I'm grateful to Richard Curtis

Rating: 8/10 (12 December 2003)

I would consider myself a lifelong fan of Richard Curtis, from Not the Nine O'clock News and Blackadder to Four Weddings & a Funeral and, of course, without a doubt his greatest work IMO, the 1991 telefeature Bernard & the Genie. So naturally, his next feature is always eagerly anticipated by yours truly, especially when he finally makes the big step from writing to directing. All I can say is, I am extremely grateful for this film.
I'm grateful to him because he has produced another gem. A funny and touching, sentimental film that really puts one in the Christmas mood. The difference between this and his other films is that it contains numerous different stories (I haven't had time to count them all), rather than just the simple love story between two main protagonists with several supporting characters and subplots. They're all intertwined, very loosely it has to be said, but it doesn't really matter, since they're all sweet tales and I loved all of the characters in one way or another. Despite the limited time spent on each one, we get a fair insight into the characters and their lives.
The cast is wonderful, and Curtis does wonderful things with them. Neeson, Rickman, Thompson, Grant, and Firth all give very fine and sympathetic performances. Bill Nighy is hilarious as an ageing rock star out to grab publicity for his awful new song. And of course, a special personal mention must go to the short but sweet Martin Freeman/Joanna Page story, since for me it's wonderful to see Martin finally get the girl and be happy after seeing him strike out in love in two series of "The Office".
I'm also grateful to Richard Curtis simply because the film is predictable. Like so many other romantic comedies, it just wouldn't work if it weren't. If he tried to stretch the boundaries, cross borders and experiment; If, for example, every story didn't end on a high note with everyone falling in love and hugging and kissing, we'd feel ripped off, surely? It does what it's supposed and what it promises to do, and not only that, but it does that many times over, in the same film.
Plus I'm grateful that he didn't resort to hackneyed ideas; every story has its own journey, and although we know the direction it will eventually take, there is enough winding in the path along the way to keep us interested. There are also no cheap laughs; towards the end of the film there is a scene where a character looks through a glass pane at another character below. I was terrified that Curtis may ruin the film by inserting yet another cheap sendup of the church scene from "The Graduate" but he didn't. For that I'm grateful.
So basically, I'm grateful because he's given us yet another brilliant film. One to amuse and one to touch us. If you're a fan of 'warm' then this is definitely a film for you. It may be just like every other romantic comedy, but with one important factor; it's undoubtably one of the best.