Romantic comedy with something for everyone

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2008)

I like the thinking behind Richard Curtis' concept for "Love Actually." Why tell one Christmas love story when you can tell eight? Everyone loves Christmas, everyone loves love, and if you can tell eight stories that are all related but about something different, you're bound to have everyone who sees the film relate to at least one of the story lines. It sounds sort of gimmicky when put in those terms, but with good writing and some great actors, "Love Actually" works and is surprisingly enjoyable despite a high cheese factor.
"Love Actually" is sort of the ultimate British-American romantic comedy. When you put Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thorton (and then some) all in the same billing, it's ridiculously impressive. You almost can't fail. I mean, at one point there is a scene featuring a sort of negotiation between Grant, the prime minister of the U.K. and Thorton, the president of the U.S. If the demographic for this film isn't overstated with Christmas and romance already, that certainly ices the cake.
The story lines are for the most part all good, but with eight of them, they all don't have to be. You pick the ones that you like and you stomach the ones you don't as much because you know they won't last long enough to bore or annoy you. Some people will like the more comedic ones like Bill Nighy as a recording artist trying to re-ignite his career with a hit Christmas single and some will like the more straight up romance like when Firth, an author, tries to communicate his feelings for a Portuguese woman who doesn't speak English. Fortunately, it's not disjointed either, so you don't feel you're watching several different films. Christmas time helps set that tone, but in general the mood the film is consistent in all the story lines.
Like most romantic comedies, there's always a cheese factor, but the better ones make you forgive the cheese. For the most part, "Love Actually"'s cheese is very forgivable. Towards the end it gets a little out of hand, but you are so immersed in the story lines that you let it go. The humor of the film is also so strong that it also earns your appreciation regardless of how much you like romance.
As far as film concepts that seem like romantic comedy sell-outs are concerned, "Love Actually" is probably one of the best. It's diverse but cohesive and funny to all senses of humor. It has a killer cast and of course good heart and strong themes. So as much as you might think you're watching just another romantic comedy about Christmas, "Love Actually" at least convinces you that for the time you're wrong.