Love Actually - Because it's Christmas

I just watched on of my all time favourite movies and thought that I would share my thoughts about it with you. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend that you do.

“Love Actually” is one of the best romantic comedies, written by one of the best romantic comedy writers of all time. That’s quite a statement, but one that I stand by. It is a great film and a Christmas movie too!

Richard Curtis both wrote and directed “Love Actually”. It was actually Richard Curtis’ directorial debut. The film follows the love stories of a variety of different people over five weeks, all culminating at Christmas. It is book ended by touching moments of real people greeting loved ones at the arrivals gate at London’s Heathrow airport.

Richard Curtis is a great writer with a long history of writing for film and television. He is probably best known for his writing on “Blackadder”, “Mr. Bean”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill”. Most recently he wrote an episode of the new Doctor Who series titled “Vincent and the Doctor” where the Doctor meets Vincent Van Gogh. It was one of the best episodes of the series.

Richard Curtis seems to understand people, their emotions and how they act when they are in love. So his stories, as far as the emotions and actions of the characters go, are really based in reality. Each of the stories in “Love Actually” contains elements that are very familiar to anyone who has been in love. And not every story ends in a happy ending. They are very much like real life.

The different characters we get to follow are:

Old rocker, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy, Davy Jones in “Pirates of the Caribbean” and made an appearance in “Vincent and the Doctor”) and his manager Joe (Gregory Fisher). The film opens with Billy Mack recording a Christmas version of Wet, Wet, Wet’s song “Love is All Around”. If you don’t already know it, “Love is All Around” was the hit song used in Richard Curtis’, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. Billy Mack is looking to make a comeback and as Christmas approaches his song hits number one in the charts. Billy celebrates by attending a star studded party while his lifelong manager Joe sits alone at home until Billy turns up after realizing that Joe turns out to be the love (platonically) of his life. Such a nice story about the friendship between two people.

Jamie (Colin Firth) and Aurelia (Lucia Moniz). After Jamie, a writer discovers his girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) cheating on him with his brother he leaves for his French cottage to work alone on his book. There he meets Aurelia who is employed as his housekeeper. She is Portuguese and speaks no English. Likewise Jamie cannot speak Portuguese. This is a fantastic story of how love can grow and people can communicate even without speaking each other’s language. This story ends in the rousing march through the streets of Aurelia’s hometown by Jamie and seemingly the whole town as he (after learning some Portuguese) has returned and has plans to ask her to marry him. She accepts in English, which she learned just in case.

Daniel (Liam Neeson) has just lost his wife and now has to look after his step son Sam (Thomas Sangster) on his own. Sam seems depressed and Daniel is concerned. It turns out that while he misses his Mom, the cause of his depression is that he is in love with a girl at school, Joanna (Olivia Olson), who doesn’t even know that he exists. Sam has two of the truest lines in the film. The first comes when Daniel is relieved that Sam is just in love, thinking it had been something worse. Sam responds with, what could be “worse than the total agony of being in love?”

To get Joanna to notice him, Sam decides to become the drummer in the school Christmas concert where Joanna will be singing. The plan appears to work but Joanna is off to America immediately after the show before Sam can really tell her how he feels. Daniel convinces Sam that it is not over until it’s over and that they can race to the airport. Sam replies with the next best line, okay “let’s go get the shit kicked out of us by love.” They race to the airport just barely in time for Sam to breach security and say good-bye to Joanna. She gives him a kiss.

The story of married couple, Karen (Emma Thompson) and Harry (Alan Rickman) involves Harry becoming involved in an emotional romance with an employee and younger woman, Mia (Heike Makatsch). Harry does love his wife, and while nothing physical ever happens between him and Mia, it raises the question of which is worse, a physical or an emotional affair?

A storyline that did not have a happy ending was that of Sarah (Laura Linney) and Karl (Rodrigo Santoro). Sarah, who works for Harry and along side Karl, has been in love with Karl for years and finally the two of them get together. Unfortunately Sarah’s brother, who suffers with mental illness, requires a lot of her time. Sarah is torn between the love and the duty of caring for her brother and her love for Karl. Duty wins out in the end and we are left wondering if Sarah will ever find happiness in love.

Jack (Martin Freeman, who was Arthur Dent in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Judy (Joanna Page) meet on a film set. They are stand ins for the sex scenes of the film they are working on. It is great to see how their relationship develops through innocent conversation while they are engaged in simulating sex.

Probably the most ridiculous and hilarious stories is that of Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall who played Nick Harper in the British sitcom, “My Family”). Colin has no luck with women but is convinced that he would be able to get a whole pile of women in the States because they would “dig” his English accent. He travels to Wisconsin where he meets Stacey (Ivana Milicevic), Jeannie (January Jones) and Carol-Anne (Elisha Cuthbert) in a bar. They invite him to stay with them in their house that only has one bed. There he also meets Harriet (Shannon Elizabeth) and has the night of his life.

This leaves my two favourite stories.

We meet Mark (Andrew Lincoln, Rick Grimes in “The Walking Dead”) who is the best man at his best friend, Peter’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor, the Operative in “Serenity”) wedding. He is about to marry Juliet (Keira Knightley, Elizabeth in “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Juliet has the best introductory scene in any film I have ever seen. It is simple but beautiful. She walks into focus like an angel coming out of the light. I love it.

It turns out that Mark has always loved Juliet, but could not admit it because she was with Peter. He even came across as disliking her. This was really a self preservation thing. Who hasn’t experienced unrequited love? It is an amazing and painful thing. There is a great scene where Juliet is watching the wedding footage shot by Mark and realizes that it is all of her and that he is in love with her. And then there is that beautiful moment where Mark shows up at her door Christmas Eve with the cue cards.

Let me say,

Without hope or agenda,

Just because it’s Christmas

(and at Christmas you tell the truth)

To me, you are perfect

And my wasted heart will love you

Until you look like this…

Picture of a mummy.

Mark leaves satisfied that he has done enough. Juliet runs after him and leaves him with a kiss. One simple kiss.

Finally there is the Prime Minister, David (Hugh Grant) and Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). The newly elected Prime Minister meets his staff including Natalie who is also new to the job. She is his “catering manager”. There is an instant attraction which David struggles with. After all he is the Prime Minister and doesn’t need any distractions. But he is smitten.

The President of the United States (Billy Bob Thornton) pays a visit. He demands more than he is willing to give to the displeasure of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. He also makes a move on Natalie leading to that great press conference where the David vows to stand up for what really matters to “Britain”.

After receiving a Christmas card from Natalie, David decides to go get her. He drives to

Harris Street

in the dodgy end of Wadsworth. His Police Officer asks him what number house and David realizes that he has no idea leading to him knocking on every door on the street. Finally he knocks on number 102. There he finds Natalie and her entire family just about to leave for the school Christmas concert. He rides with Natalie and an Octopus. Natalie tells David that she really loves him but is cut off as they arrive in no time at their destination. She asks David to come in but he protests until she gets them in backstage.

They watch from backstage as the Joanna begins to sing a great version of “All I Want for Christmas is You”. There is a moment here that makes my heart flutter every time. It one shot that is quick and easy to miss. David and Natalie watch through the curtain. David is behind Natalie. He is looking at her not the performance on stage. She turns her head just a bit to look back at him. That one shot conveys the awesome, butterflies in the stomach excitement and nervousness of two people falling in love. The scene ends with David and Natalie kissing (in secret so they think) as the concert ends. The curtains open and a spotlight reveals David and Natalie kissing for the whole audience to see.

The film is wonderfully shot. Scenes like those mentioned and many others use the camera creatively to tell the story and convey emotion. Additionally the use of music in the film is fantastic from the use of pop songs as well as scored music to highlight the emotion. Richard Curtis has said that he often writes to music. Perhaps this is why the scenes work so well with the songs that were chosen. Once you watch the movie, you will forever be reminded of the emotions of the scenes when you hear the music on its own.

So that is “Love Actually”. It is a brilliant and touching movie that should bring joy to your heart. I could go on and on about all the amazing moments but best if you just go watch it again for yourself.

Whenever I get gloomy about the state of the world I watch this film and I am reminded that love actually is all around.