"Love Actually"-Richard Curtis-2003
Curtis, New Zealand born, is noted for his writing for television (Black Adder, Vicar of Dilbey,and Mr. Bean) and fora number of Rom-Com films most recently "Yesterday", had perhaps his greatest success with "Love Actually" which he wrote and directed. The film was a commercial success making over $240 million on an investment of $40 million. One of the popular London tours now is a visit to the sites where it was filmed. There is a show in LA where cuts of the film are projected between while actors play some of the scenes. This is a limited run for the holiday season. It was such a success in 2018 that it was brought back this year. It is interesting to read the viewer reviews on IMDb; they are usually either rapturously adoring or bitingly sarcastic. You often see the words "worst film ever" or worst British film. We call this hyperbole. I like this film, but I certainly don't love it. I wanted to see it again as part of my Christmas viewing program. Most Yarders have probably seen this film, but treading lightly I am going to give you a few peeks at the content.
This is a film which follows the romances of a variety of couples. The reviewers list 8; there are some tenuous ties between some of the characters, but basically you have separate stories running simultaneously during the holiday season with frequent intercuts. This mandates a huge cast; there are truly a bevy of distinguished British actors with Laura Linney being the lone featured exception. One of the central stories features a newly elected British PM, Hugh Grant, falling for one of his staff, Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). He is taken with her immediately despite an unfortunate swearing episode during their introduction. (The film has a lot of profanity which I found distracting.) They survive this, but when Grant sees the visiting American president groping Natalie; Grant has her moved away from personal service. He reads her Christmas card and he desperately wants to see her. One of the best bits in the film has him going door to door asking if she lived there. They finally meet up; then they are off to an elementary school pageant where several other characters are present.
The film is bookended by scenes at Heathrow Airport. We see returning passengers being greeted with hugs,kisses, and tears by their loved ones. The crew spent hundreds of hours filming reunions.. The finale has the lovers, all the lovers, arriving at the airport. We see some connections among the couples, but basically the ending allows us a quick peek at how the couples are doing a month down the road.
In no particular order here are some of the notable actors in this film: Rowan Atkinson, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Martin Freeman, Keira Knightly, and Alan Rickman. Bill Nighy's story is interesting. He plays Billy Mack a 50 + former rocker who is trying to return to the charts with a Christmas themed retread of "Love is All Around." In Britain the top of the pops features Christmas songs every year during the season. A variety of groups and individuals issue holiday tunes. The fans vote for their favorites.
It's a big deal to have the winning song.
The music is really important to the film. In one of the special features on the DVD, Curtis discuses why he chose a number of the songs, and he discusses one part of the score. One of the songs he discusses is the Beach Boys "God Only Knows" which is the end theme. This is available to stream for a price; your library has a copy (preferred because the extras are good). I like this quite a bit, but I admit that this time I found it less
rewarding. Still, I will definitely have it on next year's Christmas list. Enjoy.