Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)

Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)

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Movie Reviews of Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)

Movie Review: I loved "Love Actually"....
Summary: 5 Stars

Obviously, others are eager to work with him, and the cast of Love Actually is a directors dream  amazing actresses Emma Thompson and Laura Linney, backed up by sparkling newcomers Keira Knightley and Martine McCutcheon; who both really light up the screen.

On the actors side, frankly, Id see anything on screen with either Colin Firth, Alan Rickman or Liam Neeson (imagine all 3!), and here I was treated to a bit part for one of my new favorites, Chiwetal Ejofor of Dirty Pretty Things fame. Thomas Sangster is charming and fresh as the young stepson of broken-hearted Neeson, perhaps the most charismatic youngster on screen since Haley Joel Osment.

Lastly, the smaller parts and the cameos are done brilliantly, and with first-rate talent (or faces) such as Bill Nighy (as an aging rocker, discovering before it is too late how much brotherly love he has for his agent), Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thornton, Claudia Schiffer , and some American lovelies such as Denise Richards, Shannon Elizabeth and Elisha Cuthbert.

There are 8 (or is it 10) vignettes about all sides of love featured here, from Sams (Sangsters) puppy love (my favorite story, with Liam Neeson helping his stepson along, and in the process, learning to heal both their hearts), to the desperate love of the long-married, staying together when one has strayed (Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman). Some of the stories are perhaps just fillers for funny bits, such as the British Colin, who emigrates to Wisconsin, where hes proved right  American girls WILL love him, if only for the accent; and the tale of two porn star stand-ins, where the nudity and oddity of the love story is purely Brit humor. Just about every moment with Nighy (Billy Macka really, really oldRod Stewart?) is exceptional:

Kids, this is a message from your Uncle Billy. Don't buy drugs. Wait until you're a rock star, and they give them to you for free!

Many of the subtitled exchanges in the Firth romance with a Portuguese housekeeper (newcomer Lucia Moniz as Aurelia) between them, and between Firth and her family are sweet and wildly funny.

But, fun and movie stars aside, this is intrinsically a movie about love, and Curtis uniquely captures it in all of its disguises, on film. The sparks are visible between Grant and Natalie, his assistant, as improper as they might be construed. The anguish of betrayal is real and compelling when Karen (Thompson) blunders into the secret relationship between her husband and his secretary. The lingering loneliness and loss for Neesons character is believable, and you can feel how it touches the loss that Sangster feels for the same woman, his mother.

Aside from Thompsons vignette, the Laura Linney tale, of a young woman so devoted to her disabled brother that she cannot have a romance of her own, and the love triangle with Knightley as the centerpiece (the film made by Mark (Andrew Lincoln) of her in the wedding is a true testament to someone who is in love) portray the sad sides of love, but their juxtaposition with the more positive tales prove that Curtis knows whereof he speaks when he writes about love.

There are a number of non-cast or writing features of the film that contribute to the overall experience. The settings are a marvel, from the Heathrow airport scenes at the early and late stages of the film, to the warmth/formality of 10 Downing, and to the fact that Curtis has ostensibly made a holiday film, so central to the plot is the Christmastime and seasonal backdrop. And lastly, the score for the film is remarkable, and Ive purchased the CD to prove it.

A new version of Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell is featured, as is the poignant Songbird by the amazing Eva Cassidy  a better version than even the original by Christine McVie. I was caught up in Wyclef Jeans duet of Take Me As I Am with Sharissa, and new group Maroon 5s Sunday Morning. I can forgive the inclusion of Jump by the Pointer Sisters (their worst song) with the need for something similar to back up the funny Hugh Grant scene that appears in the trailer, because the collection also includes the Otis Redding version of White Christmas. Lastly, bluesy Turn Me On by favorite Norah Jones and one of my Kelly Clarkson favorites, The Trouble With Love show both sides of the lovesick blues. Clarksons Miss Independent was the most unique cut on her album, and earned the praise it got, but her true calling, white girl blues, is demonstrated by the first cut.

The trouble with love is
It doesnt care how fast you fall,
And you cant refuse the call
You see, youve got no sense at all

That pretty much sums up all the nuances of love that Curtis so succinctly demonstrates in this fine, romantic film. One of my top 10 films of the year, and a real surprise and pleasure! Ill see it once more in theaters and then patiently await a DVD which Ill probably wear out. Looking forward to more writing and directing by Richard Curtis, hes a gem!

Summary of Love Actually (Widescreen Edition)