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Love Actually
2003
Written and directed by Richard Curtis and produced by Duncan Kenworthy (the team behind NOTTING HILL and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) this zingy Brit-com weaves a vivid crazy quilt of interlocking or unrelated vignettes all dealing with the subject of love over the Christmas holidays in London. The big name cast includes Hugh .. Read more
| Starring | Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Curtis |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance |
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Love Actually
Written and directed by Richard Curtis and produced by Duncan Kenworthy (the team behind NOTTING HILL and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) this zingy Brit-com weaves a vivid crazy quilt of interlocking or unrelated vignettes all dealing with the subject of love over the Christmas holidays in London. The big name cast includes Hugh Grant as a prime minister who falls for a member of staff, Liam Neeson as a widower counseling his son in the ways of romance, Laura Linney as a shy woman working up the nerve to ask out a colleague, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman as a couple faced with infidelity, and Colin Firth as a writer who falls for his Portuguese maid. Additionally, a pair of porn film stand-ins bond on the set, an artist fantasises about his friend's wife; and perhaps funniest of all, an ageing rock star (Bill Nighy) tries to make his comeback with a Christmas novelty song. The likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson and Denise Richards turn up in cameos, helping make this film a throwback to those all-star, multi-plotted comedies of the 1960s and '70s, such as IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963), NASHVILLE (1975), and CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978). With Curtis' comedic credentials and the star wattage of pros like Grant, Neeson and Thompson, LOVE, ACTUALLY is a laugh-packed affair, with more than a few tears to be shed along the way, and a startling amount of bawdy raunchiness.
| Starring | Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Martin Freeman, Andrew Lincoln, Billy Bob Thornton, Heike Makatsch, Joanna Page, Lucia Moniz, Lucia Moniz / |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Curtis |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK VIDEO RENTAL |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 9 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 9 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | 100 Rom-Coms, Muller's Indulgent Movies |
| Genres | Comedy, Romance |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 19 Mar 2004 Blu-ray: unknown Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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So drenched in upbeat sentiment that it makes Frank Capra seem emotionally reserved, this ensemble romantic comedy from writer Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill) is an unashamedly saccharine proposition. Curtis's opening assertion in his debut behind the camera is that, in these cynical times, “love actually is all around”, and to illustrate this he unfurls eight ongoing stories, headed by Hugh Grant's new Prime Minister falling for junior staff member Martine McCutcheon, and writer Colin Firth enchanted by his Portuguese housekeeper (Lucia Moniz). Boasting an attractive cast that includes Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Keira Knightley, this deliberately commercial Christmas package may be guilty of spreading its acting talent a bit thin, but even the most cynical of hearts couldn't fail to be lifted by the charm of the characters and their romantic dilemmas. Aside from all the hearts and flowers, though, it's Bill Nighy's uproarious turn as an over-the-hill rocker promoting a novelty record that really delivers the laughs.
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Extremely soft-centred, sentimental romantic comedy with some funny moments, particularly a sub-plot involving an aged rocker; at times, though, it appears to be a parody of the genre.
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Most helpful member's review
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67 out of 84 people found this review helpful
The Richard Curtis Guide to Making a "Blockbuster"
Step 1 - The Cast.
Ring round all of your buddies to see which ones can spare you a few days for your movie. Make sure you tell them that you'll typecast them so they won't be expected to do anything awful such as having to act.
Step 2 - The Characters.
Typecasting should remove the need for any of this nonsense.
Step 3 - The Plot.
Skip this too. Who needs a plot when you've got such a loveable cast. Go straight on to sub-plots.
Step 4 - The Sub-Plots.
Decide to make the move about love. Brainstorm all of the types of love you can think of. (e.g. First love, forbidden love, adulterous love etc). When you've scraped the bottom of the barrel, write your cast list down on a piece of paper and connect as many as you can to each other with a line representing one of these types of love. When you run out, join the rest with random relationships (e.g brother, mate, nextdoor neighbour). This will make all of your individual sub-plots look like they're part of something big and clever.
Step 5 - Diversion.
Just in case anybody is tempted to see through this, set the movie at Christmas for that ultimate sprinkling of feel-good factor.
Step 6 - Take it Easy.
Sit back and count the cash that comes rolling in. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
The integration of various characters love lives is explored with humour, affection and irony. My favourite had to be the has-been rock star who eventually appreciates the generosity of his manager. Emma thompson is excellent as the unappreciated housewife, perturbed by her husband's advances towards his secretary. Grant has a knack of always performing the same character in virtually every one of his films and here he does so with tgremendous success.
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News and features
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Nighy won't watch his films
- 19 Nov 2009
Actor Bill Nighy refuses to watch himself in movies - because he finds the experience "distressing". The Love Actually star has starred in more than 30 films, including the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, since the 1980s, but he finds it difficult to watch himself on the big screen. He says, "I try to never watch. It takes me so long to get over it and I'm always so downcast. I find it really distressing. Maybe when I'm very old, I'll sit down and watch my earlier work.... Read more
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