There have been some great London movies, from modern comedies such as Notting Hill, the Ealing comedies and grittier films like Dirty Pretty Things.
Not only that London is famous for places to visit, but it is also famous for creating so many wonderful and box office hit movies.
Here we choose 20 of the best (in no particular order). Did we miss any out?
Top 20 Best London Movies
The list we created may not be in order but it’s guaranteed to fit your own personal top London movie spot. Check the movie list below:
1. Love Actually
By Source, Fair use, Link
The Christmas favorite was written by Richard Curtis. Love Actually follows 10 interconnected (they all seem to be related to one another or best friends) London inhabitants in the lead up to Christmas.
Highlights include Emma Thomson and her philandering husband played by the late Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant as a (dancing) British Prime Minister and Andrew Lincoln’s unrequited love for Keira Knightly.
A real Xmas feel-good movie.
2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
.png#/media/File:Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy_(film).png)
By Source, Fair use, Link
This fantastic adaption of the John Le Carre book of the same name stars Gary Oldman as George Smiley, brought to root out a mole at the top of British Intelligence.
The suspects, all leading figures in Intelligence, are given code names (Tinker, Tailor etc) as Smiley works to find the culprit.
3. Notting Hill
Also written by Richard Curtis, this movie stars Hugh Grant as a bookseller who just happens to capture the heart of one of the most famous movie stars in the world, played by Julia Roberts.
Again, real feel-good fare.
4. Dirty, Pretty Things
A gritty look at London’s immigrant underclass.
An ensemble cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor and Audrey Tautou, brings to life how exploited many in the side of London you don’t tend to see is.
5. Sliding Doors
Staring Gwenyth Paltrow as Helen, this is the ultimate ‘what if’ movie.
It features 2 parallel universes based on whether or not Helen manages to catch the train.
In one she does and arrives home to find her boyfriend cheating on her; in the other, she avoids this fate.
A great twist on the usual rom-com.
6. About A Boy
Another Hugh Grant movie, but one seeing him playing a much more complex character than his Notting Hill/Love Actually/Four Weddings ‘reticent upper-class British chap’ role.
Based on the Nick Hornby book, he plays a shallow 30 something lucky not to have to work (his father composed a popular Xmas song) who finds meaning when he befriends a 12-year-old boy, played by a young Nick Hoult.
Heartwarming, but grittier than Grant’s usual fare.