Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis

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Biography

Richard Curtis CBE (born 8.11.1956) Richard Curtis is an award winning British TV and film writer. He is best known for directing Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. He is also known for founding the British charity Comic Relief.

Childhood: Richard Curtis was bon in Wellington, New Zealand, to Glyness and Anthony Curtis. His father was a Unilever executive. The family lived in various different countries whilst Richard was growing up and some of his family still reside in Australia.

Richard has lived in England since he was 11 years old and he started school at Papplewick School in Ascot. He then won a scholarship to Harrow, where he became head of school. He later earned himself a first-class degree from Oxford University, in English Language and Literature. It was here that Richard Curtis befriended and started working with Rowan Atkinson.

Film & TV Career: In 1980, Richard Curtis co-wrote a Bee Gees parody entitled 'Meaningless Songs (In Very High Voices)'. Following on from this, he became a regular writer on Not The Nine O'Clock News, the comedy sketch show that featured Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson and Gryff Rhys Jones.

Curtis then started to work on Blackadder and continued to work on the series between 1983 and 1989. Richard worked once more with his old friend Rowan Atkinson, as well as Tony Robinson. Curtis and Atkinson went on to work together once more on Mr. Bean, between 1990 and 1995.

In 1994, Richard Curtis co-wrote The Vicar Of Dibley, a sitcom that starred Dawn French and also featured Liz Smith. The show was hugely successful and ran for 18 episodes and three 'specials'.

Richard Curtis started writing films in the late 1980s. His first major success came in 1989 with The Tall Guy. The film starred Jeff Goldblum, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson. This was followed by Bernard and the Genie in 1991. Once again, Atkinson was a feature of the film, as was Lenny Henry.

In 1994, Richard Curtis achieved his biggest success to date with the release of Four Weddings and a Funeral. The film starred Andie MacDowell and Hugh Grant and was produced by Working Title Films. Other members of the cast include John Hannah and Kristin Scott Thomas. Curtis' next project for Working Title was Notting Hill, which was directed for Roger Michell starred Hugh Grant again - this time with Julia Roberts as the female lead. It beat Four weddings and a Funeral's record and became the highest grossing film of all time.

Richard Curtis was also involved in the adaptation of Bridget Jones' Diary. Curtis was already friends with the book's writer, Helen Fielding, before he began work on the screenplay. The film was a huge success and starred Renee Zellweger as the title character.

Curtis teamed up with Working Title once more to work on Love Actually. Once again, Hugh Grant played the lead male role and was joined by Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Keira Knightley.

Richard Curtis received a Fellowship award at 2007's BAFTA in recognition of his work in film and in the charity sector. Later that year, he co-wrote an adaptation of Alexander McCall Smith's the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency with Anthony Minghella. Minghella died a few days before it was premiered on the BBC in March 2008.

Curtis then wrote and directed The Boat That Rocked. The film was set in the 1960s and documents the exploits of a pirate radio station located on a boat in the North Sea. The all-star cast includes the likes of Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Kenneth Branagh and Gemma Arterton.

Charity Work: Richard Curtis helped to found both Make Poverty History and Comic Relief. He helped to organise the Live 8 concerts with Bob Geldof.

Personal Life: Curtis lives with the script editor and broadcaster Emma Freud, in Notting Hill. They have three children together.



Biography by Contactmusic.com

Chloe Grace Moretz Signs On For Live Action 'The Little Mermaid'


Chloe Moretz Sofia Coppola Richard Curtis

Chloe Grace Moretz has confirmed she’s signed signed on for the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The film was first announced last March with Sofia Coppola attached to direct, but in June the director exited the project due to ‘creative differences’.

chloe grace moretzChloe Grace Moretz has signed on for The Little Mermaid.

Moretz confirmed the news on Instagram writing: ‘Here it is !! I've been waiting months to tell everyone how excited I am to take on this beautiful journey with Working Title, Universal, and a beautiful script by Richard Curtis.. #TheLittleMermaid !!!! Here we go!!!’

Continue reading: Chloe Grace Moretz Signs On For Live Action 'The Little Mermaid'

Trash Review


Very Good

With elements of political corruption and life-threatening prejudice, this film has a rather much darker premise than the youthful Slumdog Millionaire adventure it seems to be. While much of the movie revels in teen camaraderie and finding happiness amid poverty, the plot itself is actually rather dark, intense and violent. All of this kind of muddies any message the story might be trying to carry, but it definitely holds the interest, with lively central characters and an intriguing core mystery.

It's set primarily in the Rio dump, where 14-year-old Rafael (Rickson Tevez) sifts through rubbish looking for treasures. One day he finds an ordinary wallet and splits the cash inside with his pal Gardo (Eduardo Luis). But other contents hint at something much bigger. And that's confirmed when the police swoop in demanding answers. Top detective Federico (Selton Mello) is so intent on finding the wallet that Rafael and Gardo go into hiding, teaming up outcast teen Rato (Gabriel Weinstein) to solve the mystery themselves. But the cops are too brutal to be messing with, and they're right on the boys' trail. The only adults around to help are Father Juilliard (Martin Sheen) and charity worker Olivia (Rooney Mara). And they know better than to cross the police.

Yes, this is a story set in a world of deeply corrupt cops and even more perverse politicians. In flashback, the film also traces the story of the wallet's owner Jose Angelo (Wagner Moura) and his clash with a dirty politician. Director Daldry and writer Curtis struggle to balance the crowd-pleasing aspects of the film with the seriously nasty realities of how people rampantly exploit the poor in Brazil (and everywhere, obviously). The movie wants to be a boys' adventure romp, chasing clue after clue to piece together a much bigger mystery. But the truth of corruption and prejudice is much too big for such a breezy adventure.

Continue reading: Trash Review

One Direction: This Is Us Review


Good

Filmmaker Spurlock (Super Size Me) is known for his investigative wit, but there's none of that in this on-message doc about the most successful boy band in history. Still, the fans won't be able to get enough of the backstage antics and lively performance clips. And those unfamiliar with One Direction will have fun too. Just don't expect to learn much about these five young men who continually say, "Back when we were little," even though they're still only 19-21 years old.

The filmmakers follow Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis on their world tour, visiting four continents as they play nearly 130 concerts for their hysterical fans, who all seem to be pre-teen girls. As we see them larking around on-stage, in the wings and on their tour bus, we also get their back-story, as they auditioned individually for The X Factor in 2010 and were assembled as a group in a spontaneous decision by Cowell. Their global success is the result of a viral Twitter onslaught, and the fans also get their say on-screen, gushing with their love for these five skinny, mop-haired guys who have serious vocal talents but have yet to prove themselves as musicians.

While the film captures the boys' strong camaraderie, cheeky energy and constant pranks (including silly Jackass-style closing-credits clips), we never really learn much about them. There is no attempt to explore their off-stage identities, what they do in their down-time, their romantic lives or musical inspirations. Some depth is provided in interviews with their parents, who offer emotional insight into how fame has changed their families. Aside from some lively off-handed moments, their interviews feel carefully media-trained, and there's no commentary from anyone outside their inner circle. But they emerge as grounded, likeable young guys who know how lucky they are, so they're making the most of their success in the short time they have at the top.

Continue reading: One Direction: This Is Us Review

Richard Curtis' Rom Com 'About Time' Has Soundtrack Announced

Posted on14 August 2013

Richard Curtis' Rom Com 'About Time' Has Soundtrack Announced

Richard Curtis Bows Out Of Filmmaking: What's His Secret Rom-Com Formula?


Richard Curtis Hugh Grant Renee Zellweger Andrew Lincoln Colin Firth Keira Knightley Rachel McAdams Domhnall Gleeson Bill Nighy

Master of the romantic comedy genre, Richard Curtis, who helped bring us some of Britain's best-loved romance films of the last three decades has said that he thinks upcoming film About Time will be his last.

The thrice BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated director has tole Empire magazine, as reported by The Independent, that "[About Time] probably will be the last film I will direct." The 56 year-old filmmaker admitted he himself wasn't sure why he wanted to bow out, saying "I don't know. Just a feeling...just a feeling. It feels like a summing-up to me. We'll see how things turn out."

Richard Curtis
Richard Curtis Thinks About Time Will Be His Swansong.

Continue reading: Richard Curtis Bows Out Of Filmmaking: What's His Secret Rom-Com Formula?

About Time Trailer


Tim Lake is 21-years-old and not exactly what you call an expert in the art of getting girlfriends. However, all that's about to change when his father lets him in on an incredible secret the day after a shambolic New Year party; all the men in their family can travel back in time and change things that have happened in their lives. Given that he is so clumsy around beautiful women, Tim uses this to his advantage, giving himself a second chance on first impressions. He manages to woo a beautiful girl named Mary with his advances, having honed them to perfection, but little does he realise just how dangerous his actions are. When he accidentally slips up during one time warp incident, he discovers that Mary has never met him before and that several months of romance have completely vanished. He must try and win her back once again, but accept that he cannot avoid the problems life and love inevitably bring - no matter how many times he tries. 

Continue: About Time Trailer

Dawn French Marries New Beau Mark Bignell


Dawn French Alison Moyet Richard Curtis Sue Perkins

Dawn French has married her partner Mark Bignell at a lavish eco-hotel, with Alison Moyet providing entertainment for the guests. The comedienne has been dating Bignell for just over a year, following the break-up of her marriage to fellow comedian Lenny Henry three years ago. The ceremony took place at hotel on the Cornish coast, The Daily Mail reports and guests included the screenwriter Richard Curtis, as well as Jennifer Saunders, Sue Perkins and Kathy Burke.

Scarlet Hotel, near Newquay, played host to the happy couple and their guests and the 37 bedrooms were reportedly decorated with custom-made floral jam jar arrangements of Lily of the valley and peonies. After the ceremony, the guests attended a firework display on the beach in the evening. A source told the newspaper “The wedding was up in the lounge with the white leather seats, looking out over the water. At about 9.30pm everyone went outside and watched fireworks from the hotel. They were on the beach below, big shells that went up to 400ft high in all different colours. Inside in the hotel garden there was a red heart, five foot wide and high, with the letters M and D in white in the heart. They all let off lanterns later. It was quite small – probably about 100 people there – but it was a proper celebrity wedding.”

French and Bignell began dating just over a year ago and the comedienne has claimed previously that he did not know who she was when they met. “I'm not boasting, but you'd actually have to have not watched television for the past 20 years to have avoided me, and he'd managed to do just that,” she joked. 

Continue reading: Dawn French Marries New Beau Mark Bignell

Unfinished Blackadder Script Re-Discovered ; Could There Be A Final Hurrah?


Rowan Atkinson Richard Curtis Ben Elton

Popular British comic character Blackadder looks like he could have one more role up his sleeve, after a 'lost Christmas special' was re-discovered by scriptwriter Richard Curtis. Played by the actor Rowan Atkinson, Blackadder had entertained British television audiences between 1983 and 1989 in a series of historical roles that saw him appear by series as the weedy son of King Richard IV, an Elizabethan-era Lord, butler to the Prince of Wales in the late 18th century and finally as a captain in the trenches of World War I.

This newly found script though, originally unfinished in 1988 by Curtis and Ben Elton, sees Blackadder play the Bethlehem inn keeper in the story of the nativity, with his trusty assistant Baldrick once again by his side. The script has become public knowledge thanks to a book written by Jem Roberts called The True History Of Blackadder. Roberts was given the script by Curtis whilst constructing the piece, and she told the Radio Times "My jaw dropped when I saw I was holding a lost Blackadder script. He [Curtis] wrote on the script that one of the reasons it didn't get used was because it was a strange cross between Fawlty Towers and Life of Brian."

She added "He didn't think he was going to make it compare to either of them. That's his reason for it never getting any further than it did." With Blackadder still retaining a large cult popularity, in spite of the last televised special being aired in 1999, we wonder whether there might be room for one final, festive hurrah.

War Horse Review


Very Good
Spielberg takes the hit stage play (based on the Michael Morpugo novel) to the big screen with guns blazing, not only recapturing the heart-stopping urgency of war, but also cranking up the emotion exponentially.

In early 1900s Devon, teenager Albert (Irvine) lives on a farm with his impulsive-drunk father Ted (Mullan) and his tough-minded mum Rose (Watson).

When Ted overpays for the wrong horse to work the fields, Albert adopts the horse, names him Joey and teaches him the ropes. But when war breaks out in Europe, Ted sells Joey to a cavalry captain (Hiddleston). At war, Joey changes hands between British and German officers, a young soldier (Kross) and a French farmer (Arestrup). Meanwhile, Albert joins the army, heading into the trenches to search for Joey.

Continue reading: War Horse Review

Notting Hill Review


Excellent
Julia Roberts is Julia Roberts - almost - in Notting Hill, a well-crafted romantic comedy from the geniuses behind Four Weddings and a Funeral.

The deceptively simple plot begins when uber-famous film star Anna Scott (Roberts) winds up in William's (Grant) book shop on Notting Hill, something of a British cross between a pre-Disney Times Square and a Moroccan street market. After William accidentally dumps orange juice down Anna's front, an on-again, off-again, on-again, off-again, on-again love affair blossoms.

Continue reading: Notting Hill Review

Richard Curtis

Richard Curtis Quick Links

News Video Film Press Quotes RSS

Richard Curtis

Date of birth

8th November, 1956

Occupation

Filmmaker

Sex

Male

Height

1.80


Richard Curtis Movies

Trash Movie Review

Trash Movie Review

With elements of political corruption and life-threatening prejudice, this film has a rather much darker...

About Time Movie Review

About Time Movie Review

Curtis has said he may stop making movies, and on the basis of this film...

One Direction: This Is Us Movie Review

One Direction: This Is Us Movie Review

Filmmaker Spurlock (Super Size Me) is known for his investigative wit, but there's none of...

About Time Trailer

About Time Trailer

Tim Lake is 21-years-old and not exactly what you call an expert in the art...

War Horse Movie Review

War Horse Movie Review

Spielberg takes the hit stage play (based on the Michael Morpugo novel) to the big...

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The Boat That Rocked Trailer

The Boat That Rocked Trailer

Legal radio stations in 1960's Britain weren't exactly what you'd call interesting to listen to...

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Trailer

The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Trailer

Watch the trailer for The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Jill Scott plays Precious Ramotswe in...

Notting Hill Movie Review

Notting Hill Movie Review

Julia Roberts is Julia Roberts - almost - in Notting Hill, a well-crafted romantic comedy...

Love Actually Movie Review

Love Actually Movie Review

I can only presume that the British calendar is so uniquely screwy that it allows...

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