The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain Review
The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain is quite a mouthful for a movie title, but it is also quite a good movie. The film stars Hugh Grant as Reginald Anson, an English cartographer who comes to a small Welsh village (alongside his grumpier partner) only to inform the townspeople their “mountain” is only a hill and will be placed as such on a map.
Unacceptable to this small village, they decide to build the mountain themselves by piling dirt as high as they can (this is WAY more interesting than it sounds). In order to change the measurement, however, the villagers need to stall for time, doing anything and everything to keep these two Englishmen from leaving town. They sabotage the Englishmen’s car, lie about passenger trains, and distract Anson with the beautiful Betty (Tara Fitzgerald).
With the community coming together, The Englishman really tells a beautiful story about hope and optimism. Even in the darkest of times, such as WWI, you just keep going forward. As humorous as the film is, there really are wonderful character moments about the men who suffer in the trenches as well as the people that stay behind. And while the romance could have been a little more developed, I still found the love story all kinds of adorable. Hugh Grant knows how to play these romantic roles particularly well.
A quirky little story, The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down a Mountain is a great find for those who like those adorable and feel good small town period dramas like Lark Rise to Candleford and Cranford.
Photos: Miramax
OVERALL RATING
“You had me at hello.”
ROMANCE RATING
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My
feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me
to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
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