There is a distinct caricature of British men floating around our global psyche. Clue: he's floppy haired and wears a strangely enchanting grin on his exceptionally expressive face. Yes, this shared, beloved image is based on the one and only Hugh Grant who, over the breadth of his acting career, has nailed what we now fondly acknowledge as the 'quintessential bumbling, haphazard and endearing English love-interest' from many of our favourite films.
Hugh Grant is to romantic comedies what dial-up was to internet-hungry millennials once upon a time in the 90s and 00s - they needed each other and, when they actually worked, it was magical. But time moves on, new models take over and we all must look ahead to a future without our dear Hugh trying to use his wayward charm to woo Hollywood's leading ladies.
Sadly, in 2018, Grant said that he'll no longer be doing romcoms now that he's what he deems to be 'older and uglier'. 'That bird has flown', he said when asked about whether he'd do any more in the future which, needless to say, was a huge and devastating loss to everyone's top guilty pleasure genre.
So, in celebration of the good old days, back when the internet wasn't quite what it is today and Julia Roberts falling for a goof-ball book store owner made perfect sense, here's a celebratory look back at some of Hugh Grant's best (and worst) romantic comedy appearances.
Grazia Hugh Grant RomComs
1 of 8Notting Hill, 1999
Notting Hill was without a doubt peak-Hugh in all of the glory that we remember him by. Awkward, unassuming and charming. Not to mention lives in a beautiful flat in Notting Hill and spends his days in one of those old dreamily idyllic book stores.
2 of 8Four Weddings And A Funeral, 1994
Ah, Charles. Don't lie, you fell for him too. The floppy hair prevails, as does our unrealistic desire for the star-crossed lover fantasy.
3 of 8Love Actually, 2003
It is here, we believe, that Hugh really shone and yes, that impromptu dance around No 10 Downing Street to Girls Aloud scored him all the points.
4 of 8About A Boy, 2002
Nicholas Hoult had very humble beginnings in the film world. Before X-Men and even Skins, we firsts saw his little face alongside Hugh Grant in About A Boy. No, Hugh doesn't play the nicest of humans in the beginning but it's his redeeming 'I can do better if you'll only teach me how' quality that makes him such a strong rom-com favourite.
5 of 8Bridget Jones' Diary, 2001
Whether you were team Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy, you can't deny that there was something pretty special about watching Hugh Grant and Colin Firth play fight in the street/through the window of an Italian restaurant. Yes, Hugh played the least likable of the two men, but that 'big knickers' line will forever be ingrained in our memories.
6 of 8Two Weeks Notice, 2002
A personal unsung favourite is Two Weeks Notice. It's the sort of film that was played on TV quite a bit and you probably have fleeting memories of something to do with Sandra Bullock trying to stop a building from being knocked down and Hugh Grant getting in the way. Another win for Hugh's cinematic bad guy to good guy transformation.
7 of 8Did You Hear About The Morgans, 2009
This one probably didn't need to happen did it, Hugh? Sarah Jessica Parker was trying to ride the tail-end of the Sex And The City wave and Hugh, well this wasn't the grown up romantic come back you planned, was it?
8 of 8Music & Lyrics
Music & Lyrics deeply saddens many people. We had two solid actors and an awful, awful film. Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a washed up singer who hits it off with lyricist Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) and beyond that, there's not much more you need to know about the film.
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