Heartwarming and endearing

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2017)

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.