Love Actually is probably THE quintessential British Christmas movie.

Story

Love Actually tells an interconnected story of  10 different individuals finding love around the Christmas holidays.

The story is told in a really fascinating way, it cuts in between each story but it is not obvious they are connected till the thirty-minute mark when said connections start to show. And the more we learn about each character, the more intricate the story becomes.

Acting 

This is an ENSEMBLE CAST. And I knew this going in due to how frequently this movie pops up on my timeline and in conversations around this time of year but I didn't realise just how many recognisable faces are in this movie.

Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Kiera Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, and Rowan Atkinson. And those are just the main characters of the story. 

What makes the performances in this movie work is how realistic they are. When you watch the movie, you feel like you are watching real people in slightly exaggerated scenarios rather than actors playing people. And I think that is why people like this movie so much. The characters (some of them anyway) are relatable and act like real people. Awkward tendencies and all.

Writing/Direction 

This is where a lot of the criticism of the film comes in, and for the most part, I can see where a lot of those criticisms come from. Love Actually is either a cute Christmas rom-com or a problematic mess of a film. And I think it's a film that isn't meant to be analysed that closely. 

The story at its core it about love and the different forms it takes. Are there things in there that are problematic? Yes. I am not going ot deny that but at the same time I don't think it was intended to be problematic. I also think Love Actually is product of its time (meaning is is very dated) from the way the characters dress, to the phones and cameras they use. And because of the time it was made, certain things were allowed to slide then that aren't now. (doesn't make them right though)

CGI/Set Design 

This is not the kind of movie that I would look to for great cinematography and set design, but that doesn't mean the movie isn't well shot. In fact one scene in particular that caught my attention, both for how funny it is, and how well it was shot and it's this one.

 

Score/Soundtrack 

The soundtrack is ICONIC and even though I hadn't seen the film in it's entirety till now, I knew damn near every song on it. That is a testament to how good of a job the composer Craig Armstrong did of crafting a film with music that not only captures not only the tone of the movie but the season as a whole. 

Overall Thoughts 

I have finally, FINALLY seen this scene. 

And it really isn't what at I expected given the circumstances but comme ci comme ça. (insert shrug emoji) 

All in all, I understand why people love Love Actually so much, it's heartwarming and a little chaotic at the same time, given just how much actually goes on in this movie. Given everything that happens, at it's core it's a movie about finding love during Christmas and that's we need some of that this year.