"The Romantic Favorites Collection" is a compilation of four previously released movies in one convenient box set. The movies include Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Love Actually, Notting Hill, and About a Boy, which are all romantic comedies that star actor Hugh Grant in one role or another. The DVDs included are the exact same releases as their individual DVD releases. If, by chance, you own all four of these films, then re-purchasing this collection will not be worth the money. The only real difference is the packaging. The individual DVD cases are housed in a cardboard box created for the "Romantic Collection". The DVD contents, such as extras and audio/video quality are the exact same.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

"The Edge of Reason" is a sequel to Bridget Jones' Diary and it takes place approximately six and a half weeks later. Bridget (Renee Zellweger) and Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) are in a blissful, happy relationship. They are locked in passion and everything seems perfect. However, as it turns out for Miss Jones, nothing is quite as it seems. Bridget learns that her relationship with Mark is not as foolproof as she thought. The two are very different and their differences, along with a brunette bombshell named Rebecca, complicate matters. Furthering the complications is Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), who comes back into Bridget's life as a changed man. He tries to woe her after a spat with Mark. Will Bridget be able to find true love? Is she destined to be with Mark or Daniel?

For those who have seen Bridget Jones' Diary and enjoyed it, "The Edge of Reason" might be a treat. The sequel features comedy and acting performers somewhat similar to its prequel. It is an obvious a push to recapture the original's success, but does not quite do it. The attempts are made with over-the-top, slapstick comedy with Bridget getting into a variety of odd and silly situations. For example, in the opening Bridget does a skydiving bit and ends up in a pigpen covered in poop. Then there is a comical scene with Bridget getting her foot stuck in her mouth while attending an upscale dinner with the well-to-do members of society. It is scenes like this that might attract (or repel--it really isn't that funny) viewers.

On the chance, however, you did not enjoy the original movie, then "The Edge of Reason" probably won't float your boat. I never cared for Bridget Jones' Diary too the point I watched it over and over again. I liked the movie enough that I purchased it for the occasional watch. Nonetheless, "The Edge of Reason" has never done it for me. The comedy feels too forced and the general storyline feels too much like the last movie.

Advice:	Rent It
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Read additional reviews of this movie by Aaron Beierle and Jeff Paramchuk.

Love Actually

The 2004 movie Love Actually was a huge success. The film had a line-up of heavy hitters that included Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, and plenty more. These big name actors and actresses worked together and gave stellar performances that pushed this movie into success. The story is about love; how the characters find love and what they are willing to do to get it. The story is told in a sequence of vignettes, smaller connected stories that ties the characters and the theme of love together.

One of the more notable vignettes is about a single father named Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his son Sam (Thomas Sangster). Daniel recently lost his wife and must care for his stepson Sam. He guides Sam through the trials of love when he confesses he is love stricken. This is a very heartwarming story, with Neeson making a great father and having a strong connection with Sangster. Sangster also shines as a very cute kid. On the flipside, Harry (Alan Rickman) has a somewhat tragic love story that shows a slightly darker side of love. Harry begins to explore a marital affair with his secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch), which leaves his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) heartbroken. This particular storyline shows that love has its problems. Included are other storylines that tie into other characters and their experiences with love, some romantic and others platonic.

In the end what makes Love Actually such an engaging and enjoyable movie is how well each of the individuals storylines are crafted, developed, and tied into the general theme of love. In addition, the performers do well in their roles and have great chemistry with each other. The story features elements of romance and tidbits of comedy. But most of all, it is a heart-warming, feel-good film that will leave you smiling as each story comes to a climax.

Advice:	Recommended
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Read additional reviews of this movie by James W. Powell, Aaron Beierle, and Blake Kunisch.

Notting Hill

Of the four movies included in this collection, Notting Hill is by far my favorite. It is one I have seen far too many times to count. Hugh Grant stars across Julia Roberts and the two give magnificent performances as an odd couple falling in love. Grant plays William Thacker, who owns a small bookstore that sells travel books, and Roberts is Anna Scott, an internationally famous actress. By chance, the two meet when she enters his store in Notting Hill. Later, in a goofy situation, spark flies, and the two begin to fall for each other.

Throughout the rest of the film, William and Anna run into many complications in their relationship, which mainly surrounds the fact that Anna is a famous movie star and William is a big nobody. Their problems provide some fun situations, which include William pretending to be a representative of magazine Horse and Hound when he visits Anna under false pretenses. There are also genuinely fun scenes like when William and Anna have a date at the birthday party of William's sister, as well as William dating a variety of odd girls when he tries to find missus right.

As an overall movie, Notting Hill is a superb romantic comedy that will leave you appreciating high quality writing and topnotch acting performances. It is a great romantic comedy with a lot to offer. I have owned the movie for about 7 years now and I find myself coming back to it time and time again. It is one of my favorite romantic comedies. Bottom line, it is a solid film with great replay value and a must own.

Advice:	Highly Recommended
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Read additional reviews of this movie by Aaron Beierle.

About a Boy

The final movie in "The Romantic Favorites Collection" is About a Boy. To say the least, it is a good movie. The lead actor, Hugh Grant, gives a tremendous performance in his role. He is the primary reason this movie works at all. The story has a feel-good tone with witty humor. It will make you laugh, smile, and perhaps even cry. It is basically about a man who lives a very shallow life and how he turns it around when he meets a special boy.

In more detail, the story is all about Will Lightman (Grant). Will is a selfish dill hole who only cares about one thing, himself. In the opening of the movie as Will is introduced, his self-centered personality is portrayed well. He has no job (lives off of royalties from his father's hit Christmas song) and spends his day watching television, playing pool, eating, and chasing women. One day Will finds out that dating single mothers is a lot of fun with great sex and easy to break off. He decides to pretend he has a two year old boy to meet single mothers. It eventually leads to him meeting a geeky twelve year old boy named Marcus (Nicholas Hoult). As the two develop a relationship, Will slowly begins to realize what is important in his life.

What is great about this story is how well Grant portrays his character. He fits into the comical aspects with ease and provides witty humor. The story's dramatic efforts also work nicely with a solid back story of both Will and Marcus. As the story progresses and the two develop a relationship, it becomes heartwarming to see how things turn out. By the end of the film, it is hard not to enjoy what transpired. The bottom line is that About a Boy offers a rich film with a couple great characters and a moving relationship with bits of comedy and content that will make you smile.

Advice:	Highly Recommended
Contents:
Replay:

Read additional reviews of this movie by Aaron Beierle.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in an anamorphic widescreen color (ratio of 2.40:1 or 2.35:1). The picture quality is quite good. It suffers from a slight grain, but detail remains to be sharp and clear. However, there are occasional moments when the picture suffers compression artifacts.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: 2.40:1 ratio
Love Actually: 2.35:1 ratio
Notting Hill: 2.35:1 ratio
About a Boy: 2.35:1 ratio

Audio:
All of the primary audio tracks come in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound with several alternative dubbed tracks. The sound quality is good. Dialogue is easy to hear throughout the presentation. Music comes off rich and vibrant. As for the surround sound setup, there is limited use of the dynamic capability.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: English & French 5.1 DD
Love Actually: English 5.1 DD, Spanish & French 2.0 DD
Notting Hill: English 5.1 DD, French 2.0 DD
About a Boy: English & French 5.1 DD

Extras:
All of the extras included in "The Romantic Favorites Collection" set are the same that are included in the individual DVD releases. For more full details, please refer to the individual reviews. Here is a brief overview of what is included.

• Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: alternative beginning, deleted scenes, the "Mark or Daniel" quiz, behind the scenes featurette, interview with Colin Firth by Bridget Jones.
• Love Actually: audio commentary with actors and director, deleted scenes with introductions, the music of Love Actually, music video.
• Notting Hill: audio commentary with crew, deleted scenes, movie highlights, travel book, cast and filmmaker's bios, movie trailer.
• About a Boy: making of featurette, audio commentary with directors, deleted scenes, music videos, movie trailer.

Final Thoughts:
"The Romantic Favorites Collection" DVD release contains four romantic comedy features that all star actor Hugh Grant. With the exception of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the movies are solid productions that are worth owning and seeing over and over again. These films are great for those who enjoy romantic comedies. However, if you already own the movies on DVD, then this release is not worth the money. This set is a re-package of already released DVDs.