Love Actually (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Love, actually ... is all around. This is the theme 'Love Actually', a holiday feel-good movie directed by Richard Curtis. The ensemble cast does a great job of conveying this theme throughout the entirety of the film. Action commences about 6 weeks before Christmas in England. The film is made up of about 9 or so stories that are going on at one time and are somehow all connected to each other. It's not a linear movie. Its individual stories come & go throughout the 2 hour + running time. And this is perhaps, one of the only gripes I have with the movie as far as storyline continuity is concerned.
The film begins with a montage of people arriving at an airport and how love is all around. It then cuts to an aging rock star in England named Billy Mack (Bill Nighy). He's determined to revive his career & make a # 1 Christmas hit. He promises to perform nude on Christmas Eve to ensure a victory over chief rivals, boy band 'Blue'. The 'love' in this story is the love realized between Mack & his longtime manager, Joe. They've been there for each other through all the ups & downs of Mack's career. Another story involves the new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) & his attraction to his new personal secretary, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), who I think is so cute. When Prez of the U.S. (Billy Bob Thornton) makes a pass at Natalie, P.M. 're-distributes' Natalie because he feels as if his feelings towards her are distracting him from his new job. What he comes to realize in the end is that he CAN execute his job & love a girl from the dodgy end of town at the same time. And the fact that Billy Bob plays the President is absolutely hilarious.
Another story involves the Prime Minister's sister, Karen (Emma Thompson). Her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman) is flirting with his secretary, Mia, & Karen knows it. Harry buys a necklace for Mia from a jewelry salesman (Rowan Atkinson). Atkinson milks his character & shows the world his comedic genius in gift wrapping the necklace for Harry. Another story involves Harry's co-worker, Sarah (Laura Linney). She's in love with fellow co-worker, Carl. However, her insecurities combined with an obligation/love for her disabled brother overtakes the love for Carl. In another story, Mark (Andrew Lincoln) is upset that Juliet (Keira Knightley) has just married his best bud - she doesn't understand why Mark avoids her. Yet another story shows the budding love btwn. 2 body doubles on a movie set (Martin Freeman, Joanna Page). While they simulate sex scenes in the nude with no problem, they are so love-struck & shy that it takes a while for them to actually lean in for that 1st kiss.
One of my favorite love stories is btwn. Daniel (Liam Neeson) & his stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster). Daniels wife/Sam's mother has died, & Sam is taking it really badly. What Daniel comes to find out is that Sam is really lovesick over a popular girl in school, an American, named Joanna. She sings lead in a band, & after Sam sees Billy Mack's band performing on Tele, decides to start playing the drums to impress Joanna. My other favorite story involves a writer named Jamie (Colin Firth). After he finds his girlfriend cheating on him with his brother, he retreats to France to write again. He finds himself falling for his new Portuguese housekeeper, Aurelia (Lucia Moniz), another beauty. He speaks no Portuguese, she speaks no English, and yet, their growing love pierces the language barrier. One last story involves Colin (Kris Marshall). He can't find a girl in England & somehow figures that the girls in Milwaukee, USA must be better. His scenes with the girls in Milwaukee are hysterical, but don't fit in well with the other scenes in the film.
Somehow, the movie ends & all these characters wind up at the airport greeting their 'loved' ones who are coming off of the same plane. Awkward ending, but it had to end in some cute way to wrap up the film. Overall, this is a thoroughly entertaining, heartwarming film to ring in the Christmas season with. Even though the film is rated R thanks to the usual nonchalant British way of incorporating four-letter curse words beginning with F into every other sentence, & the fact that there are nude simulated sex scenes, I recommend this film to almost anyone who wants to bust out a hearty laugh, and shed a happy tear. I loved it.
The film begins with a montage of people arriving at an airport and how love is all around. It then cuts to an aging rock star in England named Billy Mack (Bill Nighy). He's determined to revive his career & make a # 1 Christmas hit. He promises to perform nude on Christmas Eve to ensure a victory over chief rivals, boy band 'Blue'. The 'love' in this story is the love realized between Mack & his longtime manager, Joe. They've been there for each other through all the ups & downs of Mack's career. Another story involves the new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) & his attraction to his new personal secretary, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), who I think is so cute. When Prez of the U.S. (Billy Bob Thornton) makes a pass at Natalie, P.M. 're-distributes' Natalie because he feels as if his feelings towards her are distracting him from his new job. What he comes to realize in the end is that he CAN execute his job & love a girl from the dodgy end of town at the same time. And the fact that Billy Bob plays the President is absolutely hilarious.
Another story involves the Prime Minister's sister, Karen (Emma Thompson). Her husband, Harry (Alan Rickman) is flirting with his secretary, Mia, & Karen knows it. Harry buys a necklace for Mia from a jewelry salesman (Rowan Atkinson). Atkinson milks his character & shows the world his comedic genius in gift wrapping the necklace for Harry. Another story involves Harry's co-worker, Sarah (Laura Linney). She's in love with fellow co-worker, Carl. However, her insecurities combined with an obligation/love for her disabled brother overtakes the love for Carl. In another story, Mark (Andrew Lincoln) is upset that Juliet (Keira Knightley) has just married his best bud - she doesn't understand why Mark avoids her. Yet another story shows the budding love btwn. 2 body doubles on a movie set (Martin Freeman, Joanna Page). While they simulate sex scenes in the nude with no problem, they are so love-struck & shy that it takes a while for them to actually lean in for that 1st kiss.
One of my favorite love stories is btwn. Daniel (Liam Neeson) & his stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster). Daniels wife/Sam's mother has died, & Sam is taking it really badly. What Daniel comes to find out is that Sam is really lovesick over a popular girl in school, an American, named Joanna. She sings lead in a band, & after Sam sees Billy Mack's band performing on Tele, decides to start playing the drums to impress Joanna. My other favorite story involves a writer named Jamie (Colin Firth). After he finds his girlfriend cheating on him with his brother, he retreats to France to write again. He finds himself falling for his new Portuguese housekeeper, Aurelia (Lucia Moniz), another beauty. He speaks no Portuguese, she speaks no English, and yet, their growing love pierces the language barrier. One last story involves Colin (Kris Marshall). He can't find a girl in England & somehow figures that the girls in Milwaukee, USA must be better. His scenes with the girls in Milwaukee are hysterical, but don't fit in well with the other scenes in the film.
Somehow, the movie ends & all these characters wind up at the airport greeting their 'loved' ones who are coming off of the same plane. Awkward ending, but it had to end in some cute way to wrap up the film. Overall, this is a thoroughly entertaining, heartwarming film to ring in the Christmas season with. Even though the film is rated R thanks to the usual nonchalant British way of incorporating four-letter curse words beginning with F into every other sentence, & the fact that there are nude simulated sex scenes, I recommend this film to almost anyone who wants to bust out a hearty laugh, and shed a happy tear. I loved it.