Not since American Beauty

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2003)

I'll admit that from the shorts, I wasn't expecting a lot of this film. If the cast hadn't included folk like Emma Thompson and Alan Rikman, I would not have been inclined to see it. By the age of ten, I'd already seen more cliche romantic comedies than any person should have to endure in a single lifetime. I was very pleased to discover Love Actually is not another.
The film is technically very good with excellent scripting, acting, directing etc. etc., but what impressed me most is its socio-political relevance. In another time and place this film might just be a nice, amusing, upbeat film. But here and now, it's a powerful story that beautifully counterbalances the daily propaganda barrage of terror inflicted on us by the news media. Not since American Beauty have I seen a film that demonstrates that rare but wonderful quality of being able to recast the viewer's world in a new, more accurate light.
Love Actually is a credit to its media. It's so much more than just entertaining and a source of income to those in the industry. This is a story told with great skill that has the potential to quietly enrich our culture.