Taking Hugh for Granted

This week we comb through 2010 mockumentary I’m Still Here (Casey Affleck, 2010), which follows Joaquin Phoenix’s Hollywood ‘breakdown’ and attempt to start a tone-deaf rap career.

Now I know what you’re all thinking – this isn’t a Hugh Grant film. We thought so too, until we discovered that it appears on Hugh Grant’s IMDb page as an official acting credit – forcing us to review the film.

The problem is this: Mr. Grant does NOT feature in the film at all. In fact, the only reference to him throughout the movie is a picture that only serves the purpose of mocking Mr. Grant. We believe this misleads viewers, who sought out this film to see Mr. Grant's bumbling charm or flowing locks.

Moreover, on IMDb's website, other prominent figures like Barack Obama, Alec Baldwin and John Travolta who supposedly 'appear' in I’m Still Here in the same non-acting capacity as Mr. Grant are listed as ‘uncredited’, and are presented with the caveat of appearing only in ‘archive footage’ used in the film. Why, we therefore ask, is Mr. Grant not afforded the same treatment?

Considering all this, we’ve decided to do the only thing left in our power: PROTEST! And we need your help!

We’re asking you, The Hugh Grant faithful, to press pause on Hugh’s rom-coms on Netflix, sharpen your swords to Stage Combat Level 4 and bring out your hammers a la The Undoing to demand the following changes from IMDb:

1. IMDb amend Mr. Grant’s listing on their website with connection to I’m Still Here to bring it in line with the credits of other stars.

2. IMDb list Mr. Grant as ‘uncredited’ and as part of ‘archive footage’ – not as an ‘actor’.

3. On Mr. Grant's personal IMDb page, relegate I’m Still Here from his ‘Actor’ credits, to his ‘Self’ credits.

Sign our petition here and make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 04:57.

This week Oscar and Diggory look back at Hugh's performance in crime-comedy Small Time Crooks (Woody Allen, 2000). 

Dishwasher and small-fry criminal Ray (played by Woody Allen) plots with his wife (played by Tracey Ullman) and partners-in-crime to re-open a local pizza restaurant so they can dig underneath it through to the bank a few doors down. As they can't cook pizza, they bake cookies to sell instead and, while the no-hope tunnellers get lost underground, the cookie operation really takes off. Suddenly, the would-be crooks find themselves as rich business people, fraternising with the likes of David Perrette (played by Hugh Grant). However, the other local money isn't quite ready to accept them and Ray and his wife wonder whether getting rich was really worth it...

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 03:57.

In today's episode, Oscar and Diggory review Hugh Grant's first ever Hollywood blockbuster, Nine Months (Chris Columbus, 1995). There's certainly plenty to sink their teeth into in this episode, including Robin Williams' dreadful Russian accent, Hugh's ostentatious piercing and that infamous incident that took place in Los Angeles just a two weeks before Nine Months' release. 

Plush San Francisco apartment, sports car, friends, family and girlfriend, Samuel Faulkner (played by Hugh Grant) has the perfect life. That is, until he finds out his girlfriend Rebecca Taylor (played by Julianne Moore) is pregnant. Now, commitment-phobe and expectant father Faulkner might have to change his lifestyle for better or much, much much worse.

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 08:54.

American Idol, President George W. Bush, Simon Cowell, The War on Terror. American Dreamz (Paul Weitz, 2006) is a snapshot of everything we'd rather forget from the mid-2000s. 

Martin Tweed (played by Hugh Grant) is the host of a talent show called American Dreamz and whilst he despises each new season, it's a hit with the ratings. Tweed decides it's time for a new and interesting batch of contestants, and sends out his team to find the weirdest bunch possible. Meanwhile, the President of the United States (played by Dennis Quiad) is becoming more and more depressed, and relies on his Chief of Staff (played by Willem Dafoe) to talk him through everything, even into appearing as a judge on the TV show. Perfect news for the terrorists who are planning to infiltrate the talent contest…

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 06:45.

We’re hugely excited to announce that we’re officially rebranding! Oscar Beardmore-Gray and Diggory Waite are proud to introduce to you Colin Firth Things First – a new podcast dedicated to reviewing every single Colin Firth film ever made!  We can’t wait to get started and look forward to discussing Colin’s broad shoulders and soothing tones in stellar performances from The King’s Speech to Mamma Mia.  

Today is our first episode and we kick things off by watching the third film in the Bridget Jones franchise: Bridget Jones's Baby (Sharon Maguire, 2016). The boys discuss the good things in the movie (Bridget's wonderfully played nightmare boss), the bad things in the movie (Ed Sheeran's cameo) but before both of those, of course, we talk about the Colin Firth things first. Come join us as we discuss the career of Britain’s most talented and inspirational actor of his generation!

Forty-something and single again, Bridget Jones (played by Renée Zellweger) is awoken by her mother who reminds her that her time to have children is running out. After Bridget attends the funeral of Daniel Cleaver (pictured as Hugh Grant), she reconnects with her former lover, Mark Darcy (played by Colin Firth) and soon after that, spends a similar night of passion with charming, American billionaire Jack Qwant (played by Patrick Dempsey). Weeks later, after a positive pregnancy test, one little bump is causing one big problem: Who is the father? The old flame or the new fling?

Make sure you're following Colin Firth Things First on Instagram and Facebook as well as Twitter. You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]. (*We'll be changing this email address soon to reflect our rebranding*)

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 03:07

In this edition of Hugh's News, Oscar and Diggory discuss the announcement that Hugh Grant has been cast in the new untitled Guy Ritchie film (previously referred to as 'Five Eyes') and the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons movie. 

Oscar and Diggory discuss the various synopses that are circulating online for Five Eyes and what they know about Hugh's character as the 'weapons dealer' in Five Eyes and the villain 'Forge Fletcher' in Dungeons and Dragons. After reviewing the cast and crew on board for Dungeons and Dragons, your hosts speculate on the potential comedic direction that the film could go in. 

Are you excited for Five Eyes or Dungeons and Dragons? Let us know! You can get in contact by following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

Take a trip back behind the Iron Curtain with Oscar and Diggory as they swap secrets about the world of espionage in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Guy Ritchie, 2015).  

In 1960s Cold War East Berlin, CIA agent Napoleon Solo (played by Henry Cavill) successfully helps Gaby Teller (played by Alicia Vikander) defect to West Germany despite the intimidating opposition of KGB agent Illya Kuryakin (played by Armie Hammer). Later, all three unexpectedly find themselves working together in a joint mission to stop a private criminal organisation from using Gaby's father's scientific expertise to construct their own nuclear bomb. Through clenched teeth and stylish poise, and some help from top MI6 agent Alexander Waverly (played by Hugh Grant), all three must find a way to cooperate for the sake of world peace, even as they each pursue their own agendas.

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 05:20.

Helo gefnogwyr Hugh Grant! Join Oscar and Diggory as they climb up a proverbial mountain by reviewing The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (Christopher Monger, 1995). Quite possibly the most unnecessarily long title in modern film history, Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant) is a cartographer sent to the small South Wales village of Ffynnon Garw, and is the said Englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain. 

It's 1917, in the middle of the Great War. When Anson and his fellow cartographer announce that their "mountain" is in fact a hill, the villagers are understandably disappointed and furious. Not to be outwitted by a rule (and the Englishmen who enforce it), the villagers set out to make their hill into a mountain, but to do so they must keep the English from leaving, before the job is done.

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 04:48. 

After reviewing Notting Hill for Valentines Day in 2020, Oscar and Diggory take another look at the film after receiving an angry voice note from disgruntled listener, Jessica Waite. Along with outlining the films merits of the film, like Hugh Grant's character's emotional intelligence, Jessica, Diggory and Oscar also discuss Coldplay, Chandler from Friends and taking Harry Styles to the bathroom...

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

Thank you so much to Jessica Waite for taking the time to speak to us. If you disagreed with one of our reviews like she did, do get in touch!

A podcast episode you can't refuse! Listen as Oscar and Diggory discuss Hugh Grant's role in 90s sleeper hit Mickey Blue Eyes (Kelly Makin, 1999). Hugh stars as an art-house auctioneer named Michael Felgate, who finds himself getting in deeper and deeper with the Mafia after proposing to the daughter of a crime Kingpin. Your hosts discuss how Hugh Grant and then-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley worked together to co-produce the film, compare the film to the other Hugh Grant classic that came out in the same year - Notting Hill - and dissect what is perhaps the funniest scene of Hugh Grant's whole career to date...

Make sure you're following Taking Hugh for Granted on Instagram and Facebook (@TakingHughforGranted) as well as Twitter (@TakingHugh). You can get in touch with us there or via our email [email protected]

For those of you that want to skip disclaimers, opening theme tunes, salutations, synopses and go straight to the film analysis, head to 04:31