Starring: Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth and Rowan Atkinson
Director: and written by by Richard Curtis
Rated: M15+
WITH one of the best casts imaginable, Love Actually should be a winner.
But the number of characters limits its potential to steal our hearts.
There are so many plots and sub-plots in this film that it’s impossible to briefly and adequately summarise the story.
Just be assured it’s about people falling in love, falling out of love, recovering from the death of a loved one, contemplating adultery, committing adultery, realising the love of a friend and making decisions regarding loving relationships.
And it’s all set around London at Christmas time.
The complexity of the plot reveals the greatest weakness in the film. There are at least seven major plots, as well as another three sub-plots. Some of these intersect, others are contextual or decorative.
For a romantic comedy, the 135 minutes running time is already too long, and it proves again that a writer should almost never direct his or her own material. It’s very hard to cut the characters one has created.
Even though Richard Curtis has Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones’ Diary under his belt, he couldn’t get sufficient distance from his script to edit the film down.
Love Actually, however, has some brilliant moments. Hugh Grant makes a very affable Prime Minister.
Emma Thompson is always good, but the scene where she suspects her husband’s infidelity is stunning.
Liam Neeson’s awkward relationship with his stepson is deeply touching, and Colin Firth and Heike Makatsch’s language barrier is very funny.
Love Actually is light, it has some moving and good moments, but it’s overblown and undisciplined film-making.
