Like many who make what they do seem easy, Grant is routinely
under-estimated. True, he is not versatile - his range runs from jolly
nice posh type (Four Weddings) to jolly rotten posh type (An Awfully Big
Adventure). But he is a supreme timer of a line who knows how to exploit
the margin for awkwardness his firm-jawed good looks afford him: his
golly-gosh Englishman routine is as much a creation as Woody Allen’s
New Yorker schlemiel. The charm can curdle if over-indulged (Notting
Hill) but supporting roles in Small Time Crooks and Bridget Jones’s
Diary show him blending his two character types to hilarious effect.
