12 Days of Christmas 2015: Love Actually

Love Actually (2003)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson
Directed by: Richard Curtis


After covering Star Wars for a bit, it's time that I move onto something a little different for the month of December (although, be prepared for one more Star Wars review around the 18th...). With the holiday season in full swing, I wanted to touch base on some of my favorite movies to watch this time of year, as well as some that I'm watching for the first time. I'm going for a 12 days of Christmas theme, a new review every other day leading up to Christmas day. If you're looking for reviews of Christmas classics like A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, and Die Hard (IT COUNTS!), see my December reviews from 2013. If you're a Harry Potter fan who busts these movies out during the holidays, I direct you to my August reviews from earlier this year. For now, let's get the 12 days of Christmas going with a modern fan favorite, Love Actually. A British romantic comedy centered during Christmastime, I had this movie in my collection for a full year before my wife and I popped it in our PS4 to watch. We figured that now would be a better time than any to finally give it a watch and see what all the fuss was about.

The biggest thing this film has going for it is its cast. This thing is LOADED with one of the biggest ensemble casts I've ever seen. Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, Andrew Lincoln and many more. Yes, Rick from The Walking Dead and Bilbo Baggins from the Hobbit movies (hmmm...Hobbit, that might be something to touch base on in the near future) are featured in this movie. Of course, they weren't megastars yet, so they are supporting roles. Still, it's funny to see them just kind of blend in with the rest of this terrifically talented cast.

The joy of having a cast this good is that the viewer can be taken through so many different interwoven stories. Nearly every character is connected to a character involved in another story, thus creating a fun chain for you to figure out as you're watching. One of my favorite stories include Colin Firth's character falling in love with his Portuguese maid, despite their being a language barrier. That story melted my wife's heart and I think it was really the segment that won her over. Other great stories involve Liam Neeson's character supporting his young step-son try and impress a girl at school, Hugh Grant playing the British Prime Minister try and hide the feelings he has for a member of his staff, and Bill Nighy playing an aged-rocker (a la David Bowie) being self-aware of how his character sold out and made a Christmas song. Those are just a sample of the many memorable stories that appear in Love Actually and I know I can't get to all of them, otherwise there would be no point in you checking out the film for yourself.

A fun cast, many entertaining stories on love, humor, romance, drama, all wrapped up in a festive holiday package. I can see why people enjoy watching Love Actually during the holidays. Is it anything groundbreaking? Probably not. It's every romantic comedy plot tied together in one film, with the major difference being that it's set during Christmastime. But it's a cute romantic comedy marketed toward couples and people who enjoy watching stuff on the BBC, so it definitely strikes a chord with the target audience.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you're looking to watch a romantic comedy during the Holidays, Love Actually is the film for you. A lot of the stories are great to watch and the all-star cast really helps something simple become very effective. This one is worth watching with your significant other at least once this Christmas.

Love Actually and movie images are copyrighted by Universal Pictures