Love Actually
Ask anyone who has worked on a film set and they will tell you that it’s a collaborative process. Actors rely on the director and writer, the writer relies on the director and actors, the director relies on the craftsmen, who rely on the director to know what he is doing. When a link in that chain is broken, the end result can be compromised.
Just ask writer Richard Curtis, whose witty words have graced “Notting Hill,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Bean” and “The Tall Guy.” Every great writer needs a great editor, something Curtis lacks in his latest romantic comedy “Love Actually.” Making his debut as director, Curtis has no one to blame but himself. As someone in love with his own words, Curtis doesn’t know when enough is enough. Someone less attached to the material would know when to yell cut.
“Love Actually” may be epic in scope (it covers a lot of territory, eight couples, three weeks) but it’s also a seat warmer. Curtis could have easily whittled this down, trimming reaction and reflection shots (love lost, love found), while completely excising one story arc that does nothing but take up time and test our patience. That would be the relationship between recently widowed Daniel (Liam Neeson) and his young love-struck stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster).
Out of all of the disparate characters Curtis tosses into the mix, this neo father-son relationship involving young love (from a child way too mature beyond his years), never gels. It’s a waste of time, a “Graduate” rehash reenacted for a cheap laugh. Neeson and Sangster aren’t necessarily bad, but they are trapped by trite, convenient dialogue that suggests this story thread was more of an afterthought than part of an ensemble.
As a first time director, Curtis does manage to juggle numerous storylines without dropping too many balls. He slips now and then (do we really need another impromptu dance number) but when all is said and done, “Love Actually” sparkles with wit and sentiment. It’s a winning holiday treat, an adult romantic comedy that literally has something for everyone.
My favorite storyline involves washed-up rocker Billy Mack (the fabulous Bill Nighy) looking for a Christmas comeback with a holiday remake of one of his oldie, moldy hits “Love Is All Around” (actually, a Troggs song, but hey, this is the movies). Like the song, love is all around, and seems to have bitten everyone. Characters are either falling in love, out of love, loving from a distance, or devoting their love to someone who needs it most.
Set in London three weeks before Christmas, “Love Actually” is a warm and fuzzy reminder when it comes to love, it is a small world. As Mack shocks his way to the top of the ever elusive Christmas number one (much to the dismay of his longtime suffering manager Joe, played with constant pangs of embarrassment by Gregor Fisher), the new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) finds himself smitten with Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), a beautiful and outspoken staff member whose allure proves a major distraction.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s sister Karen (Emma Thompson) is facing a romantic crisis. She suspects her husband Harry (the wonderful Alan Rickman) of falling for fetching secretary Mia (Heike Makatsch), while Harry plays matchmaker between coworkers Sarah (Laura Linney) and Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), the on-going object of her crush.
I also appreciated the U-turn Curtis took on the story involving best friends Mark (Andrew Lincoln) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Mark’s reaction to Peter’s new wife Juliet (Keira Knightley, three for three after “Bend It Like Beckham” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Just when I was ready to accuse Curtis of pandering to the lowest and most obvious denominator, he surprised me.
For every tolerable distraction (Martin Freeman and Joanna Page playing cute as nude movie stand-ins, Colin Firth as a writer who conveniently falls in love with his Portuguese maid), Curtis makes up for them with moments that are genuine and memorable (Emma Thompson’s heartbreaking Christmas discovery, Nighy’s cagey transformation from a former drug addict to a charming bad boy).
“Love Actually” could have and would have been a better film if Curtis knew that when it comes to romantic comedies, at least those that exist in real time, less is more. I like it when characters speak with their hearts rather than their emotions, and with few exceptions, “Love Actually” has a lot of heart. It is designed, both visually and musically, to evoke feelings of hope, which it does. The film makes you feel good, and if you’re willing to put up with its excess, what more could you want?
BEATING THE ODDS
Love enjoyable in spite of itself
LOVE ACTUALLY
Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Laura Linney, Rodrigo Santoro. Directed by Richard Curtis. Rated R. 135 Minutes.
LARSEN RATING: $5.00
