Actually Left Me Cold...

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 2003)

I seldom write a poor review of a movie, but I had to comment on this one. I really felt cheated by the writer and director of this film, Richard Curtis, who previously has done such intelligent and splendid work. This was just ridiculous...and cheap!! First, the storyline of the Hugh Grant piece was a clear rip off of the American President, a film that was so charmingly and intelligently written and casted several years ago. The plot was just dumbed down and changed to an English prime minister and his tea lady. I was appalled by the casting of Billy Bob as the American President.
The storyline involving the little boy who lost his mother and is in love with a girl at school was downright creepy. No sense at all that the boy had lost his mother... and the Claudia Schiffer look a like at the end...pleeeeeease!! Or maybe it was the real Claudia. I wasn't interested enough to stick around for the credits.
Another creepy storyline...the best man who videotapes his friend's wedding obviously obsessed with the groom's wife. Some best friend. If this is love than the writer has a very disturbed view about what love actually is. I won't tell you what the best friend does after this.

The fat jokes in the movie. Again, very thoughtless and cheap and seemed to pervade the movie thus clearly not supporting the tagline "love actually is all around."
I could go on and on but let's not. I guess when you are Richard Curtis you can do what you want without really possessing a cohesive, quality piece of work.
Give me Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman any day. Colin Firth...why do you agree to do such drivel?? Hugh Grant, I really do not care for you in any regard, but you saved the film mainly because you took poor material and made it funny and endearing. I have new found respect for you as an actor. Enough said.