The only film that does it right

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2012)

I really, really hate large ensemble cast movies with intertwining story lines. The reason for this is because the characters in that kind of movie are usually one dimensional with one dimensional problems - and of course they're all beautiful and things are always alright at the end with the cheesy lines and bad chemistry. I can't bring myself to care about the characters because 1) I hate the actors in it or 2) the plot/story lines/acting/dialogue is god awful that it makes me want to hurl. In fact, romance is just not my area.
Love Actually is the only one of these kinds of movies that does it right. And does it very well. Somehow, the writers for this film found the perfect balance of the most amazing cast ever assembled and the the satirical trait that lurks in the background. Love Actually is light hearted with some heavy moments in it but it never takes itself too seriously. It has people making up, breaking up, coming, going, cheating, loving, and everything else that should utterly confuse the viewer. With other movies, things take too long or are too slow; the writers fixated on couple/actor A because they're more famous than couple/actor B.
Not so with Love Actually. Even if one gets more screen time than another, they make up for it in quality. There's a delicate balance between real situations that couples go through versus events that are just so not (*cough* Natalie and the Prime Minister *cough*). However, that's where the casting comes into play. Each actor portrays their character with just the right amount of sarcasm, mystery, or love that it needs so that even the silly story of Natalie and the Prime Minister seem plausible.
Sure the cast is great looking, but you don't notice really because you're so swept up in the magic of the dialogue, which is charming (then again, Brits did make this so I guess that's to be expected) and lighthearted.
This film separates itself simply because it's better than anything like America's put out in this genre. And yes, I am American.
For some reason, Love Actually struck a chord with audiences that won't go away, nor would we want it to. Almost ten years later and people still love this film. It's the only chick flick/holiday film I look forward to watching each and every time.