I recently mentioned that I have a certain fondness for the film, Love Actually. This was met with the kind of derision normally reserved for people who read magical realism novels.
Nonetheless, I maintain that Love Actually is not only one of my favourite films, but also one of the best of the last decade or so. Hit the jump to find out why:
Above all else, the film is a comedy and it's a funny one at that. As per all Richard Curtis-scripted films, it is filled with wit. This is not just the man who wrote Four Weddings, but the man who wrote Blackadder. The vignette featuring The Office's Martin Freeman and the eponymous Stacey herself, Joanna Page , as two body doubles who meet naked, yet progress their relationship in an almost old-fashioned way is hilarious.
For the men, as well as the aforementioned Ms Page naked, you get the tale of My Family's Kris Marshall deciding to spend Christmas in America in the vain hope that he will have more success with the ladies there; the result is a true moment of comic genius. Elsewhere, Colin Firth's romance is textbook and Hugh Grant's version of Upstairs Downstairs would be a film in itself to a lesser writer. Simply, the film is filled with brilliant moments, including one of the most convincing Prime Ministerial speeches in history – it's just a shame the British Premier here isn't a real candidate. Above all else, Bill Nighy rocks, no matter what he's in.
Beyond any of this, you have to appreciate the cast, possibly the finest ensemble ever put together. In addition to the above, you have Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Laura Linney and Billy Bob Thornton, it just keeps on going!
What's not to like? So what if it's a film about love; what are we, 12? The piece examines the emotion from every angle, familial, friendship, unrequited, blossoming, decaying, absent and even sexual. There has rarely been a more complete, or a more knowing, analysis of any subject in a single film, let alone a cheesy British comedy.
It's also one of the few films that actually benefits from the deleted scenes. Whilst you can understand the cuts, so much of what was left out is pure gold: a mother uniting with her troubled son against his school over the subject of visible farts; Rowan Atkinson's angel; and an even more frenetic finale. How a film can be so full of brilliance is beyond me. It makes you laugh, make you think and brings a tear to your eye. If you can't respect that then there's no hope for you.
So stop being such a bunch of snobs! Do you attack It's A Wonderful Life for being smaltzy? Then why ignore Love Actually, which is truly of the same calibre.
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