Love Actually Review: It’s Actually Fine

Richard Curtis’ Love Actually contains enough romance and comedy to melt the coldest of hearts, even if it’s a tad problematic.

Well, now that I have watched it, I can at least say the truth is a mix of both the good and the bad: yes, it still works as a traditional romantic comedy, but it also proves to be a product of its time, including a couple of problematic or at least uncomfortable elements that wouldn’t fly today.

But that’s all right. Every time I watch a film from ten, twenty, thirty or more years ago, I have to do so thinking that it was made in another time and place. Meaning, it will almost certainly contain elements of sexism, homophobia, racism, or a combination of all. In the case of Love Actually, it’s not as bad as that, but it is interesting to watch a feel-good movie that, for some reason, has it against overweight people. One particular character is described as “chubby” when she’s anything but (which tells us a lot about beauty and weight standards of the time, really); another one is called “fat” multiple times, and there’s even a joke about a man’s “comically” overweight and unattractive daughter. As a larger man myself, I wasn’t necessarily offended by all this, but again: it is interesting to see how things have changed so much in twenty years.

Anyway, having gotten all that out of the way, what about the film itself? What about the story and its characters? In general, Love Actually still feels like a classic movie about love and hope. Yes, it’s set during Christmas in London and it’s all about the holiday spirit. But more than that, it’s about different expressions of love, be it fraternal love, unrequited love, dishonest love, very young love, and even love with a language barrier. It’s all oh-so-sweet and earnest, and it never feels exceedingly saccharine. This is due to Curtis’ script, of course, but also thanks to the cast, comprised of a bunch of British legends and a couple of international stars.

Love Actually tells the story of many characters, all of them living their own little romances in London. Much like in other ensemble films, these stories are expertly intertwined and interwoven, and some of the characters who seemed to be living independent lives end up being related to each other. Firstly, we have Hugh Grant’s Prime Minister, whose term in office is just starting. Similarly to other Grant characters, he’s a bit of a bumbling mess, which isn’t helped by the presence of aide Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), with whom he starts to fall in love.

Then there’s the Prime Minister’s sister, Karen (Emma Thompson), who’s in a somewhat stagnant marriage with Harry (Alan Rickman, R.I.P.), who starts falling in love (or in lust) with his secretary. On the other hand, Karen’s best friend, Daniel (Liam Neeson) has just lost his wife, the love of his life, and now has to deal with a stepson, Sam (a very young Thomas Brodie-Sangster, from Game of Thrones), who is falling in love for the first time. Additionally, there’s Jamie (Colin Firth), who discovers his wife (Sienna Guillory) is cheating on him and thus decides to travel to a cottage in Marseille, where he falls in love with a Portuguese girl called Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz).

But wait, there’s more! We also have John (Martin Freeman), who starts dating Mia (Heike Makatsch), who he meets while shooting a simulated sex scene for a movie (they both work as body doubles). And there’s Juliet (Keira Knightley), who has caught the eye of his husband Peter’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) best friend, Mark (Andrew Lincoln, pre-The Walking Dead). Oh, and how can we forget about American Sarah (Laura Linney), who can’t stop thinking about co-worker Karla (Rodrigo “Xerxes” Santoro), or ageing popstar Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), who’s recording a new, Christmas-centred version of one of his biggest pop songs, and who finds a different kind of love during the Holidays, rather than a sensual one?

Apart from all these people and their problems, Curtis even manages to include a couple of comic-relief characters, in order to add a little bit of levity to the proceedings. Thus, we end up meeting a very patient (and slow) jewellery seller played by Rowan Atkinson (his big scene is definitely one of the film’s stand-outs). And a stereotypical horny guy called Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall), who decides to travel to the United States to find his ideal girl, and surprisingly enough, ends up fulfilling his mission. As you can see, Love Actually is full of stories and interesting situations, which means some of them end up being better developed than others.

If I had to pick my favourites, I would definitely start with Daniel and Sam’s story. Their father and stepson relationship is credible and sweet, and the way the kid expresses his feelings feels particularly poignant, in light of what Neeson’s character is going through. And I’d also pick the Prime Minister and Natalie’s romance. Yes, the constant fat-shaming against the latter is frankly ridiculous and unnecessary, but apart from that, their story is the one that feels more like an idealistic fairy tale. You know, featuring a working-class girl who finds the love of his life in the form of her country’s political leader (who happens to be honest and sweet; that’s the most fantastical aspect of this whole ordeal!) These are the stories that end up melting my heart.

On the other hand, there are a couple of ones that don’t serve the movie right. Even though I believe Andrew Lincoln is perfectly fine as Mark, the way his attraction towards Juliet is played feels pretty icky. If you take your time to think about it, everything about that story, including the famous (or infamous) scene with the signs, is creepy rather than romantic (and it certainly doesn’t help that Knightley was seventeen when she shot the film). And although everybody loves Colin Firth, his romance with Aurelia is the least believable aspect of Love Actually. In fact, even though they get their happy ending, I always finish the film having the feeling that their relationship has no future, and that in real life, they would end up separating soon enough.

Which isn’t something you’d want to feel while watching a romantic comedy, of course. Thankfully, most of the stories do work, and with a cast like this, even the more paper-thin characters get their time to shine. Curtis’ direction is straightforward, the cinematography is cosy (full of warm colours and comfy interiors), London is portrayed as happy and festive (and having spent two Christmases in said city, the film certainly makes me feel nostalgic), and the movie in general works as a charming and modern fairy tale. Love Actually is for the hopeless romantics and idealists of this world, but those just looking for a warm and comfortably predictable experience should enjoy the movie too.

Love Actually is now available to watch on digital and on demand.

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