There was a time when it felt as if a Hugh Grant movie – and the sound of him stumbling through a charmingly awkward speech – was never more than a fortnight away.
But his films have become further apart in recent years, which makes it a pleasure to see him scene-steal in this week’s otherwise bland spy comedy The Man from UNCLE. To celebrate his brief return, here’s a look at his career highs.
Maurice
Before he became synonymous with comedy, Grant played a rather more serious upper-class Englishman in James Ivory’s deeply moving forbidden romance. He plays the first love of the titular character in a time when homosexuality was still a crime. It’s a restrained, tender performance, filled with small yet meaningful moments of affection, and is easily Grant’s finest dramatic turn.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Grant’s breakout role came in 1994 with this phenomenally successful romantic comedy that provided both him and writer Richard Curtis with a blueprint that they took into the next decade. Grant’s foppish shtick was born, and it proved cosily popular with an international audience, thrusting him into the spotlight, stumbling and sputtering out sweet nothings.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
After playing a rather terribly polite gent started to get a little too familiar, Grant smartly subverted expectations by taking on the role of a caddish womaniser in this hit chick-lit adaptation. His most memorable moment involved him getting embroiled in a disastrously realistic tussle with his love rival, played by Colin Firth.
About a Boy
Wisely avoiding the archetype that he’d made for himself, Grant stuck with Working Title but played a selfish man-child in this smart adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel about growing up late. Unafraid to be unlikeable, it continued to show a different side to Grant, and that he was able to do more than offer stumbling speeches to attractive women.
Music & Lyrics
One of Grant’s few American excursions to pay off (Two Weeks Notice is another arguable highlight), saw him play a has-been pop star falling for plant-waterer turned songwriter Drew Barrymore. It’s soft but engaging stuff that peaks at the beginning as we see Grant perform his biggest hit in a video for the deviously catchy Pop! Goes My Heart.
