Love Actually (2003) - Movie Review

Love Actually (2003) –  rating (4/5)

Cast : Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Keira Knighley, Bill Nighy

Written and Directed by Richard Curtis

Review by Zulfiqar

            Love comes in all forms. Love between parent and kids : between office colleagues : between persons of different cadres at a workspace : between agents and artistes : between spouses, who have lived a long time and had their romance numbed, only to be reignited by a May-September affair of a partner : between committed and non-committed : between people from rebound romances : between kids : bereavement passion. These are some of the things, ‘Love Actually’ covers in its 134 minutes of runtime.

            Though it doesn’t aspire to glorify a single love story, the notion that love is formless and could come in any shape is what the movie drives at. And in this apt duration with so many love lines, it is a chockablock of British pun, fun and native daily life centered around Christmas time - the time of family and love. the movie so as not indulge in this native complacency has a party waiter, who thinks the British chicks are uptight and so, flies to the States loaded with a bag full of rubbers to sow his wild oats. Like a good British movie, it is the characteristic of a well written comic script, which makes ‘love actually’ a breeze to sit through. Bill Nighy as an aged and crass music artiste is hilarious as he repents on his lost life in wild fun while giving his future a neglect. But it doesn’t sound as grim as I have mentioned. He lambasts his own present album, on air, making a mockery of it not caring that the producer, his best friend, will face financial crisis, if it doesn’t workout. During his interviews, the advice he gives to the kids is frowned upon by the TV anchors and radio-jockeys and they are on tip-toes with trepidation that every sentence of his may have a punchline at the end to spoil the content of the programme. And everytime this crass granddad of music does succeeds in doing so.

            Liam Neeson’s role is a grieving widower, who has a welcome deviation from his son, a ten-year-old something, who has fallen in love with a fellow pupil. This angle has a cute bonding between the parent and kid but more importantly director Richard Curtis, a veteran writer of classics like ‘four wedding ……’, ‘Bridget Jones Diary’, finds a way to cancel out the gloom in the family. He makes us look at the light where it is hard to find. The romance between the Prime Minister (Hugh Jackman) and his catering manager (Martine McCutcheon) at number 10, downing street, is the straight-up love story, but Curtis laces it with an episode of patriotism, where the premiere counteracts a smug American president by sacrificing ambassadorial relationships for love of everything, British.

            Curtis mastery lies in the writing up of scenes, which explain the relationship in such a crystal clear manner. There is a scene where Colin Firth’s character, who is on a rebound phase, talks with his Portuguese maid, for whom he has the hots. The dialogue is simple but the complete ignorance of the other one’s language makes the characters speak unintelligible words to each other. They, however, speak one mind but with contrasting angles. The Martin Freeman character’s romantic angle is funny to see but it is the most profound one. His and Joanna Page’s characters are actors of porn, but their relationship thinks beyond the physical aspect. They strive to be good friends starting from the final base. Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson are Harry and Karen, a middle aged couple, whose bond is tested by the charms of his secretary (Heike Makatsch). The relationship has a maturity of adjustment and concession, which may workout for the better. It is old school but is effective and much needed for the marriages to stand. Emma Thompson plays the role aptly with the emotional deluge of a typical housewife, who has to think about her family and also dam her emotions to show them at the right time. But as an erring Harry, Rickman uses the subtle nuances to describe his character. The hilarious episode with Rowan Atkinson is a relish.

            Mark (Andrew Lincoln) and Juliet’s (Keira Knightley) love angle is a tough one to explain and justify. But with less of dialog and more of pictures, Curtis directs the scenes in a innovatively simplistic manner. However the poignant relationship is between Sarah (Laura Linney) and Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), who are very good people too shy to express their feelings. Sarah makes a tough decision despite everything working out for her. it is a tough choice but that’s how life is.

            Curtis's direction and writing is abundant with acute observation of humanity, which we daily see but don’t perceive. It takes a heart to observe . Movies like ‘love actually’ are readymade products to access these emotions and look at different slices of life. Professional turmoil has made people ignorant of our basic surroundings and a curious thing called people. Movies are one such tool to prod us in invoking the appreciation of life. It is on this level ‘love actually’ works so beautifully. It isn’t materialistic but realistic.