Barry Jenkins could see “Notting Hill” while sat on a flight Wednesday night, but couldn’t hear the beloved romantic comedy — so he invited the Twitterverse to help him understand the plot.
The “Moonlight” director was clearly bored on a transatlantic Delta flight as he watched the 1999 film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts over the shoulder of his seat neighbor.
After first complaining about the bumpy flight from Paris to Los Angeles, Jenkins wrote: “In other news, the woman next to me is watching NOTTING HILL. A few choice folks will get the irony of this happening on my last flight of this sojourn. Also… Julia Roberts is STUNNING in this film. And holy s— Lester Freamon is in this?!”
It doesn’t seem that he’d seen “Notting Hill” before — with or without volume.
“Okay so I can’t actually hear the movie, somebody help me, what’s up with Hugh’s character? He just made out with Julia Roberts and I’m like… HUH? Julia just looks waaaaaaaay too much for his character in this! But I can’t hear it so maybe he got game? Like English cat game???” Jenkins wrote.
His 104,000 Twitter followers were keen to jump in and help, tweeting back key plot points and tuning in when Jenkins marveled over how a bookstore owner could afford an apartment in Notting Hill, or commenting that Grant’s character “didn’t have Waze or GPS.”
Jenkins was also enamored by Roberts, describing her as “a lamp you find in some antique shop in Nova Scotia. A bulb rather. With infinite lumens and a millionwatt range.”
After admitting that he’d been drinking on the flight, and needed a coffee, Jenkins got PTSD from the press-junket scene. “Look I got love for the press but oh LORDT that wide shot sent a shiver down my spine,” he said.
When the movie was finally over, Jenkins concluded, “I hope this isn’t embarsssing (sic) tomorrow…. Two hours closer to LA though, there’s joy in THAT.”
Nope, it was not embarrassing at all. In fact, the Twitter storm caught the attention of comedian and “The Big Sick” star/writer Kumail Nanjiani.
“Barry Jenkins live-tweeting his silent watch of Notting Hill is: 1. Everything 2. Giving me life,” he wrote.
https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/948720740009893888
See some of Jenkins’ many, many tweets below.
In other news, the woman next to me is watching NOTTING HILL. A few choice folks will get the irony of this happening on my last flight of this sojourn. Also… Julia Roberts is STUNNING in this film. And holy shit Lester Freamon is in this?!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
And this really is THE primo soundtrack for a NOTTING HILL watch, fyi pic.twitter.com/VAGoyPUUXo
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay somebody tweeted me that Hugh owns a bookstore, but… on their first date Julia had that braid AND that onesie body suit tucked into jeans and flat heel boots, she was basically Jay-Lo on IN LIVING COLOR! Translation: TEW MUCH FOR HUGH!!!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Okay I maybe should stop drinking I had NO IDEA that woman was in a wheelchair. Like… is that a reveal or did I just miss it??? I mean, obviously this thread is being helped along by our friend Woodford Reserve 😬
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Clearly a period piece BTW: what kind of bookstore owner has a flat like THAT in NOTTING HILL? This one actually isn’t a joke, what we’ve done to our neighborhoods, to property values and the VALUE of certain jobs is so damn sobering, depressing
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
THIS!!! I’m trying to keep this light but I just spent a week staying in a hotel in Notting Hill (don’t ask 😭) Anyway, saw tons of black folks, lot of Jamaican, Caribbean heartbeat that was beating LOUDLY in this time period https://t.co/HmpkqN5HAK
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Fuuuuuuuuuug JULIA ROBERTS IS LIKE… Julia Roberts is a lamp you find in some antique shop in Novia Scotia. A bulb rather. With infinite lumens and a millionwatt range. She looked at him and I felt his loss. There was a time when this woman’s smile could literally replenish you
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
The Wi-Fi is finally getting spotty. But I think we’re near the end? I just lost a tweet when the Wi-Fi gave out. But that’s fine. I should get back to my actual writing.
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
SHE LEFT?! SHE WALKED OUT THE DOOR!!!!!!! THIS MOVIE IS THE SHIT!!!!! 🙌🏿
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
It’s over?!
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
It’s over, y’all.
I hope this isn’t embarsssing tomorrow….
Two hours closer to LA though, there’s joy in THAT 🙌🏿
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) January 4, 2018
Stay tuned as Jenkins gets ready to now silently watch a film starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock (we assume he means “The Proposal.”)
“I’m going to drink some coffee and abstain from tweeting THAT,” he promised.