Love Actually

Rating: 5/10 (12 September 2005)

This was the directorial debut of writer Richard Curtis (Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill), originally titled "Love Actually Is All Around", referencing the Wet Wet Wet song "Love Is All Around" (Number One for 15 weeks), this was shortened, and many people regard it as their favourite Christmas movie. Basically it is an ensemble cast delving into nine (or ten) separate stories involving a variety of characters and their experiences of love, falling in and out and trying to find love, all played out over the week fives, leading up to Christmas. Rock and roll legend Billy Mack (BAFTA winning Bill Nighy) has recorded "Christmas Is All Around", a variation of "Love Is All Around", he and his longtime manager Joe (Rab C. Nesbitt's Gregor Fisher) know the song is terrible, but are promoting it as much as possible in hope that it will become Christmas Number One, they are successful, but Billy leaves a party with Sir Elton John to spend time with Joe to celebrate getting drunk and watching porn. Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (12 Years a Slave's Chiwetel Ejiofor) get married, best man Mark (The Walking Dead's Andrew Lincoln) orchestrates and videotapes it, one day Juliet asks Mark for footage of her in the wedding dress, as she watches the video she realises it is all focused on her, Mark has been in love with her for ages and never said anything, it is only on Christmas Eve, through cue cards, he confesses his love for Juliet, as he walks away she gives him an innocent kiss, and this is the end to it. Writer Jamie (Colin Firth) is devastated after finding out his girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) has been cheating on him with his brother, Jamie retreats to his French cottage to continue writing, there Protugese housekeeper Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz) helps him, she can only speak her native language, but they form a close bond, Jamie realises after she leaves he has developed feelings for Aurélia, so he learns (roughly) Portugese, returns to France, finds her, declares his love and proposes, in English, she accepts and they kiss. Harry (Alan Rickman) is the managing director of a design agency, he is married to Karen (BAFTA nominated Emma Thompson) with two children, Harry is attracted to new secretary Mia (Resident Evil's Heike Makatsch) who makes arousing sexual comments, while shopping he attempts to buy her a necklace, but is slowed down by obsessive attention to detail gift-wrapping salesman Rufus (Rowan Atkinson) and stops himself getting caught by Karen, however she finds out about the necklace, after he did buy it, but is heartbroken when she does not receive it, she confronts Harry, he apologises for being a fool, she knows their marriage will not be the same. David (Hugh Grant), Karen's brother, has been elected Prime Minister, junior member of the household staff Natalie (EastEnders' Martine McCuthcheon) is also new at 10 Downing Street, David feels a spark between them, and hates that people think she is chubby, he also asserts himself when the President of the United States (Billy Bob Thornton) seems to make an inappropriate move on Natalie, he moves her to a new position to end this distraction, but seeing how affectionate towards him, especially in a Christmas card, David goes to find Natalie, they go together to the local Christmas Eve school play, they try to avoid being seen, but are caught out kissing by everyone when the curtain rises to reveal them onstage. Daniel (Liam Neeson), Karen's friend, has mourned the death of his wife Joanna, he raises his stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster) alone, Sam has fallen for an American girl at school, also named Joanna (Olivia Olson), he wants to get her to notice him, so learns the drums to join the band for the Christmas play, Sam feels like he failed to impress her, but Daniel convinces him to see Joanna before she boards the plane to America, Daniel (who mentions supermodel Claudia Schiffer earlier in the film) briefly meets another parent, Carol (Claudia Schiffer), there is a momentary spark, Sam manages to get away from airport security and see Joanna, she kisses him before leaving, Sam and Daniel hug in happiness. Sarah (Laura Linney) who works at Harry's graphic design company has been in love with creative director Karl (Rodrigo Santoro) for years, they finally get together, but are interrupted by her mentally ill brother Michael (Michael Fitzgerald), who constantly phones from his residence in a mental care facility, Karl tries to say something on Christmas Eve, but cannot, so Sarah spends the night with her brother. Colin (My Family's Kris Marshall) has made many failed attempts to woo British girls, including Mia and wedding caterer Nancy (Julia Davis), he tells his friend Tony (Abdul Salis) he is going to America to find love there, convinced foreign girls love British men, Tony thinks it is a stupid idea, but once in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Colin meets three stunningly attractive women, Stacey (Ivana Miličević), Jeannie (American Pie: The Wedding's January Jones) and Carol-Anne (The Girl Next Door's Elisha Cuthbert), who invite him to their house, and roommate Harriet (Shannon Elizabeth) joins also. John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Gavin & Stacey's Joanna Page) are professional body doubles for films, they talk to each other whilst filming nude simulated sex scenes, they carefully pursue a relationship. Many of the characters are brought together at Heathrow Airport, with real arrivals and the song "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys playing. It does make you laugh, it's cheesy and schmaltzy, but it is a nice simple seasonal romantic comedy. It was nominated the BAFTAs for the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay. It was number 90 on The 100 Greatest Tearjerkers for Emma Thompson's cry in the bedroom, and it was 77 on The Ultimate Film. Worth watching!