Charming Christmas classic

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2015)

Who doesn't love Love Actually? I know I do. It's such a sentimental, goofy, overblown pile of mush and I love it even more for all those reasons. Not to sound sappy, but a lot of the situations and character interactions it entails are blunt, awkward truths made even more hilarious by an even more awkward cast, and encapsulate the true meaning of Christmas. Not all the couples work out, not all of the individual stories end well or in satisfaction for themselves or the audience. But you know what? That's life, and they make the best out of what they have at this special time of year, which is what it's really about. To balance it out, not all of them end like that; some turn out splendidly for the characters, leaving them beaming. Some learn tough lessons that are necessary for growth, some find love in storybook fashion and others are simply there for coming relief. And what comedy we get, tearful drama as well, delivered by an astoundingly massive cast of British legends, speckled by a few familiar Yankee faces as well. Liam Neeson plays a grieving father whose son (Thomas Bodie Sangster) is sick with love. Neeson's sister (Emma Watson, grounded, real, heartbreaking) deals with her irresponsible husband (Alan Rickman, incapable of a false note). The newly elected Prime Minister (Hugh Grant in flustered, fumbling glory) is attracted to his cute secretary (Martine Mcutcheon) and aloof writer Colin Firth feels pangs for his Portuguese housekeeper who speaks not a word of English. Laura Linney has a steamy office romance with Rodrigo Santoro whilst dealing with an ill sibling, Bill Nighy is hysterical as a cynical pop star learning what old age means, Keira Knightely, Chiwetel Efjor and Andrew Lincoln are involved in a subtle love triangle, and there's all kinds of interwoven people including Martin Freeman, Desmond Askew, Elisha Cuthbert, Ivana Milicevic, January Jones, Claudia Schiffer, Shannon Elizabeth, Denise Richards, Sienna Guillory, Billy Bob Thornton as the sleazy US President and a priceless Rowan Atkinson as the world's weirdest jewelry salesman. It's a big old circus of Christmas spirit with all kinds of different motivations, desires and relationships, which reach a festive fever pitch of a finale as all the stories escalate into giddy yuletide melodrama and cathartic god times that are impossible to not smile at. An annual watch for me.