Review of Love Actually (2003) by Spangle — 21 Nov 2016

Cute, charming, and indelibly sweet, Love Actually may be a bit too rich for some due to its wide-armed embrace of movie romance cliches and absurdities, but for those willing to go along with it, the film is a true joy. Setting it during Christmas is a stroke of genius as director Richard Curtis expertly matches the joy, spirit, and magic of the season with that of love, while being unafraid of showing of the dirty, messy, and painful side of love. Through love lost via relationship missteps or death, love found via unexpected avenues, or unrequited love, Love Actually is a breathtaking and expansive look at love that tremendously develops its character. Plus, what a cast! Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, and January Jones, all appear in Curtis' largest romantic production yet. While I do prefer his more grounded looks at love in Notting Hill and About Time, Love Actually is still a joyful experience.

Truly, the greatest accomplishment here are the characters. For such a large cast of intertwined people, Love Actually jumps quite easily from character-to-character and story-to-story while drawing lines between each and giving each character room to breathe. From Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant), a former playboy looking to finally settle down when he meets Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) to Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), a former heroin addict rock star who realizes love may not be for him, Love Actually's character range is expansive and each romance is well-developed. Though often giving way to cliche, particularly with 11-year old Sam running through the airport to find the "love of his life", Love Actually manages to rise above the cliches by somehow exploiting them perfectly. In a lesser film, running through the airport to find a girl would have bothered me greatly. Here, however, the film manages to make it into an explosive climax, symbolizing the hurdles experienced by all characters in the film trying to find their love with the big, adorable pay-off.

Of all the characters, it is hard to choose a favorite. Billy Mack is great, of course, but one of the best pairings is John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page). Each encounter between the duo embodies the sweet and charming nature of the rest of the film, as well as the clumsiness and awkward nature experienced by the other characters. Though given relatively little screentime, their quick chemistry and immediate romantic charm make them an enjoyable couple to watch progress during the film. This duo really shows the charm of the film and how effective it can be at drawing pathos. We barely see this duo and yet, their encounters are entirely memorable and incredibly well handled.

Love Actually's willingness to embrace cliche may be its biggest turn off for many, but for myself, it was one of the best pieces. On their own, each story would certainly crumble if extended into a whole film. Together, however, they soar as little snippets into a variety of people's love lives. As a whole, it is a vignette and love letter to love and all of its ills and joys.

Now, Love Actually is imperfect. By not focusing on any single character, it does limit itself somewhat. Though a great vignette into love as a whole, one of the best parts of any romance film is being along for the whole ride. By jumping from character-to-character, Love Actually deprives its audience of this element and, as a result, the climax is not as infectious as it could have been. Still a great climax, but a bit stunted compared to the others works by Curtis.

Love Actually is a bold and ambitious look at love by director Richard Curtis. Pairing him with a tremendous and large cast, the film is a beautiful take on the matter and really delves into all that it can bring. That said, its large cast and numerous characters, though well-written, can be both a gift and a curse given the genre of the film. Though we become connected to each character here, the beauty of the romantic film is the journey, not just the beginning, little bits in the middle, and the ending. For it to be truly satisfactory, you must eat the whole pie, not just a slice.