Love Actually (2003)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Richard Curtis

Writer:

Richard Curtis (written by)

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love actually is all around.

Plot:

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Christmas | Prime Minister | England | Writer

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 10 wins & 18 nominations

Cast

Bill Nighy	...	Billy Mack
Gregor Fisher	...	Joe
Rory MacGregor	...	Engineer
Colin Firth	...	Jamie Bennett
Sienna Guillory	...	Jamie's Girlfriend
Liam Neeson	...	Daniel
Emma Thompson	...	Karen
Lulu Popplewell	...	Daisy, her daughter
Kris Marshall	...	Colin Frissell
Heike Makatsch	...	Mia
Martin Freeman	...	John
Joanna Page	...	Just Judy
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Peter
Andrew Lincoln	...	Mark
Keira Knightley	...	Juliet

Also Known As:

Love Actually Is All Around (UK) (working title) (USA) (working title)
Untitled Richard Curtis Project (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

135 min | Canada:129 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | South Korea:129 min (Asian Edition)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Portuguese | French

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Malaysia:18SX | Iceland:L | France:U | Ireland:15 | South Korea:15 (Asian edition) (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA (original rating) | Hong Kong:III (DVD rating) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (video rating) (cut) | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40173)

Filming Locations:

Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Cameo: [Rebecca Frayn]Daniel's dead wife, Joanna, in slideshow during the funeral scene.

Goofs:

Continuity: The people walking by in the background when Daniel and Sam are sitting by the shore.

Quotes:

Mia: It's an art gallery, full of dark corners, for doing... dark deeds.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Office: Safety Training (#3.19)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Good King Wenceslas

A deeply loving film rich in character

It has been a long time since I have seen a movie so rich in character that I did not want it to end. Love Actually is not a love story, it is a story about love. Love that reinvents itself, multiplies itself, opens itself up, and even devastates.

I am sure the film has its critics who say it drips in buttery corn. But when you are able to retreat inward and let it take you over, it is impossible not to feel. It is a rare treat - a film that makes you feel. During the process I was sad and happy and relieved. I was turned on, turned off, dizzy and grounded.

I was in love one time and it reminded me of that. The power of cinema can be that amazing, it can be that intense. The title of the movie is, perhaps, meant to confuse. Yet I believe it is designed to ask. Love Actually is ... what?

Is it lust? Or a deep appreciation of the past? Can it be conquered by language or political barriers? Race? Infidelity? Age? Can it be all of the above plus more? Maybe a mingling of several?

It is rare for a film of great acting to be married to a terrific script. Yet it is something else for it to speak right to the audience; not talk at them, not try to sell them a film. Let them experience the film. Let it wash over them little by little until there is nothing more of them left.

**** (A)