A romantic relationship between two people, usually a man and a woman, is seen as the most desired way of life but sometimes relationships do not work out and individuals have no choice but to split up. The movie “Notting Hill” describes a relationship between a famous movie star and a simple man who owns a store and leads a quiet life. Their relationship develops into more than friendship and romantic feelings follow. But, the reality of their lives is grim, as they have very little chance of staying together and continuing this relationship far into the future. Will and Anna will most likely split up because their characters are much different, they each have their own lives and the society with its pressure will not let them lead a healthy love life.
There are many articles and books that analyze marriage and relationships and one of them is called “Why Marriages Fail” by Anne Roiphe. In her work she states that every person has a certain and unique set of habits and attitudes that are built from childhood. These relate to a person’s preferences in life—tastes, the kind of people they make friends with and those they can romantically date. In the case of Will and Anna, each of them has attributes that are quite different. It is evident from their first meeting that Will is a very down to earth person. He lives in a simple house with another guy and the fact that this individual has strange tendencies does not bother Will. This shows that he is not very picky in people and he is used to the sort of abnormalities some people have. When he goes to the interview with Anna and pretends himself to be from “Horse and Hound” magazine, his shyness and inability to think up reasonable questions display his character. At this point, the viewer can clearly see that Will is a simple man who does not have grand dreams and has no want to strive towards them. When Will and Anna go to his sister’s birthday, the same pattern emerges. Judging by his family members, Will is very different from Anna in life, closed in himself and does not have any particular goals. Anna is a big movie star and is used to fame. There are many movies that she has been in and this fact has changed her personality. A person who is an actor must have a certain type of individuality in order to endure the hardships of fame and actor’s work. She constantly has to travel, spend many hours filming and then deal with all the press and paparazzi. Anna is used to all this attention and since she continues doing her work in acting, means that she is enjoying her life and all that it entails. This is another very important difference between them where the contrast is too obvious. Will shares a house with another man and has a small shop that is leaving him without a profit, even in the negative. In contrast, Anna lives in a big house, spends most of her time on a big stage that is seen and followed by millions of people. She leads a life that has no needs and everything is available at the first word. This sort of lifestyle makes the person used to all the riches and extravagant things and they lose the value in the little things, those pieces of everyday life that fill it with unforgettable moments. They both confirm their surprise in each other’s lives. Will is shocked to see Anna on the street and in his shop and his family cannot believe that she was present at dinner. When Anna looks at Will, it is possible to see that she is surprised at his lifestyle. From her facial expressions in response to the way Will’s sister acts and when they leave the house, the family gives out a scream of surprise, Anna is shown shocked by such behavior. Not to mention that their relationship would not grow because of the secrecy and determination with which Anna was hiding her relationship with Will. She did not have the courage to admit to everyone that she is interested in a man whom she likes. This means that her feelings were not strong enough to allow her to forget and ignore everything and everyone else and just be happy. The courage for a person to do things for others comes from their attraction and respect for the other person. If she truly loved Will with all her heart, she would not care who knows about their relationship and what is being said or written about them. Love is such a powerful force that it can separate and safe keep people from all kinds of negative things that society or other individuals can present. The fact that she denied him in public and then on the set, even if being afraid of rumors, means she is not ready. And there is no reason why she should be afraid of the rumors if they are indeed true. This shows that she was ashamed of her relationship with Will and so, she was trying to hide it from everyone. When Anna comes to visit Will in his shop and gives him the painting, Will says that he cannot allow for his heart to be broken again. He confirms that he is a down to earth person and does not look for excitement in his life. He does not want to risk his stability for love.
This proves that his interests in life are far from devoting his whole existence, even if there is risk to get hurt, to one person. This was somewhat analyzed when Will and his family and friends were sitting in the diner and discussing their different characters. And the society itself would also play an important role in the continuation of their feelings. Even though she might stop acting and being famous, there are people who will not leave her and everyone she is around alone. The press and gossip would constantly remind of the connection between two people who are from different worlds. The movie ends with them marrying and having a child but there is no guarantee that they will not grow apart. According to Anne Roiphe there are close to half relationships in today’s society that end in divorce and so, ot is possible to presume that Will and Anna will meet the same fate. Their feelings seem young and blossoming and this is always the case in the beginning of the relationship. The daily life and routine change the romance of the first moments and then people’s true characters and preferences come out.