Love Actually (2003)

Director:

Richard Curtis

Writer:

Richard Curtis (written by)

Release Date:

14 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love actually is all around.

Plot:

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Christmas | Prime Minister | England | Writer

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 10 wins & 18 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 26

9:00 PM

LIFE

Cast

Bill Nighy	...	Billy Mack
Gregor Fisher	...	Joe
Rory MacGregor	...	Engineer
Colin Firth	...	Jamie Bennett
Sienna Guillory	...	Jamie's Girlfriend
Liam Neeson	...	Daniel
Emma Thompson	...	Karen
Lulu Popplewell	...	Daisy, her daughter
Kris Marshall	...	Colin Frissell
Heike Makatsch	...	Mia
Martin Freeman	...	John
Joanna Page	...	Just Judy
Chiwetel Ejiofor	...	Peter
Andrew Lincoln	...	Mark
Keira Knightley	...	Juliet

Also Known As:

Love Actually Is All Around (UK) (working title) (USA) (working title)
Untitled Richard Curtis Project (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

135 min | Canada:129 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | South Korea:129 min (Asian Edition)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Portuguese | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) (Canadian Home Video rating) | Malaysia:18SX | Iceland:L | France:U | Ireland:15 | South Korea:15 (Asian edition) (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:6 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIA (original rating) | Hong Kong:III (DVD rating) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 (video rating) (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (video rating) (cut) | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40173)

Filming Locations:

Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

All 4 leading stars of Sense and Sensibility (1995), technically appear in this film, with Grant, Thompson and Rickman playing leading roles, and Kate Winslet appearing in stock footage of James Cameron's Titanic (1997).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the "Wisconsin" scene where Colin meets the American girls and Carol-Anne walks in, you can see a British style light switch near the door.

Quotes:

[Natalie runs up to the Prime Minister at Heathrow airport and leaps into his arms]
Prime Minister: God, you weigh a lot!
Natalie: Oh, shut your face!

Movie Connections:

References "The West Wing" (1999)

Soundtrack:

I'll See It Through

A Holiday Fantasy Classic (Yes, Fantasy - Negative Reviewers Get Over It ;-)

This movie does come off as a bit shallow, and it contains characters who are one- dimensional caricatures of themselves. But guess what -- this movie is clearly in the romantic, holiday fantasy genre -- just like It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story are. And most people love those movies, so I don't get all the negative reviewing of this film. To me, this movie is clearly a fantasy piece, and as such it should not be subject to all the driveling negativity that would better be directed toward something terrible that masquerades as serious dramatic work. Would the British PM ever go knocking door to door with just one bodyguard? No Way! Do Londoners actually care what song is "number one for Christmas" more than Americans do?? (I'm seriously doubting it -- who other than a few teenagers and record promoters actually cares about charts?) This is clearly a work that's not to be taken as a "serious" movie, though it's seriously fun if you'll take it for the fantasy that it is.

I love this film. Despite the clearly fantastic story lines, I like the characters, and the amazing A-list cast does a great job. I caught it first in theatrical release, then I watched it three times back to back on a plane to London because the other choices were the abysmal "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Duplex." Since I've caught it on HBO, and I've quickly realized it's one of those movies you can watch repeatedly when flipping channels for a quick "pick me up" that only fantasy movies can provide. My favorite movie of that sort is Groundhog Day, if that clues you into my argument.

The multi-threaded storytelling in this borrows from the likes of Magnolia, and the fact that it's a light hearted holiday theme flick place that device in interesting contrast.

I see Love Actually as a new holiday classic.