Love Actually (2003)

<<

Christmas List 2023

>>

As it is with most high-school kids, there was a point in time when I had quite a thing for a girl in one of my art classes. Unlike many at that point in time, she was very sweet and gave me the time of day. Things didn't ultimately work out, but we remain on friendly terms, and I'm always grateful to her for simply being her. Another thing I have to thank her for is introducing me to this movie, which, in turn, made me feel better about romantic love altogether, as I once thought some pretty bitter stuff about the whole concept.

Funnily enough, I first watched this movie in the summer of 2013, only to realize it's a Christmas movie. My friend didn't explain a whole lot more to me about the film aside from it being a combination of different stories having to do with concepts of love, it was an all-star cast, it was directed by the same guy who did 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' and that she really wanted a lot of it to be a surprise for the first time I watch it. While I first passed it off as just another mush movie, I have to admit that when I finally got around to it, I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The film centres on a massive group of interconnecting characters, all of whom have their own "love story," using different concepts of love for everything! To be perfectly honest, about ten different storylines are going on here, and to think that one can take the concept of "love" and come up with ten different ways to show it is, at least in my opinion, quite clever. Before this, I was basically stuck on three: the love for your family, your friends and, of course, the obvious, romantic love. That said, to go through them all would take forever.

I think, however, the viewer has to take away the stories they relate to the most to get something special from the film. Speaking personally, I related to the British Prime Minister, David (Hugh Grant), inconveniently smitten with his new staff member, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), and Mark (Andrew Lincoln), who is infatuated with his best friend, Peter's (Chiwetel Ejiofor) new wife, Juliet (Keira Knightley). This also shows his loyalty and love for his friend despite his feelings for her. To a lesser degree, I can also relate to Jamie's character (Colin Firth) just for using writing to help fill the void romance has left behind.

There are so many other stories going on here that odds are one will find one to relate to in some way. A lot of them are actually much funnier than I would have expected, ranging from Collin (Kris Marshall), who just wants to travel to America in hopes of getting laid with his British charm, two movie sex doubles, John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page) who hit it off at the job and of course my personal favourite character of the entire film, pop singer Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) and his constantly giving his manager (Gregor Fisher) a hard time.

Of course, no movie about love would be complete without a little bit of difficulty, which is where the three more profound stories come in. Sarah (Laura Linney), Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), and Michael (Michael Fitzgerald) show how sometimes love for family has to take priority over romantic love. Harry (Alan Rickman), Karen (Emma Thompson), and Mia (Heike Makatsch) is a story about temptation outside of one's family, and last but not least, Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his stepson, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), who have lost their respective wife and mother and deal by discussing how Sam can win over his crush, Joanna (Olivia Olson).

I didn't think I'd be able to get through all of the stories in the review, but somehow I did. The tenth story in question is a somewhat deleted one involving Rowan Atkinson, who was initially meant to be a Christmas angel - something reasonably evident if you consider his role here. Anyway, I think there's something here for everyone, and it gets more criticism than it deserves. I actually found it to be creative and well-thought-out. It's another nice, down-to-earth film that one must watch with an open heart and mind. Remember that for as many storylines as there is here, none of it is as repetitive as one might think. This one holds a special place in my heart for many reasons, and that's not gonna change any time soon.

5/5

---