Two Weeks Notice (2002) More at IMDbPro »

Writer and first time Director, Marc Lawrence's "Two Weeks Notice" is a charming, smart, and genuinely funny romantic comedy with terrific performances by Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. This a great movie. Inherent in romantic comedies is a degree of predictibility. "Two Weeks Notice" follows formula, but Lawrence orchestrates enough curves, character insight, and human resonance to make it more than just formula. He also has the great chemistry of Bullock and Grant-- this is their medium.

Sandra Bullock plays Lucy Kelson, a Harvard educated activist lawyer, who is hired by George Wade (Hugh Grant)a handsome, charming, and seemingly shallow multi-millionaire developer. George hires Lucy as chief legal counsel for Wade Corp., for $250 K, because his brother Howard (David Haig), the true captain of Wade Corp., requested George hire an attorney who did not attend Bimbo U. Lucy swallows her idealism and... poverty, because George also promises to protect her parents' community center. Lucy is smart and "not intentionally funny", and soon becomes George's right and left arm-- he can't to anything without her consult. This only amplifies that Lucy has no life or rather any relationships of merit... other than with George. Lucy gives George her Two Weeks Notice. Credit Lawrence and company, when George finally accepts Lucy's resignation, it is crystal regarding the unspoken relationship of the two. Wink. Wink. "Two Weeks" never insults our intelligence, however, it makes us await for an hour and a half.

Along with wit and humor Lawrence, Bullock, and Grant provide a a very human touch that resonates throughout the movie. In a very well done scene on the rooftop of Lucy's parent's New York apartment, Lucy shares with George that she never lived upto her mother's expectations. George says that is different from people "having no expectations". This is where movie transforms beyond the opposites attract story. It makes sense of Lucy's need to be perfect, and the man that George could be that he is well aware of. In it's own light hearted way, "Two Weeks" looks at where you sell out, where do you become a whore (but in a nice way), and where do you take a stand. And taking a stand is never easy... even in a romantic comedy, though it sometimes takes longer.

Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant are magic together. They are both smart and their characters' are also. Grant as George is charming, witty, and playing someone who has honor and substance that are dimissed by all except Lucy (Bullock). Grant is masterful at hinting at a depth of character. Sandra Bullock is beautiful, smart, and funny as Lucy. She also stretches herself when Lucy drunkenly braggs about her sexual prowess-- "bobcat... pretsel thing." Bullock lends compassion and a whacky sensibilty to Lucy who scares men off by being too smart and too perfect, but still not good enough for her mother. Her Lucy only gets a clue when she hires her replacement (a good Alicia Witt)-- she is in love with George. The exchanges between Grant and Bullock are so natural... like conversation, spoken and unspoken.

At one point in the movie, Lucy has a breakfast conversation with her Dad (a goofy and wise Robert Klein). She asks him "What if people don't change?" The point is they will or they don't. Kind of like loving someone is accepting them for who they are and for who they are not. Be open to surprises. Marc Lawrence's "Two Weeks Notice" is an excellent surprise. He along with Bullock and Grant have made a classic romantic comedy and more.