A highly amusing film with only minor disappointments, thankfully overshadowed by the huge number of good points

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2007)

In the evening after everyone but the spices had left, we sat around, looked at Grandad Arthur and Grandma Eileen's old photo albums and newspaper cuttings, particularly Dad's baby photos, and at nine o'clock we watched the film version of the history boys, by which I was suitably impressed. When everyone else went up to bed, me Katie and Jez stayed downstairs to watch Love Actually, which was also well done, its humour and fragmentary plot, not to mention the skillful interrelation of the characters, skilfully concealing and nullifying the few predictable elements of the plot. Despite my enjoyment of the film I was nevertheless disappointed that all the main characters who found love were 'beautiful people' and that all the ugly people were portrayed as basically being rubbish, all the shy people being portrayed as devoid of any merit entirely even beneath their exterior. The one shy character in the story, whom I was able to identify with on some levels, was basically ruined for me by the fact that he was a) a beautiful person and b) his character gave false hope to stalkers that rather than running away screaming and telling their friends what a weirdo you are, the stalkee is more likely to think it's sweet and be really quite sorry she's already seeing someone else.
As for the casting, Kris Marshall was astounding as always, especially since (for instance with his role in Dr Zhivago) he has proved to me that although he is often typecast as a happy-go-lucky innocent chappy following his performance in MY Family, it is not the be-all and end-all of his acting talents.Bill Nighy was also spectacular. The casting of Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister and inclusion of a token 'chirpy cockney' were unfortunately disappointing, as although Grant's talent in RomComs is legendary, it does require one to forget that the delightfully confused, hurt, or let-down expression just shown by that close-up is the exact same one as in every other film he's ever been in. In contrast to Marshall, Grant has never shown me any kind of flexibility, and his inclusion as a stock character instantly recognisable not as his character but as 'oh there's Hugh Grant again in another RomCom' destroys the illusion for all but the most committed viewer. Perhaps a small change such as a beard or the removal of his apparently plastic hair, or some similarly superficial change, might alter this? Probably not. Granty, get into some film where you are neither the chirpy British love interest nor the evil British villain, or I will never watch one of your films again! Hands on the table, I also do not like Kiera Knightley in this role (although a big thumbs up on Atonement, eh?) but Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy and many others were extremely well cast.