Love Actually

Rating

Director

Richard Curtis

Screenplay

Richard Curtis

Length

135 min.

Starring

Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Kris Marshall, Heike Makatsch, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Laura Linney, Thomas Sangster, Alan Rickman, Rodrigo Santoro, Lucia Moniz, Billy Bob Thornton

MPAA Rating

R (For sexuality, nudity and language)

Review

Deep inside every relationship, there’s a spark that began it all. Some believe in love at first sight, others believe that love develops over time. Love Actually is the kind of film that gives romantics hope that love really can happen to anyone.

Writer and director Richard Curtis blends the lives of several different people as they trip and stumble through love’s rugged obstacle course. Hugh Grant stars as the newly-elected British Prime Minister who finds himself attracted to a member of his staff named Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). Emma Thompson plays his sister Karen whose relationship with her husband Harry (Alan Rickman) struggles against the tides of Harry’s burgeoning romantic interest with his frisky secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch).

Another of Harry’s employees, Sarah (Laura Linney), finds love hard to handle as she tries to ask out fellow employee Karl (Rodrigo Santoro) but finds it difficult to say the words. Her friend Mark (Andrew Lincoln) is having relationship problems of his own as his best friend is getting married and, after a few rather curious moments, we discover whether it’s his best friend or his wife that he’s interested in. Daniel (Liam Neeson), one of Sarah’s other friends, must deal with an impending holiday after his wife’s death and his son Sam (Thomas Sangster) reveals that he has fallen in love with a girl at school.

If five stories aren’t enough to follow, there are four more that must battle for the audience’s attention. One of Karen’s friends, Jamie (Colin Firth), comes home early to find his girlfriend having slept with his brother and runs away to France to finish his novel. There, he’s carefully attended by a beautiful woman, Aurelia (Lucia Moniz), who speaks only Portuguese. Their relationship develops despite their obvious language differences. Meanwhile, mailroom boy Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall), after striking out regularly in the Isles, decides to fly to America (Wisconsin, no less) to find all of the pretty women who will surely fall all over his uncharming British accent. Next, we have John (Martin Freeman), a.k.a. Jack, and Judy, a.k.a. Just Judy (Joanna Page), whose relationship doesn’t tie into any of the others but is one of the key comedy scenes in the film as they meet and fall in love while posing as camera stand-ins on a porn film shoot. Then, also unrelated to the primary linkage of characters, a washed-up rock star makes a comeback, recording an atrocious rendition of the song “Love Is All Around”. Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) trolls his way into the audience’s heart as he crassly bounds through a wave of media frenzy over his record attempting to become the Christmas Number One hit.

Curtis is brave to follow nine different stories and masterfully weaves between them. The screenplay is ludicrously busy but insanely fun. The movie opens with a montage of happy reunions at the airport, where the weary travelers of the world meet in love and not violence. The film winds slowly through these burgeoning romances and collapsing relationships and culminates in an uplifting conclusion that will capture the heart of the hopeless romantic. The performances are all top notch with special kudos going to young Sangster who gives one of the best child performances in many years. Neeson finally creeps out of his losing spree with films like The Haunting and Nell tarnishing his bravura performance in Schindler’s List. Here he performs admirably, elevating his obvious talent to a point where audiences can once again celebrate his ability. Grant is, as always, charming. Rickman is a touch weak while Firth and Lincoln give above average performances.

The best performance, however, comes from the amazing Emma Thompson who, through a heart-wrenching scene where Karen listens to a mournful Joni Mitchell and her rendition of “Both Sides Now”, captures the audience’s undying sympathetic support. The gifted talent, skillful writing and capable direction make Love Actually the perfect holiday film for lovers.

Love Actually is an all-around wonderful film. It gives the audience what it needs around the holidays and that’s hope that true love can be found. Perhaps, we should start hanging around airports more often.

Review Written

December 3, 2003