Actually about love, not romance

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2004)

There's so much more in Love Actually than just a jumble of boy-meets/loses-girl stories! * The love of family stability that keeps Emma Thompson's character going * The loving support that a brother/friend can provide in a moment of need * The porn couple's dissociation of just plain old sex ('physical love') and their budding personal rapport * The old rock star's 'love' for his manager - nothing scary here, just trust and loyalty and the love that's distilled over time * The love of humanity - plain old compassion - embodied in the work of organisations such as Fair Trade (notice the name of the office where a couple of our couples work) * The love that makes bearable the duty of caring for a mentally ill brother * The love of country and culture and honour expressed in the heads of government press conference * Et cetera, et cetera .just some of the many species of love that are all around
And apart from that, there were some touching boy/girl stories, some witty lines and some enjoyable musical sidesteps. It left me feeling optimistic and uplifted - as well as thoroughly entertained. Loved this film.