Falling in love never looked so ...romantic! And FUNNY! Curtis' valentine to love is one for all; a must see and an instant classic!

Rating: 10/10 (10 November 2003)

LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) **** Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Rowan Atkinson, Andrew Lincoln, Martine McCutcheon, Thomas Sangster, Olivia Olson, Rodrigo Santoro, Lucia Moniz, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Denise Richards, Ivana Milicevic, January Jones, Elisha Cuthbert, Shannon Elizabeth, Claudia Schiffer. Utterly charming valentine to romantic comedies, romance and love – not necessarily in that order – from acclaimed genre screenwriter Richard Curtis (in his directorial debut) as a valentine of sorts to hopeless romantics and those who don't know better. Interweaving several plot points amongst a dozen or so characters including Grant as the British Prime Minister who is falling fast for his tea&crumpet server McCutcheon; his sister Thompson who is in a possibly rocky marriage with Rickman who is mulling over having an affair; Linney as Rickman's associate who is pining for fellow co-worker Santoro; Neeson as Grant and Thompson's recently widowed brother and stepfather to the young Sangster who is experiencing his first pangs of true love in the form of coed Olson; porno stand-ins Freeman and Page courting one another shyly; Nighy as a fading rock star trying to cash in on an oldie but a goody for a holiday comeback; and lastly Firth as a writer recovering from a troubled break-up falling in love with his comely assistant, the lovely Moniz. Set during the holidays Curtis wisely milks the emotions of the season with his crackerjack cast, sharply witty and surprisingly poignant screenplay and an effortless ease with the back and forth of each vignette perfectly paced and skillfully observed. An instant classic and one of the very few movies I actually felt good about myself for seeing immediately after – truly enlightening and uplifting. A choice soundtrack including Dido, The Pointer Sisters and The Beach Boys sure doesn't hurt either. Very funny, romantic and altogether perfect! One of the year's best films.