A romantic comedy that does not suck

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2010)

Love Actually is a British move about eight couples and their struggles with love.
Like Valentine's Day, Love Actually features an a-list celebrity cast; Hugh Grant, Liam Neesan and Kiera Knightly to name a few.
The plot of Love Actually is more real and down to earth than your typical American romantic comedy. Most of the character's stories are simple and you can see them in everyday life. The common issues some of these people are dealing with makes the characters more likable and makes the movie feel more personal.
Grant plays the prime minister of England and falls in love with a member of his maid staff. Neesan is helping his ten-year-old stepson tell the love of his young life how he feels. Colin Firth just found out his girlfriend is cheating on him with his younger brother and moves to the country where he falls for a woman who does not speak a lick of English.
At times the movie does feel a little rushed because of all the completely separate plots going on. At times it can get confusing and a lot of times viewers will be wondering why they haven't seen much of a certain characters in what feels like a long time.
All the actors in this movie did a good job for how little screen time they had. Only a really talented group of actors could draw an audience into the characters and story as quick as that group did.
Love Actually may not be completely realistic but it does what it aims for. It is a solid feel-good movie that does not make you cringe the entire film. This is not an artistically crafted love story, it's a simple movie meant to convey one simple idea; "love actually is all around."