I’ve been planning on watching Love Actually for a while now. It seemed like one of those movies that you’ll either really love and buy into the cute factor or be repulsed by. Luckily, my wife and I were completely sold on the premise and the idea of love that rules the actions of the characters in the film. While Christmas really only plays with the setting, the ideas of togetherness and magic play a factor in the outcomes of the various story threads. I give Love Actually the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.
Love Actually was a film I enjoyed from beginning to end
Love Actually follows the lives of eight couples, kind of, and how they deal with their various stages of love that are loosely connected over five weeks before Christmas.
The cast in this film is amazing. It features Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Kris Marshall, Heike Makatsch, Martin Freeman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightley, Nina Sosanya, Martine McCutcheon, Alan Rickman, and Laura Linney. In fact, there are others that I’m leaving off for now, but my favorites are definitely Grant, Firth, Thompson…you know, I’m not sure I can just pick a few. All of the characters are interesting and how they deal with their various love lives is compelling.
There are some great moments throughout the film from sweet to hilarious. One iconic moment features a character and some poster boards. Each has a fragment of a message that he or she is conveying to a person they are interested in. It’s a compelling scene and super tough to watch as the circumstances for the relationship are brutal. Yet, probably the most encouraging is Liam Neeson, recently a widower, and his step-son, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). Sam tells Daniel (Neeson) about a crush he has at school and the two attempt a plan. It’s super cute and gets one of the best moments in the film. Their connection during their simultaneous loss is my favorite in the movie.
Emma Thompson kills it
It’s necessary for me to say how much I love Emma Thompson in this film though. Her performance is great. She’s married to Alan Rickman and at some point she breaks down. Her crying and heartbreak shown on screen should be shown to every young actress trying to make it. It’s acting at it’s most powerful. She’s understated and yet there is no question how much she is struggling with what she’s just learned. Her performance is amazing.
In fact, I really do love everyone and all of the stories in this movie. Martin Freeman’s relationship is the oddest and probably the funniest. At the very least, it’s the most shocking one in the film. The film is a positive look at the world and sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the power of love. I’m often cynical and rarely optimistic, but this film brought that side out of me. Not something romances can always do, but the cast and the story arcs worked for me perfectly.
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