While it’s nice to see a disc packed with extras, sometimes less could not only be more, but also preferable. I got that feeling watching Universal’s expansive “Notting Hill” collector’s edition. This delightful romantic comedy between an American movie star (Julia Roberts) and an average Englishman (Hugh Grant) looks and sounds great, and there are a couple of useful features: a guide to the actual Notting Hill area in London and (as in virtually all Universal DVDs) direct links to musical highlights in the film. The other extras aren’t so interesting. The reel of deleted scenes proves all too well why they should’ve been left unseen (read: they fall completely flat); a behind-the-scenes feature with Grant is less cutesy than tedious; and the feature commentary with director Roger Michell, writer Richard Curtis, and producer Duncan Kenworthy is a bore, often resorting to simply complimenting the set decoration when there’s nothing else to say. One wishes that the famously energetic Grant were around to stir the proverbial pot.
