Actually in love with Love Actually

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2003)

Once in a while, a movie comes along and restores faith in love. Love Actually does it so well. It tickles the soul, and like the feeling of being in love, the movie makes you fall in love. You feel the rush of a first kiss, the anger of being made a fool of by a spouse, and the joy of discovering that you've fallen in love. You also realize that love is just love--between man and woman, father and son, friends, siblings, etc. The cast of actors in this movie make you feel these emotions. You forget the Colin Firth of Pride and Prejudice and instead see a bumbling writer falling into the trap of love. Each actor owns his or her role wonderfully. And this results in perfect comic timing and depth in acting. Richard Curtis as the writer and director of this movie has given the audience nine vignettes that show different aspects of love. And it is not necessarily ideal love--some it is unrequited, and some of it is sinful. The dialogue is witty and clever. Together, the acting, the writing and the directing have created a movie as complex and as heady as love itself.
My only disappointment is in the lack of closure for two vignettes. But maybe that is intentional. Watch Love Actually and be prepared to smile for days.