The genuinely heart-warming stories aren’t necessarily the romantic ones, from Daniel and his son Sam managing to get through their first Christmas without Sam’s mum to the long-time friendship between manager Joe and rock ‘ n ‘ roll Billy Mack. Love Actually’s joys lie in its subplots.
Since 2003, the tide has gradually turned for Love Actually. That is not to say people don’t fight for it, but others dismiss it as a bit naff or weird. Yet, despite several now problematic themes, Love Actually remains a classic festive offering due to its ensemble cast, which includes Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Bill Nighy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Laura Linney, Kris Marshall, and Rowan Atkinson.
The genuinely heart-warming stories aren’t necessarily the romantic ones, from Daniel and his son Sam managing to get through their first Christmas without Sam’s mum to the long-time friendship between manager Joe and rock ‘ n ‘ roll-er Billy Mack. Love Actually’s joys lie in its subplots.
Each story is linked, and if you’re thinking, “Wow, that sounds difficult”, you’d be right. Director Richard Curtis described the editing process as a “catastrophe” and “the only nightmare scenario that I’ve been caught in“. After all, when editing your film feels like a three-dimensional game of chess, you know you’re in for a challenging ride. Nonetheless, Curtis pulls it off, and it seems everything goes off without a hitch.
The resulting picture is undoubtedly a love letter to London, taking in iconic locations from Canary Wharf and Hyde Park to the Tate Modern and Selfridges. However, it also speaks directly to the Britpop era, which was in decline by the early millennium, and, in many ways, Love Actually feels like a love letter and a goodbye to it.
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