Fluffy and good-hearted

Rating: 6/10 (3 February 2008)

A calculatedly cutesy affair from across the pond, Love Actually benefits greatly from this impressive ensemble cast featuring some of England's most popular brand names. A first length feature directorial debut from the extremely popular British writer Richard Curtis finds ease in delivering heartfelt and accessible warmth in spades throughout the two + hours of multiple character acts, though fails to tie all these inter-connected and pleasant enough relationship threads into a more emotionally cohesive whole.
Feeling wildly uneven at times, Curtis lets a few of his characters breathe, while restricting others as mere wallpaper. All in all though Love Actually remains the lighthearted romantic holiday epic that it sets out to be by appeasing as many sappy-hearted Brits and Americans as possible and by cutting out the middleman known as subtlety.