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With no fewer than eight couples vying for our attention, Love Actually is like the Boston Marathon of romantic comedies, and everybody wins. Having mastered the genre as the writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary, it appears that first-time director Richard Curtis is just like his screenplays: He just wants to be loved, and he'll go to absurdly appealing lengths to win our affection. With Love Actually, Curtis orchestrates a minor miracle of romantic choreography, guiding a brilliant cast of stars and newcomers as they careen toward love and holiday cheer in London, among them the Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) who's smitten with his caterer; a widower (Liam Neeson) whose young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer (Colin Firth) who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother (Emma Thompson) coping with her potentially unfaithful husband (Alan Rickman); and a lovelorn American (Laura Linney) who's desperately attracted to a colleague. There's more--too much more--as Curtis wraps his Christmas gift with enough happy endings to sweeten a dozen other movies. That he pulls it off so entertainingly is undeniably impressive; that he does it so shamelessly suggests that his writing fares better with other, less ingratiating directors. --Jeff Shannon

Get ready for fun! (Leah Rozen, People) with the "feel good movie of the year!" (Clay Smith, Access Hollywood) Love Actually is the ultimate romantic comedy from the makers of Bridget Jones's Diary and Notting Hill. Funny, irresistible and heartwarming, an all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson, to name a few!) will take you on a breathtaking tour of love's delightful twists and turns. Fall under the spell Love Actually and share the laughs and charm again and again.

Reviews

""Love Actually" is just the right mix of romantic comedy and drama to leave you with that warm, fuzzy feeling as you leave the theatre. It's an ideal Christmas movie for moms and dads who want to see something else while the kids venture into more PG films. Writer/director Richard Curtis enlists a plethora of some of the finest British actors (and a few noteworthy Americans) to tell several different love stories. While it seems that there may be a few too many characters at first, the overall flow of the film allows the viewer to keep track quite easily. The cast is led by the ever-so-charming Hugh Grant as the British Prime Minister. While some critics have called this casting unbelievable, Grant actually pulls it off by portraying a more human, but yet stronger PM that we would all love to have leading us. His dance to the Pointer Sisters' "Jump for My Love" borders a bit on ridiculous, but it is nevertheless fun to watch. In the film, the PM is caught between leading his country with a clear head, or giving in to his feelings of attraction to his tea server Natalie (played by musical actress Martine McCutcheon). And then there's Emma Thompson, who plays Karen, sister to Grant's PM and a long-married devoted mother. She suspects that her husband Harry (Alan Rickman) may be cheating with a sexy co-worker. Her performance, simply put, is a revelation. The scene where she is in her bedroom is an example of phenominal acting. Hollywood Foreign Press and Academy members: please take notice! Another strong performance award goes to Bill Nighy, who provides most of the film's comic relief as aging rock star Billy Mack. He puts out a cheesy Christmas record and then publicly bashes it. But in classic Hollywood ending style, he does have an epiphany and realizes his wild musician life has been missing true affection. Liam Neeson shines as widower Daniel who tries to help his young stepson win the heart of a popular school crush. Equally sweet is Colin Firth as Jamie, a man recovering from a broken relationship in France who falls for his monolingual Portuguese maid. You know what? This film is such an abundance of great performances that I will run out of space discussing them all! Everybody shines! My only cast complaint is that Rowan Atkinson should have been given more screen time. What I also love about "Love Actually" is that Curtis doesn't, if you'll pardon the pun, wrap up each story in a happy little Christmas package. There are a few sad, realistic moments, particularly in the Karen/Harry subplot and in Laura Linney's turn as Sarah, an assistant who has waited so long to be with the man she loves. She realizes, in some of the film's key dramatic instances, that family matters are getting in the way. All in all, Curtis has struck gold again, in tradition of movies like "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Bridget Jones' Diary." Yeah, some of the love stories may be a little far-fetched, but aren't they all in fantasy movie world? What matters is that they are sweet and not without their share of obstacles. This film is a nice departure from some of the more disturbing violent films as of late. But be warned: it is a little more adult than most other comedies in theatres. The innuendos, language, and nudity earn the R-rating. So see it without the young kids, but do enjoy. "

"My rating is based on my enjoyment of this film. It has both major strengths and serious weaknesses, and as other reviews indicate has fostered very strong reactions, both positive and negative. Its format is somewhat disconcerting if you are not prepared for the methodology of the director. It contains nudity, profanity, sexual situations, and several situations that are very suggestive and some moviegoers may consider to border on the obscene. However, the situations that some people may consider offensive actually serve a purpose in developing the overall theme of the film. Love, in all its manifestations - wonder, joy, pain, happiness, passion, grief... is the theme of the film. A very talented ensemble cast is utilized to tell several somewhat interrelated stories concerning the emotional lives of the various characters. The cast includes Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Kiera Knightley and Alan Rickman. There are also telling cameos by Billy Bob Thornton and Rowan Atkinson. There is one other essential element of the story, it begins five weeks from Christmas and there are several aspects of the various vignettes where the seasonal aspect is a crucial element. One of the more interesting and complex stories involves Liam Neeson and his young stepson preparing for the funeral of his wife, which has been moving scripted by her prior to her death. As he subsequently tries to deal with his grief, he is worried about the fact that the boy is isolating himself in his room. He is surprised to discover that while his son is disconsolate at the loss of his mother, more importantly he is heartsick over his unrequited love for a girl with whom he attends school. As they concentrate on his son's dilemma and develop a plan to attract her attention, the dialog ranges from comic to quite profound. And, as the movie progresses to the time of the school Christmas pageant their story gradually becomes interwoven with several of the others. Some of the most hilarious segments are in another thread of the movie involving Bill Nighy as a washed up pop singer trying to recycle one of his old love songs as a Christmas record. He effectively caricatures the dissolute rockers who abused their bodies for too long with drugs, booze and sex. Yet in the end, the alternate humor and pathos of his situation are resolved in a very effective and quite emotional scene. In yet another thread, a scene with Emma Thompson listening to a Joni Mitchell recording and thinking about the "both sides" of her life and love is a real tearjerker. So this is a roller coaster of laughs and cheap humor combined with real insights about love and the pain that it can cause. If you aren't living in a bubble, you will probably relate to the experiences of at least one of the characters to some degree and knowingly nod in recognition of the similarities of others to people that you know. It is arguable whether the message of the film would be better conveyed with a fewer number of stories examined in somewhat more depth, but I think the result is quite powerful. Lives which seem only tangentially connected turn out to have a profound influence on others, and we really feel that we have come to understand the characters that we have been watching. My first difficulty with the movie is that the complexity of developing so many stories means that it is well over two hours long (with the previews and unconscionable ads we were in the theater for well over two hours). Second, the audience is introduced to a very large number of characters during a very short period of time, since all the stories are interspersed sequentially as the movie proceeds toward Christmas Day. Very few individual segments until the finale are more than three or four minutes in length. However, the disorientation that I felt at first from the constant scene shifts was offset by the fact that this technique was successful in keeping the audience very interested; the film actually seemed shorter than it was because of the constant action. So, it was fun while actually conveying a message at the same time. I also want to see it again, since this is the type of movie that I often enjoy more during subsequent viewings. I find that once I know the basic story line and the relationship of the various characters, I can then pay attention to a lot of the details that went were difficult to appreciate because there was so much constantly happening during the film. (In fact, as I was thinking about the film prior to writing this review a few such instances came to mind.) So, go see this film when you have time to relax and want to laugh and contemplate life for a few hours. "

"If you like a movie that reflects all sides of love and commitment, I think this is the movie to see. For Americans it can be somewhat interesting challenge to follow for it's British sensitivities, but the point of the movie is well played out. The part of the Prime Minister was a bit overdone, but the love interest very enjoyable to watch. Also, the acting and delivery of the 'couple' that couldn't speak each other's language was well played. The skits about the couple who were nude standins didn't make much sense. But overall if the director wanted to give us a positive feeling about love and relationships, I think he achieved his goal. "

"My brother sent me this, telling me I'd enjoy it. He was right. I adored it, and so did my husband. Is it a PERFECT romantic comedy? Well, no. Richard Curtis does a brilliant job with a plethora of stories, but frankly, I'd gladly give up a few to get more screen time for some of my favorites (few of which seem to have been mentioned in customer reviews): 1) Keira Knightley as the girl who gets married, then finds out that her husband's best friend, who she believed didn't like her, was head over heels in love with her and trying to hide it. To me, this is the most poignant of all the stories, as she discovers this unrequited passion and he tries valiantly to deal with it, even coming to her house at Christmas with carolers on audio tape so he can let her know he loves her but will not interfere with her marriage. Too sweet for words. 2) Laura Linney, the American girl who's loved a colleague at work for years. But her brother, who's mentally disturbed, never lets her alone for more than a few minutes, and she will not put him on hold, even for a man she's really in love with. 3) Hugh Grant as the very decent P.M. who thinks he must be nuts to be so attracted to one of his household staff, who is equally smitten with him. How can you not be enchanted by his solitary dance to "Jump For Your Love" and later, to his offhand comment when he finally has to go door to door on her street looking for her? When a neighbor recognizes him and questions his being there, he says casually, "It's a new service. We hope to get round to everyone by New Year's." 4) Colin, the over-the-top guy who dreams of being a great stud -- and finds out an English accent works wonders when he goes to Wisconsin and gets EXACTLY what he wants for Christmas? 5) Colin Firth as the writer nursing a broken heart whose housekeeper turns out to be the perfect antidote. 6) Liam Neeson and his stepson, who both are in need of love for Christmas. Neeson's gentle encouragement of the boy is priceless, and his run through Heathrow Airport to say goodbye to his great love is delightful. Is it perfect? No. With so many stories it's too easy to lose some in the cracks, or for not all to be so interesting. I must be one of the few who found the story of the porn actors worthwhile -- the idea of two people falling in love while simulating sex for a living -- yet courting each other gently and even formally -- I thought was rather moving. But it's tied up brilliantly, with each story feeding into others, a feat that is most difficult to pull off. And in the end, I'd rather give 5 stars for the movie's intentions than diss it. The truth is, it makes you feel good about decent people who deserve love -- and in the end, that's a pretty noble thing for a movie to pull off. In sum, LOVE, ACTUALLY leaves you something both sweet and bittersweet. Love at Christmastime has been done before and will be done again. Luckily, this time it was done really well. Enjoy. "

"I am a huge fan of this movie and the soundtrack. It is one of the better ensemble comedies I have seen. Watch it with an open mind and enjoy! "