Love Actually Movie Review

Love Actually (2003)

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Written by: Richard Curtis
Directed by: Richard Curtis
Starring: Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Martin Freeman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley
Rated: R
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Plot
Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Verdict
I like this movie despite it being some kind of fantasy rom-com that borders on satire. We follow various characters as they try to find love during Christmas, but this is looking at various permutations of love. It can be unrequited, unresolved, or a mistake. This is a movie that excels more on what we expect and want rather than what actually happens. It's a checklist of classic rom-com tropes. Does it have problems? Lots of them. You could attribute it to the idiom that love isn't perfect, but that's a bit easy and I don't think we see anyone actually in love. There's just a lot of infatuation and desire, but the ensemble cast and quick pacing combined with the thought that this is romantic goes a long way.
Watch It.

Review
This is the first movie Curtis directed, having written such movies as Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

From the beginning we get a near character overload as we're introduced to the various stories. There are all kinds of couples including, newly wed, recently ended, potential, and long term. All of these stories are interconnected through the characters, and that's what can be confusing, ow each character relates to the other. It helps that I've seen this movie before. The bevy of characters does keep the pacing quick.

Martine McCutcheon, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson play Natalie, the Prime Minister, Karen

Bill Nighy's character is an aging rock star past his prime. His radio interview is surprisingly honest and sad. He's trying to wring a few bucks out of his once famous song. Another story presents a kid infatuated. Can an eleven year old really feel the agony of love? It's a send up, but that's okay.

The movie works in the context of juxtaposing sex and love. Martin Freeman's character is a lighting stand in for a porno movie and remarks about how shy he is. It's funny in the moment, but it doesn't stand up under scrutiny. This movie tries to equate love with desire. As with many movies, the lack of communication creates issues. Andrew Lincoln's character is infatuated with his best friend's wife. That culminates in a cute reveal of his feelings, except when you realize his best friend married that woman yesterday! What if his friend answered the door? This movie gets a little too cute at times.

Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln play Juliet, Peter, Mark

Colin Firth's character connects with a woman despite them never having a conversation. It's a nice fantasy, if a bit ridiculous. This movie is infatuation built on the improbable and I'm happy to give it a pass. It's fantasy and fun. You want these romances to work, well some of them. This is built on our desire to believe in love no matter how improbable and with the case of this movie despite many of these characters never having a real conversation. Many of the characters go big, and movie magic helps that, but this is a movie where we want that magic ending and it delivers.