Another feel-good offering from Curtis. I actually like Four Weddings and a Funeral' and Bridget Jones' Diary' more

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2004)

The film is set in the five weeks leading up to Christmas and consists of a number of love stories affecting people who are related to characters in the other stories: a best man (Andrew Lincoln) is inexplicably hostile to his friend's new wife; the British Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) falls in love with his tea lady (Martine McCutcheon); his sister (Emma Thomson) is faced with her husband (Alan Rickman) having an affair at work; Alan Rickman's colleague (Laura Linney) finds her long term crush and love for another colleague requited; a widowed father (Liam Neeson) helps his son cope with falling in love for the first time; a writer (Colin Firth) escapes to France after being cheated on by his wife and finds new love; and an aging rocker (Bill Nighy) aims to make Christmas Number One in the pop charts with a cover of Love Is All Around' only the lyrics have been changed to Christmas Is All Around'. (Astonishingly, this song has been released for real in the UK and made the top 40!)
If you enjoyed Richard Curtis's previous offerings Four Weddings And A Funeral' and Notting Hill', you will not be disappointed by Love Actually' which is fun, likeable and romantic, if a little formulaic. Hugh Grant gets another starring role in a Curtis movie and gives an endearing performance as the British Prime Minister. I like him a lot but I am sure that there are some people out there who will be irritated to find him in typical bumbling mode (yet again!)
It is a joy to see the abundance of British stars on the screen and it is fun to spot the additional television stars including British television presenters of the moment Ant and Dec! My favourite moment is one I'm sure many of the British public have been faced with at some point in their lives when Bill Nighy refers to one of the presenters as Ant or Dec' as he has no idea which is which! Other comic highlights include Hugh Grant dancing in the hallway at Number Ten and the language barrier between Colin Firth and his maid in France even though they are unable to speak each other's language, the subtitles on the screen show that they are communicating even if they are not aware of it. The chemistry between these two is irresistible but is let down by the silly way that their story is resolved.
While the film is filled with likeable performances, there is one piece of casting which let Liam Neeson's story down. His son is cute but he sounds far too posh and well spoken for me to feel sympathy for his situation!
Alongside the humour, there are some unexpected serious moments which I think over tip the balance and sit uncomfortably in a mostly lighthearted comedy. One of these is the discovery that Laura Linney's new love is jeopardised by her commitment to her mentally ill brother. Emma Thomson's realisation that her husband is cheating on her is also heartbreaking. You have these serious undercurrents on the one hand and on the other you have a couple of silly stories: one featuring Kris Marshall leaving his life in London for Wisconsin in search of beautiful girls and rampant sex and another featuring Martin Freeman (Tim from The Office') as a porn body double having getting to know you' conversations while engaging in various sexual positions with his naked co-star.
Love Actually' is like a book of short stories and suffers in the same way: by the time you get into the stories and you are just starting to get to know the main character, it is time to move on to a completely new story which is sometimes less interesting. However, it makes for an enjoyable and romantic enough date movie and is Christmassy enough to warrant repeat viewings on DVD and television over festive seasons to come.