Romantic comedies are a tricky thing to pull off. Either they stray too far into the comedy and you get more slapstick or toilet humor than romance, or the comedy is thin and the romance is sappy- meaning that we sit for an hour and a half and scream “he loves you, you love him… get together already!!” Then, there are the rare few that are neither insulting nor predictable. Neither crude nor dry. They are the true spirit of the genre. They are so few and far between that one can name them probably on one hand. That being the case, get ready to bring up the other hand because Love Actually is, actually, superb.
How is it that the British seem to be putting out the most human comedies lately. In the past few years we’ve been astounded by The Full Monty, Bend it Like Beckham, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (and of course its “sequel” Snatch). These movies rose above the tripe usually served up and managed to turn it on its head while staying within the formula. Somehow it worked. Love Actually is the When Harry Met Sally of the new millennium. It combines the heartwarming drama of love in all its various aspects with the original pull no punches comedy that doesn’t rely on the bowel region to make us laugh out loud.
It’s no surprise that a script this smart attracted an all star cast. There are so many wonderful actors here I could spend the entire review hailing them, however I will suffice to say that they were all at the top of their game, with Liam Neeson as a recently widowed step-father to a love-struck young boy managing to step out of the ordinary Father Knows Best realm into a man of today who understands that children are as sophisticated (if not more so) in the ways of the world than most adults. Its refreshing to see a man talk “to” his son, not “down to” him.
Keira Knightly is stunning- absolutely breathtaking. Though only on screen for a short time, she makes the most of it, doing most of her best work without saying a word. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney all somehow manage to be brilliant without upstaging each other. When was the last time we saw an all star cast who was in it for the story, not for the glory. Even Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister was somehow almost believable. Lastly I’d just like to give special praise to Bill Nighy (Underworld) who somehow combines Iggy Pop, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ozzy Osborne into a lovable scamp who lives to break the rules. Bravo.
The story isn’t unique in its inception, but in its execution. We’ve seen multiple stories running parallel but revolving around a central theme or idea before (i.e. Snatch). But managing to make each story enthralling, comedic, truthful and real without sacrificing theme or character is truly amazing. One of many examples that comes to mind is the wedding between Keira Knightly and her on-screen husband. Though we’ve a million weddings in a million movies, you know you’re watching something special when you see this one, only for a brief moment, but it stands out as the coolest wedding you’ve ever seen.
All that aside there are two things here that make this movie great- it’s realism and its depiction of every variety of love. The realism is apparent in the dialogue, the characters and the performances (hell, how refreshingly real is an aging rock star who admits his music is commercial crap?) But it shines when you finally realize that love is everywhere- from friendship, to romance, to family, to power, to forbidden, to the awkward, as with two porno stand-ins or Britain’s Prime Minister with his coffee girl. It’s hard enough to depict one aspect well, but juggling several at once and making it funny…. hey, you try it!
All in all there’s little else to say. The movie is superb form beginning to end. It’s real, funny, tragic, romantic, honest and well-executed. There’s a reason it was nominated for several Golden Globes (including Best Picture) and has now gone on to be recognized by the Oscars. Normally I’d say, “yeah, but we know the crap that comes out of those awards,” but in this case, they’ve hit one on the mark. You want romantic comedy that’s not a chick flick or stars J-Lo? Check out Love Actually… you might actually enjoy it.
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