Love Actually

Film

Comedy

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Time Out says

Eight or nine plotlets, a castlist the size of a rugby scrum. Whatever persuaded first-time director Curtis that he could handle this lot, we can only hope that a hype-happy press and the biggest audience money can buy won't persuade him he's carried it off. This is an embarrassment, an overdrawn rom-com gone very wrong. Alternately sentimental and silly, it aims wide, and misses. On the one hand, we have Neeson comforting his lovesick 11-year-old; Linney with a loony in her attic; and Knightley as a newlywed with a not-so-secret admirer - none of whom is remotely funny. On the other, there's Firth as a jilted writer failing to communicate with his comely Eastern European maid; a couple of movie stand-ins bonking; and McCutcheon as Number Ten's tealady, catching the eye of Grant's PM (even Tony Blair looks credible in comparison). Hard to decide which mini-sitcom is most ludicrous, but it's clear the broader canvas hasn't afforded Curtis a longer perspective on society. His upper middle class twits have no more depth than his lower middle class twats. Stranded in this boutique confection are two stand-out performances: Emma Thompson is genuinely touching as the wife of philandering Alan Rickman; and Bill Nighy has a ball as an old rocker with a Christmas comeback single - a record no more crass or pre-packaged than this shameless yuletide schmaltz.

Author: TCh

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Release details

UK release:

2003

Duration:

135 mins

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(7 ratings)

OK, the maid is from Portugal, but, still, the film is dreadful. A big, fat slab of cheese with nine layers of icing on top.

Ave Mon Mar 11
Rated as: 1/5
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A truly awful mess of a movie. The problem - or at least the biggest problem - with the film is that it tries to shortcut anything difficult or interesting like character development and jump straight to the schmaltzy sweet spot. And then does this nine times over to create the most sickly sweet confection ever brought to screen. A waste of a fine cast. Anyone who likes this film has the emotional depth of a wombat.

Neil Wed Feb 13
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Love? Give me a break. This picture is among the worst I've ever seen, actually. Too convoluted and contrived to be enjoyed, too superficial to be serious or interesting, too long for its own good, and the only memorable characteristics the actors and actresses exhibit are infatuation, immaturity, and stupidity. While some may consider the movie a satire, it rather screams out to be satirized.

jim Tue Feb 12
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YUK. I saw this film when it first came out and found it absolutely dreadful. Almost 10 years later I caught it on TV and my opinion thankfully remains the same. Silly, cringeworthy, nauseous and truly terrible - will consistently figure in my 10 worst films ever .Tom Charity's review seems spot on

KP Fri Jan 11
Rated as: 1/5
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Truly a great movie. I didn't think it was especially deep, or especially funny, but it had something very few "romcoms" do. It had some originality and a lot of heart. FAR, far better than most movies in this genre.

Brian Fri Sep 7 2012
Rated as: 5/5
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Bitter!! party of ONE! your table is ready!

Ana G. Sun Mar 11 2012
Rated as: 5/5
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...there's Firth as a jilted writer failing to communicate with his comely Eastern European maid... DID YOU EVEN WATCH THE MOVIE??? the maid is from Portugal, not Eastern Europe. firth tries to speak Portuguese, not russian. next time do your homework!

chris Wed Nov 30 2011
Rated as: 5/5
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I LOVED this movie. Thought provoking. I GOT IT....the message. I was jumping up & down with joy & cried so hard. The ending rates with one of the best I have ever seen.

Elizabeth Fri Sep 9 2011
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Have you even watch this film? Just like Andrew said, maybe you just don't understand irony and satire

giselle Tue Mar 1 2011
Rated as: 5/5
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The only decent review I've seen of this movie said "I didn't like it until I started crying". That just about sums it up, People like to judge, categorise, criticise and somewhere in the middle of all of that, the point of the movie hits home. Love is different things to different people. The reason that this movie is 10 (or so) vignettes is that somewhere in that melee there is a version of love that each of us can relate to. Why do people see Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant and instantly adjudge the movie to be a romantic comedy, and then to adjudge it as a failure. It's an examination of love from multiple angles. Even the scene with Rowan Atkinson was first and foremost about the anguish of the philandering husband rather than the innate comedy of Mr Atkinson, If you didn't like this movie, I strongly suggest you leave your stereotypes at the door and watch it again.

pinoy Tue May 12 2009
Rated as: 5/5
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Love Actually

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