Year of Release: 2003
Director: Richard Curtis
Starring: Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Gregor Fisher, Martine McCutcheon, Kris Marshall, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, Heike Makatsch, January Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Rodrigo Santoro, Lucia Moniz, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, Ivana Milicevic, Joanna Bacon, Adam Godley, Olivia Olson, Claudia Schiffer, Nancy Sorrell
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review
"Love Actually" is celebrated writer Richard Curtis' feature directorial debut, following more than a decade of turning out memorable scripts and characters, including features such as Mike Newell's "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and Roger Michell's "Notting Hill", and TV Shows such as "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean" which he developed with his usual collaborator, Rowan Atkinson. "Love Actually" is a collective of stories, where some characters do crossover to other narratives, but not all are immediately connected. Billy Mack is a rock star now in his 50s who is trying to get a number one single for Christmas with a redo of "Love in All Around" (originally from the Troggs, but which Wet Wet Wet made even more popular in 1994). Billy is outspoken, colorful and not everyone's cup of tea, but his manager Joe adores him and sticks by him through and through. Juliet is a young bride, whose husband Peter has asked his best friend Mark to videotape their ceremony. While Juliet and Peter believe Mark dislikes Juliet, as it turns out, she discovers that he has in fact been in love with her. Jamie is a writer who discovers his girlfriend fooling around on him with his brother. Crushed, he decides to go his French cottage where he meets the Portuguese housekeeper, Aurélia, who doesn't speak a word of English. They both become enamored with each other even with the language barrier. Harry is married to Karen, but lately has been drawn more and more to Mia, his secretary, who flirts with him openly. He decides to get her a special Christmas present, which Karen discovers, and wrongly assumes it is for her. Upon discovering that it's not, she understands what is happening, and is crushed by the betrayal. Karen't brother, David, is the UK's recently elected Prime Minister, and is single. He becomes interested in one of the members of his staff, Natalie, even if there may have been a slight inappropriate situation between her and the President of the US. In the meantime, Daniel, a close friend of Karen's, is mourning the death of his wife, while taking care of his stepson Sam. Sam has fallen in love with an American classmate, whom he discovers is leaving very soon. Also connected with these stories is Sarah and Karl. They both work at Harry's company, and are deeply infatuated with each other, however Sarah's life is consumed with taking care of her brother Michael who has mental issues. In the meantime, young Colin Frissell, following an inability to romantically connect with women in London, decides to go to the US, where he soon finds himself in a bar, surrounded by lovely young women. Finally, John and Judy are stand-ins in films, and meet while doing a sex scene for a film. While initially slight and timid off-camera, their attraction grows, upon interacting outside the film lot.
"Love Actually" may at a first glance seem like a mosaic of characters interacting in a meaningful way, a la Robert Altman and the way he achieved that type of great balance in "Nashville" and "Short Cuts" (not so much in "Pret-a-Porter"). However, as the description above indicates, the film almost feels like a collection of trading cards with barely passable characters, who get to interact with each other, most of the time without much substance or for that matter, any meaningful development. The film almost reads like a series of vignettes for a TV show, ones that are dying to be expanded upon in the following episodes, something that sadly never happens, since this isn't a TV show. As it is, this feels like a Hallmark type of snapshots, minus the sappiness or maudlin vibes, but with a lot more acting talent involved, but still something that feels undercooked. The best vignettes of the entire feature belong to Bill Nighy who is phenomenal as the aging rock star, and Emma Thompson of course, who manages to create a fully realized individual, alongside the equally great Alan Rickman. Their relationship feels frazzled, but also reveals how two people find themselves on different paths in life, and have to find a way to still connect and remain civil for the sake of their own children. Most of the other vignettes are populated with sketches, that while sweet and charming, are as light as fluff. The ensemble cast is top notch, with Laura Linney not getting enough screen time, and Hugh Grant peppering a bit of his charm all around. The production team is equally formidable, including Craig Armstrong's score, Michael Coulter's cinematography, and Jim Clay's production design. It's a film that has become a classic, but one that is surprisingly light in terms of depth or emotional resonance.
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