Two Weeks Notice

Last updated

Two Weeks Notice
Two weeks notice ver2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Marc Lawrence
Written byMarc Lawrence
Produced by Sandra Bullock
Starring
Cinematography László Kovács
Edited by Susan E. Morse
Music by John Powell
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • December 20, 2002 (2002-12-20)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million
Box office$199 million

Two Weeks Notice is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Marc Lawrence and starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock.

Contents

An idealistic, liberal lawyer goes to work for a narcissistic, billionaire developer and they form an unlikely pair.

Released in the US on December 20, 2002, critical response was mixed but the film was successful at the box office.

Plot

The "Coney Island community center" Lucy wants to preserve was actually the Childs Restaurant location on Coney Island's Riegelmann Boardwalk. It was declared a New York Landmark a month after the film's premiere. It closed later (as in this 2013 picture) and, after renovation, became part of the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island. Childs Boardwalk Long Shot.JPG
The "Coney Island community center" Lucy wants to preserve was actually the Childs Restaurant location on Coney Island's Riegelmann Boardwalk. It was declared a New York Landmark a month after the film's premiere. It closed later (as in this 2013 picture) and, after renovation, became part of the Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island.

Lucy Kelson is an intelligent, highly competent liberal lawyer who specializes in historic preservation, environmental law, and pro bono causes in NYC. George Wade is an arrogant, needy billionaire real estate developer and stylish womanizing playboy, who is also quite naïve. Lucy's hard work and devotion to others contrasts sharply with George's childish recklessness and greed.

Lucy meets George in an attempt to stop the destruction of the Coney Island community center from her childhood. Discovering she graduated from prestigious Harvard law school, he offers to hire her to replace his old Chief Counsel, overlooking their opposing views of real estate development. She decides the benefits he offers for discretionary funding for community causes she espouses outweighs the negatives, especially as he promises to protect the community center.

Lucy finds what he really requires is advice in all aspects of his life. She regretfully becomes his indispensable assistant and he calls her for every little thing at all hours. After Lucy is disrupted at a friend's wedding by George's latest "emergency" (what to wear to an event he is attending), she gives him two weeks' notice of resignation.

Lucy looks for work at other firms, but George has called in advance asking them not to hire her, so he can keep her on. Eventually he admits defeat and she offers to help him find a replacement, but unaware of how close and interdependent they have become. They act like an old married couple at a restaurant, able to simultaneously carry out a conversation while involuntarily exchanging food out of habit from knowing each other's food preferences.

When potential interviewee June Carver shows up without an appointment seeking the position, Lucy speaks to her, but is concerned she lacks real estate experience. When George sees June he is immediately attracted and is ready to hire her on the spot, seemingly disregarding Lucy's concerns. Lucy becomes increasingly concerned and competitive with her replacement. When George invites June to business events that Lucy would normally go on, she acts increasingly jealous.

Lucy finds out that despite George's promise, the community center is going to be knocked down so goes to confront him on his apparent betrayal. Arriving at his hotel, she finds June and George in his suite in lingerie during a game of "strip chess". George confronts her the next day (her last day) where Lucy reminds him he promised her to spare the community center and storms out.

After Lucy is gone, George realizes his time with her has demonstrated he needs to change. Meanwhile, in her new job, she realises she misses him. George goes in search of Lucy and reveals he decided to keep his promise to her. She initially rebuffs him but then runs after him and they declare their feelings.

In the DVD version of the film, an unreleased wedding scene of George and Lucy was featured. George and Lucy were married at the community center attended by family and friends.

Cast

In addition, Jason Antoon portrays Norman and Sharon Wilkins plays Polly St. Clair, while Donald Trump, Norah Jones and Mike Piazza make cameo appearances as themselves.

Production

Director Marc Lawrence suffered headaches, sinus infections, a root canal, and a slipped disc, while making the film. Lawrence previously wrote the films Forces of Nature and Miss Congeniality , which starred Bullock, and it was on the latter film where he asked her to look at his unfinished script. Bullock liked it enough to star in and produce the film. Grant was first choice for the part, he and Bullock had already wanted to work together. Lawrence hoped the film would be different enough for Grant, not the same as his Notting Hill character, but not as unpleasant as his Bridget Jones's Diary character. [1] Filming took place in New York City, and was noted as the first Hollywood production to take place after the September 11 attacks. [2]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 42% of 124 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.The website's consensus reads: "Though Two Weeks Notice has nothing new to add to the crowded genre, Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock make the movie a pleasant, if predictable, sit." [3] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [4] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 and wrote: "… some of the dialogue has a real zing to it. There were wicked little one-liners that slipped in under the radar and nudged the audience in the ribs." [6] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it "Knows what it needs to do for both its stars, does it, and doesn't make a federal case about it. I'd watch these two together again in a New York minute." [7] David Rooney of Variety called it: "An affable but undernourished romantic comedy that fails to match the freshness of the actress-producer and writer's previous collaboration, "Miss Congeniality."" [8]

Box office

Two Weeks Notice opened at number 2 domestically, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers , and spent its first five weeks in the Top 10 at the box office. [9] It grossed $93.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $105.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $199.0 million, against a budget of $60 million. [10]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack music to Two Weeks Notice was released on 28 January 2003. [11]

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love Theme" John Powell 1:38
2."Divorce"John Powell1:24
3."Take Away"John Powell2:41
4."Trying to Get Fired"John Powell1:31
5."Helicopter Ride"John Powell2:31
6."In the Limo"John Powell0:51
7."Bobcat Pretzel"John Powell3:15
8."Protest"John Powell1:26
9."Interviews"John Powell0:44
10."Emergency"John Powell1:40
11."Absolutely Beautiful"John Powell2:41
12."Sad Bowels"John Powell2:51
13."George's Speech"John Powell2:44
14."Finale"John Powell3:41
15."Epilogue"John Powell0:41
Total length:30:19 [11]

Punctuation issue

In the best-selling book on punctuation Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation , the author Lynne Truss points out that the spelling of the film's title is grammatically incorrect because it is missing an apostrophe (Two Weeks' Notice). The book's original hardcover edition featured Truss in her author's photo, glaring at the poster and holding a marker where the apostrophe should be. [12] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Bullock</span> American actress and film producer (born 1964)

Sandra Annette Bullock is an American actress and film producer. She has received several awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She was the world's highest-paid actress in 2010 and 2014, and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.

<i>While You Were Sleeping</i> (film) 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub

While You Were Sleeping is a 1995 American romantic comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow. It stars Sandra Bullock as Lucy, a Chicago Transit Authority token collector, and Bill Pullman as Jack, the brother of a man whose life she saves, along with Peter Gallagher as Peter, the man who is saved, Peter Boyle and Glynis Johns as members of Peter's family, and Jack Warden as a longtime family friend and neighbor.

<i>Murder by Numbers</i> 2002 film by Barbet Schroeder

Murder by Numbers is a 2002 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Barbet Schroeder and starring Sandra Bullock in the main role alongside Ben Chaplin, Ryan Gosling, and Michael Pitt. It is loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb case. The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered in competition.

<i>The Vanishing</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

The Vanishing is a 1993 American psychological thriller film directed by George Sluizer and starring Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, and Sandra Bullock. It is a remake of Sluizer's 1988 French-Dutch film of the same name.

<i>Speed 2: Cruise Control</i> 1997 film by Jan de Bont

Speed 2: Cruise Control is a 1997 American action thriller film produced and directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson. It is the sequel to Speed (1994) and stars Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, and Willem Dafoe. Cruise Control tells the story of Annie (Bullock) and Alex (Patric), a couple who go on vacation to the Caribbean aboard a luxury cruise ship, which is hijacked by a villain named Geiger (Dafoe). As they are trapped aboard the ship, Annie and Alex work with the ship's first officer to try to stop it after they discover it is programmed to crash into an oil tanker.

<i>Sugar & Spice</i> 2001 film by Francine McDougall

Sugar & Spice is a 2001 American teen film directed by Francine McDougall and starring Marley Shelton, Marla Sokoloff and Mena Suvari. The plot follows a group of high school cheerleaders who conspire and commit armed robbery when one of them becomes pregnant and desperate for money.

<i>Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous</i> 2005 American film

Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous is a 2005 American female buddy action comedy film and sequel to the 2000 film Miss Congeniality directed by John Pasquin and written by co-producer Marc Lawrence with the title role played once again by star and co-producer Sandra Bullock. William Shatner, Ernie Hudson and Heather Burns also reprised their roles from the previous film with Regina King, Enrique Murciano, Diedrich Bader and Treat Williams joining the cast.

<i>28 Days</i> (film) 2000 American comedy-drama film

28 Days is a 2000 American comedy-drama film directed by Betty Thomas and written by Susannah Grant. Sandra Bullock stars as Gwen Cummings, a newspaper columnist obliged to enter rehabilitation for alcoholism. The film costars Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins, Azura Skye, Steve Buscemi, and Diane Ladd.

<i>Prime</i> (film) 2005 American film

Prime is a 2005 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, and Bryan Greenberg. It was written and directed by Ben Younger. The film grossed $67,937,503 worldwide.

<i>Hope Floats</i> 1998 film by Forest Whitaker

Hope Floats is a 1998 American drama film directed by Forest Whitaker and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Mae Whitman, and Gena Rowlands.

<i>A Time to Kill</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Joel Schumacher

A Time to Kill is a 1996 American legal drama film based on John Grisham's 1989 novel of the same name. Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Spacey star with Donald and Kiefer Sutherland appearing in supporting roles and Octavia Spencer in her film debut. The film received mixed reviews but was a commercial success, making $152 million worldwide. It is the second of two films based on Grisham's novels directed by Joel Schumacher, with the other being The Client released two years prior.

<i>The Thing Called Love</i> 1993 American film

The Thing Called Love is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Samantha Mathis as Miranda Presley, a young musician who tries to make it big in Nashville. River Phoenix, Dermot Mulroney and Sandra Bullock also star. While the film involves a love triangle and various complications in Miranda's route to success, it provides a sweetened glimpse at the lives of aspiring songwriters in Nashville. Its tagline is: "Stand by your dream".

<i>In Love and War</i> (1996 film) 1996 film directed by Richard Attenborough

In Love and War is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the book, Hemingway in Love and War by Henry S. Villard and James Nagel. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Chris O'Donnell, Mackenzie Astin, and Margot Steinberg. Its action takes place during the First World War and is based on the wartime experiences of the writer Ernest Hemingway. It was directed by Richard Attenborough. The film was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival.

<i>Premonition</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by Mennan Yapo

Premonition is a 2007 American supernatural psychological thriller directed by Mennan Yapo and starring Sandra Bullock in the lead role, Julian McMahon, Nia Long, and Amber Valletta. The film's plot depicts homemaker Linda experiencing the days surrounding her husband's death in a non-chronological order and attempting to save him from his impending doom.

<i>All About Steve</i> 2009 film by Phil Traill

All About Steve is a 2009 American romantic comedy directed by Phil Traill and starring Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, and Bradley Cooper as the eponymous Steve. The film is the winner of two Golden Raspberry Awards and has a 6% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Marc Lawrence is an American director, screenwriter, and producer.

<i>The Proposal</i> (2009 film) 2009 film by Anne Fletcher

The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli. It is produced by Kurtzman/Orci Productions, Mandeville Films and Touchstone Pictures for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds with Malin Åkerman, Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen and Betty White in supporting roles. The plot centers on a Canadian executive who learns that she may face deportation from the U.S. because her visa renewal application was denied. Determined to retain her position as editor-in-chief of a publishing house, she convinces her long-suffering personal assistant to temporarily act as her fiancé.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Bullock filmography</span>

Sandra Bullock is an American actress and producer who made her film debut with a minor role in J. Christian Ingvordsen's thriller Hangmen in 1987. She made her television debut in the television film Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1989) and played the lead role in the short-lived sitcom Working Girl (1990) before making her breakthrough starring in Jan de Bont's action film Speed (1994). In 1995, Bullock founded her own production company, Fortis Films, and starred in the romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping. Her performance in the film earned her first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. In 1996, Bullock starred in the film adaptation of John Grisham's novel A Time to Kill. In 1998, Bullock starred in the romantic comedy Practical Magic, voiced Miriam in the DreamWorks animated film The Prince of Egypt, and executive produced her first film, Hope Floats.

<i>Bird Box</i> (film) 2018 film directed by Susanne Bier

Bird Box is a 2018 American post-apocalyptic horror thriller film directed by Susanne Bier and written by Eric Heisserer, based on the 2014 novel by Josh Malerman. The film follows the character Malorie Hayes, played by Sandra Bullock, as she tries to protect herself and two children from entities which cause people who look at them to kill themselves.

<i>Our Brand Is Crisis</i> (2015 film) 2015 American film

Our Brand Is Crisis is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2005 documentary film of the same name by Rachel Boynton. The film gives a fictionalized account of the involvement of American political campaign strategists Greenberg Carville Shrum (GCS) in the 2002 Bolivian presidential election. The film stars Sandra Bullock, Scoot McNairy, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Mackie, Ann Dowd and Joaquim de Almeida.

References

  1. ↑ "Two Weeks Notice". Entertainment Weekly . 19 August 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  2. ↑ Rowe, Brian (9 September 2018). "The Sandra Bullock Files #33: Two Weeks Notice (2002)" . Medium . Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Two Weeks Notice". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 20 August 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  4. ↑ "Two Weeks Notice". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  5. ↑ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2002). "Two Weeks Notice movie review (2002)". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 8 August 2020– via RogerEbert.com.
  7. ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (20 December 2002). "Two Weeks Notice". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Rooney, David (15 December 2002). "Two Weeks Notice". Variety . Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Two Weeks Notice | Domestic Weekly". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Two Weeks Notice". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved 20 August 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. 1 2 Two Weeks Notice at AllMusic OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  12. ↑ Truss, Lynne (3 April 2015). "'Eats, Shoots, & Leaves' - New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ↑ "Reviews: Eats, Shoots and Leaves". Archived from the original on 25 December 2003. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.