The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)

All-encompassing international
title: “The Englishman Who
Went up a Hill But Came Down
a Mountain”

Directed by: Christopher Monger

Written by: Ivor David Monger, Christopher Monger

Starring: Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney

Running Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Rating: PG

Pre-Conceived Notions: Call me crazy, but I believe I am about to see the only movie in the history of moving pictures where a geographical feature gets its own story arc, so that’s exciting. Also, I hope the movie is more involved than the title suggests, and it’s not just Hugh Grant going up and down a pile of rocks jutting out of the earth, quipping charmingly and Britishly as he goes. I’m hoping I’m right about this one.

Why I Haven't Seen This Film: I was experiencing Hugh Grant burnout, as was everyone around me. And the title oversold it, I think.

1 hour, 39 minutes later…: This film should be renamed. The new title will be longer, but much more accurate. How about: The Englishman Who Went up a Hill, Came back Down, Pissed off an Entire Village, Played Checkers with a Lady in a Rainstorm, Went back up Said Hill with Said Lady and in Order to Get Her into Bed, Said “Close Enough, This is a Mountain,” and then Came Back Down Again. It’s very wordy, but I think it’ll catch on. 

All and all, this is a very quaint Welsh movie, full of the breathtaking views of the Welsh countryside, and a very interesting look at WWI-era Wales, back when PTSD was better known as, “Johnny doesn’t talk too much after he came back from France.” And apparently, all you have to do is either become a surveyor or put dirt on a mountain to rid yourself of it. If only it were that simple.

Enough of the snark. Let’s talk about Hugh Grant, who seems to be a one-trick pony. Is there any character he has played that isn’t an awkwardly charming posh English guy who stumbles into awkward relationships and then gets awkwardly married? I guess that’s why we haven’t seen a lot of him lately; there are only so many roles that fit his type to go around. 

Final Thoughts: 4.5 slices of pizza out of 6. This was a quaint little Welsh film that didn’t take itself too seriously, and for me it had a Babe-meets-The-Shire sort of feel to it, so I can’t be too hard on it.