Twenty-Three of Fifty-Two

Movie

Love Actually

Ok, I love this moving. I've loved it the first time I ever saw it, nearly ten years ago and I'll still love it 10 years from now. Love actually, isn't like most films with a single plot that starts at point A and ends at point Z. It's a group of stories from the perspective of a group of people who are connected in a number of ways.

I should point out as well that it has an amazing cast of British and Irish actors, including such greats as Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Martin Freeman, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Keira Knightly, Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman and many more.

There are way too many stories here to go into the plot of the film. There are too many characters to talk about all of them (though they are all amazing characters) so I'll just comment on a couple of them, my favourites.

I think the reason I like this film is because it's very realistic - with the exception of Kris Marshall's character 'Colin Frizzle' who goes to America and manages to have a five-some with a bunch of American girls (Ivana Milicavic, January Jones, Elisha Cuthbert and Shannon Elizabeth, all way out of his league) - the romances that work out makes sense, but they don't go over the top. And some of them don't work out. Something I rarely see in this kind of movie is the romance not working out, but three of them don't, Hell Liam Neeson's character's wife is dead before the film even starts.

My two favourite characters are Andrew Lincoln's 'Mark' who is in love with his best friend's wife (played by Kiera Knightly) and Martin Freeman's character 'John' who falls for a girl he's working for. Interestingly enough he's pretending to have sex with her, playing with her breasts etc... As a stand in for some real actors long before he's even started dating her.

I like Mark because he's a nice guy who's keeping his friends wife at arm’s length to keep from revealing his feelings, only to have them push and push and push until it all comes out just before Christmas. I think I like him because he's me. It’s exactly what I’d do in the same situation and I've been in a couple situations like it.
Same with John, while I'd never be in that situation specifically (naked with a girl before even asking her out) I would definitely be as awkward as him- I most definitely am as awkward as him with girls.
They're scary and confusing ok?!

It's a great film with a story line for every member of the family. From the Prime Minister falling for his common, potty-mouthed secretary to the recently widowed man helping his step son to get the girl before she leaves the country at Christmas.

Even the unsuccessful stories leave the viewer with a sense of accomplishment, warmth and resolution.

Tim-Minchin-Christmas-Song
- James

P.S. Merry Christmas Everyone! I'm going to be pretty absent for the next couple of weeks, back on the 7th of Jan. There are a couple of things scheduled to go up on the blog and if I get a chance and see something interesting I'll post. Otherwise; See you in January When Rix and myself will be starting a podcast of random shit.