Love Actually: BD Review
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Page 1 of 3 Universal / 2003 / 135 Minutes / Rated R / Street Date: November 3, 2009
Regular readers know of my appreciation for British wit, and I’m delighted to report that this frothy little romantic comedy did not disappoint. A remarkable ensemble cast splits into couples to gravitate toward one another, to fail to connect, or to crash and burn; it’s all about Love Actually There are so many couples to follow that writer-director Richard Curtis found himself with a three-and-a-half-hour first cut — that was trimmed to a still generous 135-minute film that weaves bits and pieces of many storylines together with great style, wit, and sentimentality. Curtis is best known for his screenplays for three delightful contemporary romantic comedies — Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones’s Diary; that will give you a frame of reference. This film is his directorial debut and he comports himself very well indeed, but you’ll need a scorecard, so here goes. The film opens with a recording session: Billy Mack (Bill Nighy, very unlike his character in Underworld) is an old rocker attempting to make a comeback with a Christmas version of an old hit. He fully understands that it’s pure crap, and never misses a self-deprecating opportunity to deride it publicly, even as he’s desperately promoting it. His journey is to discover an aspect of love with which he hadn’t been previously aware. As unlikely as it may seem at first, Hugh Grant’s character is moving into Number 10 as the new Prime Minister; he’s replacing Tony Blair (we never discover whether the new PM is Labour or Conservative; I’ll assume that he’s not a member of one of the other dozen British political parties). He’s a bit overwhelmed but will soon exert true British grit when he’s provoked by the visiting President of the United States (Billy Bob Thornton, playing unilateral self-importance with a touch of the lecherous). The PM is a bachelor, and he’s attracted to a junior member of staff named Natalie (Martine McCutcheon). His inconvenient feelings are highly inappropriate and he reluctantly has her transferred away, even if he can't seem to get her off his mind. Elsewhere in London, Jamie Bennett (Colin Firth) returns home unexpectedly to find his girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) shagging his brother (Dan Fredenburgh). After a nasty breakup, Bennett isolates himself in his little French villa to write. His housekeeper is a young, local Portuguese woman, Aurelia (Lucia Moniz), who speaks no English. It will not surprise you when they are attracted to one another (one of Curtis’ cleverer plot devices is their unaware meeting of minds and witty disagreements; as they speak to one another in languages neither understand, subtitles reveal Aurelia’s words). The PM’s sister is Karen (Emma Thompson), busy raising two children with her husband Harry (Alan Rickman). He’s a manager at a local firm, blessed or cursed (I’ll leave that up to you) with a sexy secretary aching to seduce him. Harry may be a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to her advances, but he’s quick to advise one of his staff, Sarah (Laura Linney) that everyone in the office knows that she’s pining away for a coworker, Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), including Karl. Karl is apparently as shy as she is and Harry advises her to do something about her feelings. Quickly. Alas, Sarah is burdened with the care of a brother in a mental hospital who’s armed with her cell phone number — she has little time to pursue a relationship and even less peace. Karen’s friend, Daniel (Liam Neeson) has recently lost his lovely wife to a long illness and he’s now coping with raising alone his wife’s prepubescent son, Sam (Thomas Sangster). Sam is hopelessly in love with an American girl attending his school, and when he finally confides in his step-dad, they together take on the project of winning her heart. There are other, smaller stories that run through the film, like the poignant tale of Juliet (Keira Knightley, here a blond to avoid further confusion with Natalie Portman?), her new husband Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and his best man and best friend, Mark (Andrew Lincoln). There is a wonderfully twisted little love story between two film stand-ins — Judy (Joanna Page) and John (Martin Freeman) — who chat with one another as scenes are lighted and staged. They are quite nude as they simulate various sex acts for the production, casually and mechanically, and yet they remain quite shy. Each has great difficulty revealing emotional vulnerability and interest. Curtis would seem to be making the point that emotional intimacy is so much more difficult than physical intimacy. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a droll and underplayed cameo by Rowan Atkinson as a shop assistant in a high-end department store (Selfridges and Co., I believe) — he will make a second unexpected appearance, very much resembling a guardian angel. (Atkinson and Curtis share quite a professional history.) Other notable cameos include Claudia Schiffer, Shannon Elizabeth and Denise Richards. We follow the progress of these various relationships as the couples orbit one another, weighing risks, exploring each other, fearful and hopeful. This is a charming film that poignancy aside — not all our protagonists find happiness — consistently entertains with smiles, giggles, and guffaws. The pacing is brisk. The performances are splendid and the ensemble cast is unusually strong. This film certainly isn’t a starring vehicle for Hugh Grant, but his performance must be singled out for his continued growth as an actor … he amuses here without any of the befuddled goofiness found in many of his previous roles. |
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