A Holiday Reminder

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2019)

Some feel that this perennial favorite film, LOVE ACTUALLY, is a response to the global devastation and fear that the September 11, 2001 created - a deeply felt longing for a return to peace and for acknowledging love. That may have influenced writer/director Richard Curtis to create this series of stories, but whether that is the case or not, this cinematic miracle has become a holiday must see and relive-experience for many of us.
The stories - and there are many of them - are set in England the month before Christmas and are as varied as the feeling of love itself: a has-been rock star ultimately discovers his true love is his male manager (Bill Nighy and Gregor Fisher), the Prime Minister finds attraction to a feisty employee (Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon), a desiring female longs for a fellow employee but owns her love for her ill brother (Laura Linney and Rodrigo Santoro), a married couple deals with adultery (Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson), a writer discovers true love in a Portuguese maid (Colin Firth and Sienna Guilory), a newly married couple cope with an ambiguous friend's attraction (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Keira Knightley and Andrew Lincoln), a father advises his young son about going for love (Liam Neeson and Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and more.
Not only is the story well written and directed and full of Christmas spirit, but it also is superbly acted by an outstanding cast. Get the feeling of love that we need to embrace: try LOVE ACTUALLY. Highly recommended for repeated viewings.