Love Actually is like a good hug. It’s warm, it’s peaceful, and it makes you much happier when it’s over than you were before it began. Sure, it’s unbelievable. Sure, it’s way over the top. Sure, it makes ridiculous assumptions about our emotions and the optimism of them. For me, however, all those assumptions are right on. You really have to check your instinctual disbelief at the door to really enjoy this movie. You have to let it work its magic on you. However, the movie’s just so charming that it’s really not all that hard. It features a veritable bevy of British talent, at least four of which have been in the Royal Shakespeare Company.Okay, just allow me to let my hopeless-romantic tendencies run wild for a little while. I promise I’ll keep them in check from now on.
Daniel, Sam & Joanna
The real story in this section is what happens to Sam and Daniel, and Joanna is just window dressing. Liam Neeson gives probably the most sympathetic performance of his career; from the second he comes on the screen in the funeral scene, you feel like giving him a hug. Thomas Sangster violates about 50 international laws with how frickin’ cute he is, and the two of them together play off each other so well, you might forget it’s a movie. Sam represents the carpe diem philosophy the film puts forth. The moment Sam comes back from the terminal and hugs Daniel was really what the storyline was about: Sam connecting with Daniel, not Joanna.
Colin Firth is very convincing as a British writer, but he basically plays the same character in every movie he’s in. His performance here is basically exactly the same as his two Bridget Jones’ Diary turns, and his role in Pride & Prejudice was so minimal that it can’t bear comparison. Lúcia Moniz is a stunning physical specimen as Aurelia, and her smile lights up a room, but it really goes no further than that. This storyline, however, is responsible for one of the sweetest and most hilarious moments in the entire film.
Billy & Joe
These two are fantastic. Not a romantic relationship, but still love, though they don’t realize it till the end. Here we have one person very polite and composed (Joe), and the other a seemingly rude prick (Billy) who’s progressed to the point where he doesn’t need to be careful what he says. This relationship shows that love is different than romance, and really needs a much wider definition then romance.
Karen, Harry & Mia
This storyline is very predictable, and yet it’s not. We can see from the get-go that it’s going down a very dark road, from the first interaction of Harry and Mia. In theory, Mia is very attractive and sexy, but I didn’t find her so; maybe it was because she was just so slutty. Add to that Emma Thompson’s performance as Karen, and I just thought Harry was the biggest prat in the world. But Alan Rickman plays a prat like no one else. He is simply brilliant, like he always is. Note: Even standing at a counter is completely hilarious when it’s done by Rowan Atkinson.
Colin
This section infuriated me, and made me pout a little. I thought, “why does this happen to him and not to me?” Colin, who’s the very definition of a loser, experiences some incredibly fantastic luck, and amazingly, karma never catches up to him. By the end, I was sticking my lip out and going “NOT FAIR!!!” It’s saved, however, by Kris Marshall’s unendingly charming performance.
Nothing much happens in this storyline, and it’s basically just the comic relief in a movie that needs none. The fact that they’re very innocently pursuing a romance while they’re doing what they’re doing is pretty funny. It’s like they don’t even take notice of their surroundings. Funny, but unnecessary.
It’s hard to choose, but this is probably my favorite section. Keira Knightly is very good in a subtle and sweet turn, as is Andrew Lincoln. Of all the characters, I probably empathized with
David & Natalie
The non-believability of this section is really what makes it shine. Hugh Grant seems to have carved his place out as the selfish bastard, but I think he’s a lot better when he plays passive-aggressive nice guys, like here and in Notting Hill. This storyline really emphasizes that you have to have your suspension of disbelief cranked to 11. Once you do, however, Hugh Grant and Martine McCutcheon make a very cute couple. The Billy Bob Thornton cameo is a case of dead-on casting, too.
Sarah & Karl
This section, one of the not-as-good ones, is redeemed by two things: that they got Laura Linney to play the part of Sarah (as opposed to basically anyone else), and the turn it takes. Normally, very stark turns in a mostly happy film are not advisable, but here it works. This section brings the movie to giving a complete view of love; it shows that it doesn’t always work out the way you want.
We may live in a fallen and sinful world, but no matter how much filth and ugliness you apply to some things, they still reflect something holy and pure. That’s what Love Actually brings out to me. Okay, hopeless-romantic moment over.
“I’m on
“Tell her that you love her! You’ve got nothing to lose, and you’ll always regret it if you don’t. You’ve seen the films, kiddo. It ain’t over till it’s over!”
“Enough. Enough now.”
Particle Man
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