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Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Colm Meaney, Ian McNeice, Ian Hart ... see more see more... , Kenneth Griffith , Robert Blythe , Garfield Morgan , Robert Pugh , Robert Elson , David Lloyd Meredith , Hugh Vaughn , Jack Walters

A proud Welsh community finds their civic pride and sense of community threatened by a team of surveyors in this charmingly eccentric comedy. Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant) and George Garrard (Ian McNeic... read more read more...e) are a pair of British cartographers with Her Majesty's Ordinance Survey Office, who arrive in the small Welsh town of Ffynnon Garw, where, thanks to a linguistic quirk stemming from the British domination of Wales, many of the citizens in this town lack proper surnames and instead are identified by occupations or personal characteristics, such as Ivor the Grocer (Robert Blythe) or Johnny Shellshocked (Ian Hart). The town's greatest pride and most prominent landmark is a mountain (named, like the town, Ffynnon Garw), which they claim is the first mountain in Wales, and which helped protect the village from any number of Romans, Saxons, Norsemen, and other foreign invaders over the centuries. However, Reginald and George have some bad news for the townsfolk: under British law, a land mass must be at least 1,000 feet tall to qualify as a mountain, and according to their measurements, Ffynnon Garw comes in at only 930 feet, making it just a big hill. The citizens are shocked, insulted, and angry, and after much debate and careful measuring, Anson and Garrard conclude that they did shortchange Ffynnon Garw, but the most generous estimate still puts it at only 984 feet. Convinced that the town's honor and reputation is at stake thanks to these meddling Englishmen, the good people of Ffynnon Garw hatch a plan by which they will add fifteen feet to their "hill;" meanwhile, the easily befuddled Anson finds himself falling under the romantic spell of a beautiful but firm-willed local woman, Betty of Cardiff (Tara Fitzgerald). Believe it or not, this seemingly fanciful comedy was actually based on a true story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

49% liked it

11,553 ratings

Critics

58% liked it

24 critics

PG, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Christopher Monger

Release Date: May 12, 1995

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DVD Release Date: April 3, 2001

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Stats: 477 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (477)

  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    I found it slow and a bit boring. Sweet in places but not enough to keep me entertained.
  • RossCollinsUK
    February 19, 2009
    RossCollinsUK
    Charming period drama with beautiful Welsh rural scenes. Despite the lead billing Hugh Grant just stands around smiling, whilst the "locals" take the lead. The plot is dragged out until it thins in the middle, but there's a lovely soundtrack and a classic movie kiss to fill the s... read morepace.
  • kiriyamakazou
    December 23, 2007
    kiriyamakazou
    Perfect vehicle for Hugh Grant to prance about being charming. The story is a nice one but not for a 100 minute film. Maybe as an ITV drama premiere this would have been good, but it is so bland that after half an hour you just pray it will end.
  • garyX
    January 1, 2007
    garyX
    Low-key romantic comedy with a modicom of charm, Not as hateful as a lot of Hugh Grant's work, mainly because of the able supporting cast.
  • DrStrangeblog
    October 11, 2010
    DrStrangeblog
    In a word: genteel.
  • DrLappos
    May 11, 2007
    DrLappos
    We dont all love Tea!
  • psyclock7
    September 19, 2009
    psyclock7
    Can't believe I actally watched this and didn't know wt it was...To my surprise, it wasn't that bad. It had some funny moments..."
  • nkkigrrl28
    June 25, 2008
    nkkigrrl28
    The premise is so simple, but by the end of the film I loved almost all of the characters! An absolutely enjoyable film!
  • coolkatz2
    April 15, 2008
    coolkatz2
    meh not as good as I thought it would be. I love the storyline but the rest is jus bogus. I doona think Id watch it again
  • xXGangstaCowXx
    July 31, 2007
    xXGangstaCowXx
    omg this has absolutely NO point!!!!!!!!! "oh we need 20 more feet to have a mountain" "well then lets add 20 more feet" omg so insanely stupid

View All The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

Though there's nothing in the film to equal the excitement of seeing a marquee collapse from the weight of its title, an attractive cast and setting turn a tired one-joke premise into an adequate view.

Charlie Lyne
March 4, 2012
Charlie Lyne, Ultra Culture

Reeks unmistakably of contractual obligation. Full Review

Ken Hanke
September 23, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Pleasant, but unexciting.

Karina Montgomery
March 17, 2003
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina

Love hugh, the rest is passable.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 30, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Irresistible comedy set in a quaint Welsh village. Full Review

Steve Rhodes
January 1, 2000
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

The characters, while cute, were not credible enough to be believable nor humorous enough to be funny. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Leonard Klady
March 26, 2009
Leonard Klady, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

Click to read the article Full Review

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The Englishman Who Went up a Hill But Came Down A Mountain Trivia

The Englishman Who Went up a Hill... Trivia

  • In the film "the englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain" what was the height of the hill  Answer »
  • this English film starred hugh Grant fighting the council about the size of his hill  Answer »
  • What 1995 film had this quote :" In France, we dug trenches ten miles long . We toke earth from here and made hills there. We moved entire fields. You wouldn't believe what we did . It's possible . It's just hard work "?  Answer »
  • Who plays the love interest of Reginald Anson (Hugh Grant) in the 1995 movie 'The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain'?   Answer »
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