Annual Love Actually Rewatch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Watch The Holiday instead. Please. Anything but this garbage movie.

The Holiday is exactly on par with Love Actually in terms of garbage. It’s comical that you think otherwise

[Anonymous]

I think both are ridiculous and bad and the storylines are ludicrous but at least you get some nice Nancy myers house porn, plus Jude law and Jack black.

[Anonymous]

I really wonder if there might have been one decent movie buried in the tangle that is "Love Actually," but Richard Curtis was too high on his own fame at that point to do what was needed: Edit. That. Script.

Curtis was coming off a couple of huge rom-com hits when he made "Love Actually" and I suspect no one was willing to tell him, when he wrote this script, that the emperor had no clothes. It's as if he had a bunch of different ideas for movies, but only had basic starting points, and instead of culling through them to find one or two to flesh out, he tossed them all into a blender together and created this. it feels like a succession of false starts, some rather interesting, some terrible, some manipulative.

The only thing that makes it watchable, and only in parts, is the fact there are some terrific actors giving good performances with the fragments of characters they were handed.

Sorry to harsh the mellow of those who love the movie. Go for it. This thread comes up pretty much annually here so this is my annual "Curtis couldn't edit himself" review....Full disclosure, my DH likes this movie. And I come in from whatever other room I'm in just to see Bill Nighy's scenes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We re-Watch it multiple times over the holidays but this year we analyzed who all the “sh**ty” people are.

Not many good people in this movie when you really look at it.

I decided that Hugh Grant/PM is the worst. Major misogynist who fires someone (who got a super rare gig working for the PM and could only go up from there) for being too attractive to work with. Then stalks her neighborhood door to door until he finds her (and she’s dumb enough to give him a chance after that but whole other discussion).

I saw it as he asked her to be “relocated” which means she got a different government job, and he did it because he was worried about having inappropriate feelings for her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman story is heartbreaking. I always assumed he actually cheated (Cheated, Actually LOL), but maybe he was just a foolish older man who thought the flirty younger woman was actually interested (Interested, Actually) in him.

It made no sense. Why was she interested in him? Why did he fall for her stupid advances?

[Anonymous]

Ugh, can't stand it.

[Anonymous]

I also just did my annual rewatch. Still love it.

I’ve always interpreted the Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman ending as that she didn’t forgive him but is making an attemot for their kids - tbd if she leaves him in the future. So somewhat realistic - not everyone would blow up their marriage over an affair (yes it was an affair, who cares if just emotional).

I love the Kiera Knightly storyline, love the Liam Neeson storyline, love the aging rocker storyline, enjoy the Hugh Grant and even yes the porn couple one although the porn part of it is so cringe, get a total hoot out of Colin’s storyline. Emma Thomson is tough to watch (she is so awesome, though) as is Laura Linney’s, and Colin Firth’s is annoying. Mostly though the movie just charms me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman story is heartbreaking. I always assumed he actually cheated (Cheated, Actually LOL), but maybe he was just a foolish older man who thought the flirty younger woman was actually interested (Interested, Actually) in him.

It made no sense. Why was she interested in him? Why did he fall for her stupid advances?

It’s a game to her. Get the rich, older man to buy you stuff because you’re so hot. You can see her salivate when she opens the door to the PM.

He definitely cheated. That’s why she has the necklace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do love this movie, but some parts have not aged well.

Agree that Natalie is not heavy! So much fat shaming in this film.

The porn story is so unnecessary.

I have a soft spot for Keira Knightley, I was studying abroad in the UK when she first became famous and adored her in movies from this time period.

That Hugh Grant dancing scene is hilarious.

I remember seeing this in the theater when it first came out, and definitely watch it every December.

Oh, and forgot to mention - I first saw it with a guy I was dating at the time who was from the UK, he cried at the ending. It makes me feel a bit nostalgic. We didn't end up working out and lost touch.

Did you date Jude Law? I'm always a bit turned off when he cries at the end of the Holiday

Lol re PP dating Jude Law

I cried at the end of Love Actually. The airport scenes get me..but I cry at everything since having kids.

I love the kid in this move and that step parent relationship.

No, definitely did not date Jude Law - although he was very handsome back then! ;p

[Anonymous]

Seriously Laura Kinney, ignore your brother’s millionth call of the night. He’ll survive. I absolutely hated the ending they gave her character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously Laura Kinney, ignore your brother’s millionth call of the night. He’ll survive. I absolutely hated the ending they gave her character.

any woman who was older and had lived a bit actually got this ending in that movie.

The movie is just godawful on every single level. Heartwarming? lol!

[Anonymous]

Still love it. Don’t care.

[Anonymous]

No one’s going to mention that Kiera Knightly was 18 ?!

Seems more like a Woody Allen casting.

[Anonymous]

It is such a bad movie. How can you love the Kiera knightly story, he is basically a stalker and ruined her wedding video. Also he’s a lousy friend.

All of the women depicted in this, with the exception of Emma Thompson maybe, have no brain cells.

The Colin going to America story is not even funny and is trading in the dumbest stereotypes in the world.

[Anonymous]

I'm an annual watcher and agree that it gets more problematic over time.

Emma Thompson finding out about the necklace always gets me, when she plays joni mitchell in her room, gah! It's so real to me having btdt.

I never thought they stayed together though. The scene at the end strikes me as two people who are just transitioning the kids from one parent to the other being cordial to one another. I've also been in this situation and that's really what it goes like.

Otherwise, the kiera knightly storyline doesn't bother me. she's so beautiful in the wedding scene, i can see that the friend would just be infatuated with her.

my favorite though is the boy and the song at the end.

So much is very unrealistic but the cast just makes this movie. even the american girls in the bar who have small parts are stars.