Love Actually (2003)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Blistering performances.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

I hope I'm a one of character in this movie...! What a Romantic movie!!!

What a charming movie this is. It's not perfect or anything, and probably gets a little too syrupy towards the end, but it's romantic, funny, and the star-studded cast is outstanding. Weaving through so many story lines could have left the viewer confused and unsatisfied with any of them, but director Richard Curtis pulls the right strings and keeps us entertained from beginning to end. There are just so many wonderful scenes and lines. Andrew Lincoln's card scene with Keira Knightley. Colin Firth watching Lúcia Moniz walk out of his life, and then later both of them learning each other's language. Thomas Sangster, the little boy, talking to Liam Neeson about the "total agony of being in love". Hugh Grant the Prime Minister going door to door to find the sweet and sometimes foul- mouthed Martine McCutcheon. And on and on.The movie is filled with all those little moments we can identify with – secret longings, flirtation, and first kisses – but also those that are bittersweet, and those that disappoint us. The overall theme of the movie, that "love actually is all around", even though we often focus on the incidents of hate in the world, is inspiring. The shots in London are gorgeous, and the comic relief provided by the aging rocker Bill Nighy is funny. It is a feel- good movie and bound to be criticized, but it's OK to feel good once in awhile :), and this is certainly one of the better done romantic comedies.

Not being a huge fan of romantic comedies, I felt somewhat dubious about watching Love Actually, but I was enrolled almost immediately after the film began. With all the hatred going on in the world today, it was gratifying to see a film that is all about love - falling in love, being in love, and falling out of love. Written and directed by Richard Curtis, the film is not only about the ecstasy of young love but about love in all forms, between brothers and sisters, parents and children, and even best friends. Performed by a great ensemble cast that includes Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Rowan Atkinson, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Marlene McCutcheon, and others, It is often silly and over-the-top but its British laid back humor keeps it from being sappy and the film has a freshness and vitality that makes you think (at least for a moment) about going out and seeking to find or renew the experience one more time.Of course, Love Actually is primarily a comedy but it has enough moments of genuine heartfelt emotion in which tears are not inappropriate. The story takes place in the weeks before Christmas which is a season where love and peace are supposed to be more than just New Age clichés. While there are a lot of characters to keep track of, several relationships stand out. There's the love between the widowed Daniel (Neeson) and his 11-year-old stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster) who provides advice to the boy who has "fallen in love" with a girl at school who does not even know that Sam is on the planet. We also look in on the life of Britain's new Prime Minister (Grant) who bears a strong resemblance to Tony Blair. Grant plays the PM in the suave sophisticated British manner of another Grant – Cary, as he pursues his secretary Natalie with some significant reservation.In another, the PMs sister, Karen (Thompson) is afraid her husband Harry (Rickman) will leave her for an attractive coworker, Mia (Heike Makatsch). The office also knows that two of their coworkers, Sarah (Laura Linney) and Karl (Rodrigo Santoro) are in love but are too inhibited to let the other know. One of the best realized segments is about Billy Mack (Nighy), a washed-up rock singer who is trying to save his career by promoting what he acknowledges to be an awful pop-song remodeled for Christmas. Yes, there is more, perhaps too much more, but for me it was so heartwarming and endearing that it could have kept going until it covered all the romances in the world. Can I say that I loved it? Yes - actually.

This romantic comedy-drama film is set in November and December, mostly in London. It follows many interconnected people. The acting is good, but the tone is too sentimental and unrealistically optimistic.This film crams in too many stories, which are incomplete and don't have enough context and backstories. Some of the stories are ridiculously unrealistic. One involves a poor simpleton who can't get laid. He goes to Wisconsin, where hot girls throw themselves at him. A character in another strand is a Portuguese housekeeper who lives in France with her family, yet can't speak any French.