Christmas 2020 Reviews: Day 25 - Love Actually (2003)
Love Actually is a modern, British Christmas classic. Everyone has seen it, and has an opinion on it, so why would you want to read mine? Well, because we've made it this far, it's Christmas Day, and this is the film I want to talk about.
Love Actually follows the ten stories of different people in London, all relating to love. I'll go through each of those storylines, before I look at the film as a whole. In no particular order, let's begin:
Jamie and Aurelia
After finding out that his girlfriend cheated on him, a heartbroken Jamie (Colin Firth) goes to France to stay in a cottage and focus on writing his latest crime novel. While there, a Portuguese housekeeper named Aurelia (portrayed by Lúcia Moniz) is hired to clean his house for him each day. She doesn't speak any English, and Jamie doesn't know Portuguese, but slowly the pair connect and learn to communicate with each other as best as they can.
I can't think of a romantic role Colin Firth played where the viewer isn't even slightly smitten with him. Yes, in this kind of role, he does tend to do the same kind of thing - the awkward, middle class Englishman, who can't quite express himself correctly, but has a loving heart. The realism of this situation is questionable, but despite not speaking the same language as each other for the majority of their scenes, Moniz and Firth have strong chemistry together. I also really liked how their lines worked well in response to the other person - despite the language barrier, they want to say the same things to each other. It's well-written.
Juliet, Peter and Mark
One of the most famous segments of the film, this one follows Mark (Andrew Lincoln) who is best friends with Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor). At the start of the film, Peter marries Juliet (Keira Knightley) and though Mark helps to make it a special day, he has always acted coldly towards Juliet, which the couple have never understood.
Out of all the plotlines in Love Actually, this one is perhaps the most controversial, or certainly the most debated one in recent years, as people are divided by Mark's actions, particularly in the famous sign scene. For me personally, I really like this segment in the film. Knightley and Lincoln play their parts very well (Ejiofor is fine, but unfortunately hardly featured) and the scene where Juliet finds out the truth behind Mark's cold treatment towards her is my favourite part of the film. You truly feel for both characters in that scene, as it's played so brilliantly. Controversial it may be, but I've always enjoyed this part of the film, although I wish there had been a bit more of a resolution for Mark and Juliet, to show where they really stand with each other in the final airport scene.
Billy Mack and Joe
Billy Mack (played by Bill Nighy) is an aging, once successful singer who is trying to make a comeback with his new Christmas single. However, his attempts to promote the single tend to be a bit controversial, thanks to Billy's frank and brutally honest manner, much to the chagrin of his manager, Joe (portrayed by Gregor Fisher).
This is a more comic plot than a love-based one. Therefore, it isn't one of the deepest storylines, but it does have more heart and humour than other comedic plots, namely Colin's. Bill Nighy is absolutely terrific as Billy Mack, and gives you some of the best laughs this film has to offer. Fisher has some good lines as well, and his reactions to Billy's actions are always fun to watch.
There is a more heartfelt turn in this plot at the end, which works really well without being as overly sentimental as the romantic plots are. The way this sincere moment is handled shows great understanding of these characters, and I think this is a really good example of how Richard Curtis, who wrote the film does a wonderful job in showing different kinds of love: from step-father and step-son, to romantic, to these two men here.
Daniel, Sam and the Joanna's
Daniel's wife Joanna recently died, leaving him to raise his stepson -Joanna's son- Samuel on his own. Sam has become reclusive and doesn't talk to Daniel much since his mother died, leaving him worried about the boy's wellbeing. However, things brighten and bond them together when Sam confesses that what's really been getting him down is that he is in love with a girl at school name Joanna, who apparently doesn't know that he exists.
Liam Neeson as Daniel and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Sam are a fantastic pairing as step-father and step-son. They work off of each other so well, and you believe in their connection. It's so lovely that this young boy's love helps them both focus on something other than their grief. There's not much else to say about this part really, it's delightful and very well done.
Harry, Karen and Mia
In this storyline, you have Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson together as a married couple. Do you really need to know any more to be intrigued?
Alan Rickman plays Harry, with Thompson playing his wife, Karen. They are happily married, or so it seems. A new girl in Harry's office named Mia (Heike Makatsch) openly flirts with him, and tries to seduce him. Will Harry succumb to this young woman's advances, or will he stay faithful to Emma Thompson?
God I miss Alan Rickman. I would choose to spend a day with one of his nastier characters over any of the pleasant male leads in the films this month. What a wonderful performer, and gifted human being. This is one of the only roles I've seen him in where he's playing a normal man, in a modern day setting. It's a bit surreal, but he does a wonderful job, and his scene with Rowan Atkinson is a highlight of the film. I really like that Harry isn't necessarily a bad person in this storyline. He's receiving attention he doesn't know how to deal with, and although he loves his wife, he's curious. I like that he doesn't set out to be an adulterer by his own accord.
That all being said, Emma Thompson is the real star of this storyline. Her scene alone in their bedroom is devastating, however many times you watch it.
I have to say, any time I watch this film with anyone, whoever I'm with will always voice their loathing of Mia, which in a way, is a compliment to how apparently morally corrupt this character is. The theme of this story isn't the easiest thing to face at times, but with such strong actors and good comedy to break it up, it works well.
Sarah and Karl
Sarah (Laura Linney) is an American woman who works in Harry's office. One day, he confronts her about her long time crush on another one of his workers, Karl (Rodrigo Santoro) and tells her to do something about it. Sarah attempts to get closer to Karl, but she has a personal family situation holding her back.
Laura Linney does a really good job as Sarah, and is the strongest part of this storyline. She's clearly a kind woman who likes to help others, but you can see that she is cautious about getting too close to anyone. Unfortunately, we know essentially nothing about Karl, so it's hard to know what to make of him. Did he care about her, or did he just want a one night stand? We don't know, so while we feel bad for Sarah when she makes a tough choice, we can't properly mourn for a couple that couldn't be when you don't know if that's what the other half would have even wanted.
I also find it sad that in the airport scene where we see where everyone ended up, Sarah isn't there. Sarah's ending was much earlier, and it just goes to show how her life will remain, which is rather sad, but I suppose sometimes endings work best when they're a little messy. I don't know if anyone would agree with me on this, but I always thought that Sarah should have ended up with Mark, or for it to at least be implied that they could date. They have a similar issue going on in their lives, and seem to connect really well at Juliet and Peter's wedding. I've always been a little disappointed that this was never explored, or even hinted that the characters might want to explore it. I understand why that is though, especially in Sarah's case.
Colin
Colin (played by Kris Marshall) is an English man, who's awkward attempts at flirting prevent him from finding love. He decides that English women are too uptight, and decides to go to America, where he's certain that the ladies there will find him charming, thanks to his British accent.
This is my least favourite segment of the film, but please know I would still choose to watch this part of the film alone over several whole movies I've watched as part of this Christmas review set, so it's not terrible. Kris Marshall is fun in the role, and I enjoyed his banter with Colin's friend Tony (Abdul Salis). So, what was my issue with it? Well, I've never really cared for (or perhaps, properly understood) the joke.
Colin wants to go America so that he can seduce beautiful American women, and so he goes to America where he seduces beautiful American women. That's it, that's the storyline. The joke is that Colin's ridiculous plan works out perfectly for him, and I just don't think it's that strong of a joke, at least in the way it's executed here.
Also, if he had met Sarah, his idea of American women may have crumbled quite quickly.
David and Natalie
Hugh Grant plays newly-elected Prime Minister David. His new assistant is Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) a woman who has been unlucky in love, and is often the mocked for supposedly being overweight, despite looking like a size 10 at most.
Anyway, romance is complicated because David is the Prime Minister, and Natalie is a normal woman, who may have other romantic interests. However, the two develop feelings for each other as soon as they meet. Can they make it through some challenging events though?
This tends to be a lot of people's favourite storyline in the film, and honestly... it's fine. If this plot within the film had been its own film in the 90s, still starring Hugh Grant and the rest of the cast in this segment, it probably would have been a big success, although it may not have aged well.
Grant and McCutcheon have good chemistry together, and Grant is particularly fun as the Prime Minister, so it would be hard to dislike this part of the film. However, I don't like how Natalie is treated. She's a beautiful woman, but is mocked by several people (never David) for her weight, and without giving too much away, David makes a decision that hugely impacts her job. I personally would find this action unforgivable, especially when you look at the reasons why David did this. A certain scene with them at the school always makes me cringe a little bit too. However, with all that said, it is mostly a fun, cute part of the film, but not a favourite of mine unfortunately.
John and Judy
John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page) are stand-ins for actors on a film set. While performing graphic sex scenes with each other while naked, the pair get to know each other through their charmingly normal conversations, and begin to develop feelings for each other.
This is actually a really sweet part of the story, thanks to how shy Freeman and Page's characters are, which works brilliantly in the context of where they are and what they're doing. I found the conclusion to their romance incredibly rushed, but they're a sweet pair, and actually one of the healthiest couples in the entire film, which gives us some great irony considering the context of their situation.
There's also a character called Rufus, played by Rowan Atkinson, who I never quite understood. He only appears twice in the film, first with Harry (which is a really fun scene) and then at the airport with Sam and Daniel. Apparently, this character was originally intended to be a Christmas angel, helping characters with their journey but this was cut out of the script, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. I understand the angel idea in the context of Sam and Daniel, because he helps them on their journey, but with Harry, I was a bit less sure. Apart from giving Alan Rickman a good comedian to work well off of, I couldn't tell how Rufus was supposed to be helping Harry. I looked into it, and apparently, the idea is that Rufus takes a long time to wrap Harry's gift for Mia so that Harry would have time to reconsider what he's doing. I understand that's why the scene exists anyway, but it doesn't feel like it was Rufus's intention in that moment.
Other films have attempted to copy this film's multiple storylines formula, like Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve (guess which holidays those films celebrate) and have failed to charm or be memorable. Say what you like about Love Actually, but it did a very good job of handling this style of storytelling.
A key reason that this film works, in my opinion, is the cast. This cast is superior to the quality of the script, and they all do a fantastic job with it. I also find it interesting how the only really famous people in this film at the time it was made were Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson and Rowan Atkinson. Everyone else was either just breaking out (like Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy and Martin Freeman) or they became famous later on (such as Andrew Lincoln, Chitwel Ejiofor and Thomas Brodie-Sangster). It's a delightful collection of our British best, and I believe it's a main reason why people come back to this film every year.
I really enjoy this film, despite unnecessary jokes about Natalie's weight when she's actually of a "normal" body size, and that annoying theme that plays every time a character announces that they are in love.
Love is such a prominent theme in this film, and I think that's part of the reason why this film has become a modern classic, because it's handled here in a way that everyone can relate to. This film doesn't just show simple romantic love, but developing crushes, long-lasting unrequited love, new love, love in a tired marriage, love between siblings, friends and from children towards their parents. That's what Christmas is supposed to be all about, in my opinion at least.
I'm still surprised whenever I find someone who hasn't watched it before, and always encourage them to watch it. Whether you're in that category, or have seen it many times before, why not go and watch it right now?
So with the conclusion of this review, I also conclude my 25 Days of Christmas reviews. Why did I decide to do it? Well, as much as I would have liked for people to read all of them, I knew that most of the films I looked at were probably too niche to attract attention. So really, for me, it was a writing exercise. 2020 has been a year of great uncertainty for many people. I, like many people, am currently unemployed after being made redundant from my job, as my position ceased to exist, after company changes brought on by the effects of the coronavirus.
Wherever I am in life, writing is the one thing I have consistently had. This year, my children's manuscript made the longlist of The Times/Chicken House competition. Writing children's novels is what I want to do, and what I have always wanted to do. In 2021, I hope to make edits to my longlisted novel and then try to find an agent to help me publish it. It won't be easy, but it's what I want to do and I will work as hard as I can, for as long as required, to make it happen.
It will take a long time for that to come into fruition though. In the meantime, this blog is a way for people to see my writing quickly, and to try and stay relevant somehow. I chose to do 25 reviews -one a day for 25 days- this December because without the structure of university or a job, I have no reason to push myself to meet deadlines. Therefore, I chose to make deadlines for myself. I am proud that I managed to publish a review each day as planned, and it was fun to discover some fun new Christmas films. However, I found that I did not enjoy watching bad films as much as I used to. I adore films, and as well as writing children's books, I would love to write for the screen one day -either television or film. I thought I wanted to be a film critic for a little while, which is why I started this blog originally. I used to enjoy writing about bad films, finding it fascinating to break down what it was that made them awful. Now though, I find it a bit tiring, and honestly, a little bit of a waste of my time. Why watch films that I don't want to watch, that I know are going to be bad, just so I can write about them on this blog, when instead I could use all that time to write books or scripts that I love and am proud of?
Additionally, the problem with writing about chick flicks, means that I'm limited to only watching them. While there are things about this genre that continue to fascinate me, this month in particular showed me just how formulaic, and limited these films are. When it feels like you're watching the same film over and over again, it's pretty tiring.
This isn't the end of the blog, or at least, I don't think it is. I have published a lot less on here this year, but I already announced that to anyone who follows this. I will publish some things on here sometimes, but even less than before. There's just so much more that I'm excited about, that I want to work towards. I will still review the final Kissing Booth film, and because it sucks that I announced a new series called "Adaptations", in which I have only published one post, I would like to publish at least two more to add to that, so it can be a somewhat credible series. If someone is reading this, and feels disappointed, thank you for caring enough to actually be disappointed. I hope you will get to see more of my writing, that I'm excited about, in its other formats, one day.
In terms of Christmas this year, here is my complete list of the films I reviewed, from best to worst. I hope you will seek out the reviews if you haven't read them already:
Love Actually
A Sugar and Spice Holiday
While You Were Sleeping
A Nutcracker Christmas
The Holiday
Mistletoe and Menorahs
The Christmas Set-Up
Happiest Season
The Spirit of Christmas
A Christmas Movie Christmas
A Christmas Prince
Christmas Ever After
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
The Christmas House
A Puppy for Christmas
The Princess Switch: Switched Again
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
Holidate
Same Time, Next Christmas
A Shoe Addict's Christmas
Christmas Catch
A Gingerbread Romance
A Very British Christmas
Merry Kissmas
Snowmance
As ridiculous as this year has been, and although you may not celebrate it, I truly hope you have a wonderful Christmas day. Boris Johnson changed the rules last minute, and I'm sorry for everyone who isn't able to be with family this year. I hope you are still able to have a good day, where you can connect with the ones you love in other ways, and know that you are loved. Merry Christmas, and I wish all of you the best in 2021.
THE SCOREBOARD
Would I recommend this film? Yes
Christmas quote of the film: " If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around." - David
Film rating: 8/10
