One of the best of it's kind

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2006)

Sometimes it's not easy to put your finger on why you feel the way you do, but the fact that you feel it is undisputed. The fact that i almost always like British comedy is one of those facts. I can't always say why but it more or less never fails.
Light British romantic comedy is a genre that seems to have grown considerably these last few years. Add Hugh Grant and you have a winning formula. And why not? Even though movies like "Love Actually" are often quite corny and never really surprising they are nevertheless enjoyable. Mostly because of two things really. First of all the comedy is very British, meaning that it's usually quite subtle and often a little peculiar. Second there is almost always great actors involved. Here we have a big part of the British acting elite. Aforementioned Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman... The one that stands out most in this movie though is without a doubt Bill Nighy as the washed-up rock singer who gets one last chance with a Christmas song.
This is very much a Christmas movie. Not only because it's set at Christmas but also because it's warm, funny and very cozy. And i say that in the best sense of the words, not in the vomit-inducing way that sugar-sweet TV-movies are cozy. It does have problems. Some of the episodes are less necessary really and it does get overly long before the end. But still it's one of the best of it's kind, and i have to admit i play "Christmas all around" every Christmas since...
7/10.