Dir.
Richard Curtis, 2003, UK, 135 mins
Cast:
Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Rowan Atkinson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley
You'd expect nothing but the best from the man who penned Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones' Diary and Richard Curtis has certainly gone to town with Love Actually, (also his directorial debut), which depicts the lives and loves of, let's face it, countless Londoners!
The cast is a veritable feast of the best of British. With big names such as Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman in the line-up, box office takings are virtually guaranteed. Numerous cameos include television stars Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman (The Office), Andrew Lincoln (This Life and Teachers) and Kris Marshall (My Family) and even Ant and Dec and Michael Parkinson playing themselves.
Fast becoming one of the most natural comedy actors around, Hugh Grant is in his element as a young Prime Minster who ends up falling for his tea lady, Natalie, played by Martine McCutcheon in her impressive big screen debut. But things at Number Ten hot up with the visit of Billy Bob Thornton's sleazy US president and the PM is forced to make decisions in this interesting and admittedly rather bizarre plot!
Playing the Prime Minster's sister Karen is Emma Thompson, whose marriage to Harry, Alan Rickman, come under strain when she realises he's falling for the charms of his secretary. In another middle class London house, Daniel, (a very charming Liam Neeson), is mourning the loss of his wife, but when he discovers his stepson is in love with a classmate, father and son put their energies into getting her attention in an amusing subplot - in which even Claudia Schiffer makes an appearance!
However, the best lines go to Bill Nighy's ageing rocker, Billy Mack, who is aiming for a Christmas Number One via a cheesy cover version of Love Is All Around sung as Christmas Is All Around. Cynical to the very last, he admits his record is rubbish during a live radio interview, yet is prepared to grace every TV show on earth to promote it. Natural acting and great comic timing make Nighy the film's centrepiece as he lights up every scene he's in.
If anything spoils the film, it's the idea that 'too many cooks spoil the broth'. Like a pizza with too many toppings, you never get enough of your favourite. Several stories could have been eliminated to make way for the stronger ones. Kris Marshall's Colin, the English lad who reckons he can go to America for guaranteed romance (which he does!) and the love triangle between newly wed Juliet (Keira Knightley), her husband Peter and his best man, played by Andrew Lincoln, fail to grab genuine attention and interest. And while Colin Firth's love story, in which he falls in love with his Portuguese cleaner while renting a house in France, has some great moments, it doesn't quite mesh with the rest of the film.
And there should have been more from Laura Linney's Sarah who is desperately in love with her colleague, the gorgeous Karl (Rodrigo Santoro). But their relationship is scuppered by her mentally ill brother who calls at the most inopportune moments! Martin Freeman provides a great comic turn as a body double for a porn star and the growing relationship with his female counterpart is shamefully underplayed.
In fact, what is often lacking in Love Actually is dialogue, actually. With so many characters, some storylines are shown via a great soundtrack when all you want is Richard Curtis' great comedy dialogue. The first half sets up the various plots and the second half resolves them - but with so many to resolve, that's a lot to achieve in 135 minutes.
But, in spite of everything, Richard Curtis has done a great job bringing together such a talented ensemble of actors and creating a film that is everything you want from a romantic comedy over the festive season - brazenly romantic and incredibly funny.
Meera Dattani
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