NOTTING HILL

 She heads upstairs.

    WILLIAM
  I wouldn't go outside.

    SPIKE
  Why not?

    WILLIAM
  Just take my work for it.

 The moment William goes upstairs, Spike heads for the front
 door.

 EXT. WILLIAM'S HOUSE - DAY

 From outside -- we see this scrawny bloke in the frame of the
 doorway, in his grey underpants.  A thousand photos.  Spike
 poses athletically.

 INT. WILLIAM'S CORRIDOR - DAY

 Spike closes the door and wanders along to a mirror in the hall-
 way, muttering.

    SPIKE
  How did I look?

 Inspects himself.

    SPIKE
  Not bad.  No bad at all.  Well-chosen
  briefs, I'd say.  Chicks love grey.
  Mmmmm.  Nice firm buttocks.

 INT. WILLIAM'S BEDROOM - DAY

 William enters.  He's unhappy for her.  She's almost dressed.

    WILLIAM
  How are you doing?

    ANNA
  How do you think I'm doing?

    WILLIAM
  I don't know what happened.

    ANNA
  I do.  Your furry friend thought he'd
  make a buck or two telling the papers
  where I was.

 She's packing.

    WILLIAM
  That's not true.

    ANNA
  Really?  The entire British press just
  woke up this morning and thought 'Hey --
  I know where Anna Scott is.  She's in
  that house with the blue door in Notting
  Hill.'  And then you go out in your
  goddamn underwear.

    SPIKE
   (dropping in)
  I went out in my goddamn underwear too.

    WILLIAM
  Get out, Spike.
   (he does)
  I'm so sorry.

    ANNA
  This is such a mess.  I come to you to
  protect myself against more crappy
  gossip and now I'm landed in it all
  over again.  For God's sake, I've got
  a boyfriend.

    WILLIAM
  You do?

 It's a difficult moment -- defining where they stand.

    ANNA
  As far as they're concerned I do.  And
  now tomorrow there'll be pictures of
  you in every newspapers from here to
  Timbuktu.

    WILLIAM
  I know, I know -- but... just -- let's
  stay calm...

    ANNA
  You can stay calm -- it's the perfect
  situation for you -- minimum input,
  maximum publicity.  Everyone you ever
  bump into will know.  'Well done you --
  you slept with that actress -- we've
  seen the pictures.'

    WILLIAM
  That's spectacularly unfair.

    ANNA
  Who knows, it may even help business.
  Buy a boring book about Egypt from the
  guy who screwed Anna Scott.

 She heads out.

 INT. STAIRS/LIVING ROOM - DAY

    WILLIAM
  Now stop.  Stop.  I beg you -- calm down.
  Have a cup of tea.

    ANNA
  I don't want a goddamn cup of tea.  I
  want to go home.

 The doorbell goes.

    WILLIAM
  Spike, check who that is... and for
  God's sake put some clothes on.

 Spike leans merrily out of the window.

    SPIKE
  Looks like a chauffeur to me.

 INT. WILLIAM'S KITCHEN/CORRIDOR - DAY

 They move from the kitchen into the corridor.

    ANNA
  And remember -- Spike owes you an
  expensive dinner.  Or holiday --
  depending if he's got the brains to get
  the going rate on betrayal.

    WILLIAM
  That's not true.  And wait a minute...
  this is crazy behavior.  Can't we just
  laugh about this?  Seriously -- in the
  huge sweep of things, this stuff
  doesn't matter.

    SPIKE
  What he's going to say next is -- there
  are people starving in the Sudan.

    WILLIAM
  Well, there are.  And we don't need to
  go anywhere near that far.  My best
  friend slipped -- she slipped down-
  stairs, cracked her back and she's in a
  wheelchair for the rest of her life. 
  All I'm asking for is a normal amount
  of perspective.

    ANNA
  You're right: of course, you're right.
  It's just that I've dealt with this
  garbage for ten years now -- you've had
  it for ten minutes.  Our perspectives
  are different.

    WILLIAM
  I mean -- today's newspapers will be
  lining tomorrow's waste paper bins.

    ANNA
  Excuse me?

    WILLIAM
  Well, you know -- it's just one day.
  Today's papers will all have been
  thrown away tomorrow.

    ANNA
  You really don't get it.  This story
  gets filed.  Every time anyone writes
  anything about me -- they'll dig up
  these photos.  Newspapers last forever.
  I'll regret this forever.

 He takes this in.  That's the end.

    WILLIAM
  Right.  Fine.  I will do the opposite,
  if it's all right by you -- and always be
  glad you came.  But you're right -- you
  probably better go.

 She looks at him.  The doorbell goes again.  She opens the door.
 Massive noise and photos.  Outside are her people, including
 Karen, a chauffeur, two bodyguards.  And then the door is shut
 and they're all gone.  Silence.

 INT. WILLIAM'S KITCHEN/CORRIDOR - DAY

 Spike and William sitting there.  Pause.

    WILLIAM
  Was it you?

    SPIKE
  I suppose I might have told one or two
  people down the pub.

    WILLIAM
  Right.

 He puts his head in his hands.  It's over now.

 EXT. LONDON - DAY

 As full, sad music plays -- William begins to walk through
 Notting Hill.

 This walk takes six months... as he walks, the seasons actually
 and magically change, from summer, through autumn and winter,
 back into spring...

 First it is summer -- summer fruits and flowers -- a six-month
 pregnant woman -- Honey with another leather-jacket boyfriend.

 As he walks on the rain starts to fall -- he turns up his coat
 collar -- umbrellas appear.  Followed by winter coats --
 chestnuts roasting -- Christmas trees on sale and the first hint
 of snow.

 Then he comes to Blenheim Crescent, which is startling snowscape,
 for the hundred yard, right across Ladbroke Grove.

 By the time he reaches the purple cafe, the snow is melting and
 in a few yards, it is spring again.  He passes Honey again --
 arguing with her boyfriend, walking away tearful.  Then turns
 past 'the pregnant woman' -- now holding her three-month baby.
 The camera holds on her.

 INT. BOOKSHOP - DAY

 A grey day in the bookshop.  Martin and William.  As ever.  A
 feeling that things in there ever change.

 Ten seconds pass.  Honey rushes in.  Spike, still feeling in
 disgrace, comes in with her but lingers in the doorway.

    HONEY
  Have we got something for you. 
  Something which will make you love me so
  much you'll want to hug me every single
  day for the rest of my life.

    WILLIAM
  Blimey.  What's that?

    HONEY
  The phone number of Anna Scott's agent
  in London and her agent in New York. 
  You can ring her.  You think about her
  all the time -- now you can ring her!

    WILLIAM
  Well, thanks, that's great.

    HONEY
  It is great, isn't it.  See you tonight.
  Hey, Marty-- sexy cardy.

 And she rushes out.  William looks at the piece of paper, folds
 it and then places it gently in the garbage bin.

 INT. TONY'S RESTAURANT - NIGHT

 Bella bangs a spoon on a wine bottle.  All the friends are
 gathered in the restaurant.

    BELLA
  I have a little speech to make -- I won't
  stand up because I can't... be bothered.
  Exactly a year ago today, this man here
  started the finest restaurant in London.

    TONY
  Thank you very much.

    BELLA
  Unfortunately -- no one ever came to eat
  here.

    TONY
  A tiny hiccough.

    BELLA
  And so we must face the fact that from
  next week, we have to find somewhere
  near to eat.

 Tony's brave face breaks.  The dream is over.

    BELLA
  I just want to say to Tony -- don't take
  it personally.  The more I think about
  things, the more I see no rhyme or reason
  in life -- no one knows why some things
  work out, and some things don't -- why
  some of us get lucky -- and some of us...

    BERNIE
  ... get fired.

    BELLA
  No!

    BERNIE
  Yes, they're shifting the whole outfit
  much more towards the trading side --
  and of course...
   (he owns up)
  I was total crap.

 They're all rather stunned.

    TONY
  So we go down together!  A toast to
  Bernie -- the worst stockbroker in the
  whole world!