We’re just two podcasters, standing in front of Richard Curtis, asking him to rethink that line.
Today on Deep Thoughts About Stupid Shit, Tracie revisits the 1999 romcom Notting Hill. Despite responding “Oh, no,” when she was reminded of the romance that singlehandedly ruined the phrase “I’m just a girl,” Tracie found there was more to admire in Richard Curtis’s storytelling and comedy than she expected.
Not only does the film include an all-too-rare representation of disability in the character of Bella (Gina McKee), but the love between Bella and her husban
d Max (Tim McInnerny) offers a gorgeous model of realistic romance between two equals. Additionally, there’s a whiff of feminism in the sexual power dynamics represented by a heterosexual romance where the woman is an international superstar (played by Julia Roberts) and the man is just a dude with floppy hair.
That said, along with the nostalgia, there are some assumptions about women, fame, boundaries, and boyfriends that don’t necessarily hold up to 2026 scrutiny.
We won’t make you pretend to write for Horse & Hound before listening. You can just throw on your headphones and enjoy!
We are Tracie Guy-Decker and Emily Guy Birken, known to our extended family as the Guy Girls.
We both have super-serious personas in our "day jobs." No, really. Emily is a Finance writer who used to be a classroom teacher. Tracie writes and consults on social justice and mindfulness and works as a copywriter and project manager for non-profits. If you really need to see the bona fides, please visit our individual websites: tracieguydecker.com and emilyguybirken.com
For our work together, what you need to know is that Tracie is older (3 years), Emily is funnier (by at least 3 percent), and we're both hella smart, often over-literal, and completely unashamed of our overthinking prowess. We love movies and tv, science fiction and murder mysteries, good storytelling with liberal amounts of dramatic irony, and analyzing pop culture for gender dynamics, psychology, sociology, and whatever else we find there.
Learn more about Tracie and Emily (including our other projects), join the Guy Girls' family, secure exclusive access to bonus episodes, video version, and early access to Deep Thoughts by visiting us on Patreon.
This episode was edited by Joan Peconcillo at Voice Work
Comments