long commercial

Rating: 3/10 (12 January 2005)

typical conformist British comedy, love actually has no taste, or the taste of a commercial for vodafone or cisco systems... There are a lot of characters and the rhythm is high, so you can't be really bored by love actually. There is a character and a story for each type of viewer: the sexy story for the young cool guy, the "adultere" story for the 50 years old woman..., and some anecdotal or ridiculous stories (the prime minister and his waitress...). The movie respects some rules, those which made successful other British comedy's as Bridget Jones. If you liked Bridget, love actually is really pleasant; Some scenes even seems to be part of the sequel of Bridget. but you remain with a question: has the writer-director Richard Curtis ever been in love? his way of thinking is closer to a responsible of advertising agency than a scenarist: before talking about love, a writer could be able to show some love or tenderness for his characters; but Curtis respects sacred rules of actual British comedy: niggardliness toward characters, sociological plot, and morality hidden behind broad jokes... The film is made for TV: what could be the interest to see on a big screen this little characters, described with so much meanness, and without personality? The resemblance with commercials is frightening, more than in major part of Hollywood movies: European films can surpass American ones in putting a maximum of marketing in cinema.