makes me wonder, is this all just a coincidence, or did J.K. Rowling see this movie and draw inspiration from it? Or maybe she saw it and subconsciously drew inspiration from it.
Or maybe it's just a coincidence.
What is the plot?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's the story of young Stella, who wants to be an actress but gets a job working backstage at the theater instead. She's infatuated with the manager (played by Hugh Grant), even though he's a big jerk. Alan Rickman plays a veteran actor who falls for Stella, even though he's old enough to be her father. Those are really the biggest plot points. Despite the title, it's really more a slice of life kind of movie.
ReplyDelete