Member-only story
What If Anna Scott in “Notting Hill” Had It Right?
Is This Why I Can’t “Have Fun” Dating?
You’re right. Of course, you’re right. It’s just that I’ve dealt with this garbage for 10 years. You’ve had it for 10 minutes. Our perspectives are very different.
I realize that the tantrum by Anna Scott, played by Julia Roberts natch, in Notting Hill is super cringy. She’s cruel to hapless, well-intentioned, besotted William Thacker, portrayed by 90s British boy-next-door Hugh Grant.
Upon the movie’s release and for many years afterward, that scene was painful to watch because she’s such an insufferable brat.
But those Hollywood-meets-London lines from above have found their way to the front of my brain over the course of this past year. While I may never support her impulsive “I’ll regret this forever,” I find myself more sympathetic to Anna Scott’s concept of perspective.
At the end of last year, I wrote a story recapping my final year of dating in my 40s. To my enormous surprise, thousands of people read about my often absurd and sometimes pathetic dating life. I was overwhelmed by the many responses across Mediumland. There were many messages of support. Others were judgmental. And a small handful left an indelible mark.
