Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant ...( see more  see more... ) , Liam Neeson , Martine McCutcheon , Keira Knightley , Laura Linney , Thomas Sangster , Billy Bob Thornton , Rowan Atkinson , Edward Hardwicke

Everywhere you look, love is causing chaos. From the bachelor Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who, on his first day at 10 Downing Street, falls in love with the girl who brings him his tea, to a ...( read more  read more... )hopeless sandwich delivery guy who doesn't think he has a chance with the girls in the U.K., so he heads for Wisconsin. From aging rock stars, to a stony headmistress, to a monolingual Portuguese housemaid--love arrives in many forms, shapes and sizes. Here, ten separate--but intertwining--stories of love all lead up to a big climax on Christmas Eve, proving that love is the driving force in all of these people's lives.

Flixster Users

71% liked it

30,179,616 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

181 critics

R, 2 hr. 9 min.

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Release Date: November 7, 2003

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 27, 2004

Get It:

Stats: 919,498 reviews

Your Rating



clear rating
Facebook

Flixster Reviews (919,498)


  • December 26, 2009
    "If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspicion... love actually is all around."


    As implied by the title, Richard Curtis' Love Actually is a film about love. In an age characterised by cynicism and irony, this is an unashamedly upbeat romantic comedy - it pro

    ...( read more)udly proclaims that even in the direst of circumstances, love is all around and, if we're unable to see it, it's because we're not looking. This sentiment, which constitutes the film's core, may seem overly cloying and mushy, but writer-director Curtis is so earnest in upholding the notion that it comes across as genuinely touching. Love Actually is charming, warm and delightful, but there's no getting around the fact that it's an overstuffed Christmas turkey.


    The sprawling structure of the movie tracks a group of tentatively linked Londoners during the frantic months leading up to Christmas. These stories concern not just the standard romantic variety of love, but love in multiple forms and guises: love between siblings, love between parents and children, love between spouses, puppy love, platonic love, unrequited love, and sexual/romantic love. There are characters falling in love and characters falling out of love. Some characters are with the right people, and some are with the wrong people. Some are looking to have an affair, and some are in a period of mourning. It's a capsule summary of reality. In terms of characters, there's the new Prime Minister (Grant) who cannot express his growing feelings for his new personal assistant, as well as a photographer in love with his best friend's new wife, a pair of naked movie stand-ins who grow closer while assuming coital positions, and a burnt-out rock star named Billy Mack (Nighy) who is the main connection between all the different stories (just to describe some of the content).


    Richard Curtis' insinuation that love is everywhere but not as newsworthy as hate or destruction is manifested in the film's bookend which takes place at the airport and shows the arrival gate full of anonymous smiles, hugs and kisses. After all, what's more symbolic than the inherent rom-com cliché of the airport? Love Actually marks the directorial debut of Richard Curtis, who's no stranger to success. He co-wrote the Blackadder TV series, and he was responsible for Mr. Bean and The Vicar of Dibley. Meanwhile, his big-screen writing credits include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones's Diary. As viewers of Curtis' prior works should be aware of, he always tempers romanticism with welcome comedy. There's an excellent offering of comedic scenarios in Love Actually, including a hilarious scene in which Rowan Atkinson plays a department store attendant, and the ubiquitous presence of Billy Mack: the outspoken, addled, and often downright offensive rock star who proves a publicist's worst nightmare as he never hesitates to broadcast that his new single is commercial shit.


    The problem with Love Actually, as is often the case with sizable ensembles, is that there's just too much here, and all the tales are therefore reduced to mere stocking stuffers with barely sketched characters and situations. Worse, the film doesn't spend enough time in the company of the most interesting people. Just when you're enjoying the Prime Minister's story, the focus shifts to Liam Neeson's character mourning over his recently deceased wife. Love Actually is easy to follow, but it's difficult to genuinely care about three dozen protagonists; each allotted approximately 8 minutes of screen-time (apparently more than 60 minutes of footage was cut to get the movie down to acceptable release length). One often gets the sense that the state of love is more important to Curtis than the people he uses to examine it. There's a great deal of dead weight here, and Curtis could have easily crafted a stronger package by excising the weaker plotlines (or using the concept for a television series instead). Another flaw lies in the fact that Curtis too often relies on stale plot devices (a typewritten manuscript is blown into a lake) and lazy, feel-good shorthand (cue groovy music as Hugh Grant has a solo dance). On top of these flaws, Craig Armstrong's score, which is gently romantic and poignant in some scenes, swells into would-be epic proportions a few times when a note of whimsy would prove more suitable. The low-key, whimsical nature of the film is easily overwhelmed by such orchestral insistence. Happily, the rest of the soundtrack - consisting of several wonderful songs - is well-judged.


    Furthermore, Love Actually is unable to tell romantic stories that offer anything new or fresh to its genre. Curtis could have challenged us with something refreshing... After all, the subject of love can easily branch out into further avenues than the predictable subjects Curtis ultimately presented (like the boy chasing girl motif which occupies most of the movie). Moreover, the "love" here simply exists because the film forces it, despite language barriers, logic or resemblance to reality. Some of the stories are resolved in a true-to-life manner that admits not all endings are happy and some relationships will never come to pass, but others are pure fantasy, demanding considerable suspension of disbelief. The key offender in this department is a tale concerning a libidinous chum convinced he'll score tonnes of women in America due to his "cute British accent". The concept itself is amusing because it's built around a core of truth, but when the cliché turns out to be true beyond his wildest dreams, Curtis appears to have wandered off into a bizarre realm of British male fantasy that implicates all American girls are impossibly hot and easy. The fantastical elements could be accepted as part of the film's overall optimism, but one gets the sense that Curtis keeps changing the rules, with half the picture acknowledging the untidiness of real life and the other half operating more along the lines of pure wish fulfilment. The different approaches may increase the appeal, but it carries the whiff of cheating.


    Easily the biggest pleasure afforded by Love Actually is the cast that's packed with a bunch of the finest British actors. Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Kris Marshall, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, and Martine McCutcheon are featured here, just to name a few. There's a cameo from Billy Bob Thornton as the President of the United States too, in addition to the aforementioned cameo appearance of Rowan Atkinson. All of these actors deliver acceptable performances, but not many are given their moment to shine. To the credit of these performers, they all shape dynamic, distinct characters, and this helps keep story confusion to a minimum.


    All things considered, Love Actually is lovely, heart-warming and delightful, and it contains a number of spot-on gags in addition to an influx of genuine charm, but that's about all the film has going for it. Overlong yet criminally undercooked, this is nonetheless an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours, and it's terrific to witness so many of the UK's best actors sharing screen space.

  • December 24, 2009
    If I could, in good conscience, give this movie 5 stars just for its cast, I would. Alas, none of them really impress here. Of course, none of them have much material to work with either. Almost entirely predictable and tripe with a mediocre soundtrack though a few good laughs sq...( read more)ueezed their way out.
  • December 12, 2009
    Such a good movie! I loved all the little stories within the movie. Great cast as well! One of my favorite Christmas movies for sure.
  • December 7, 2009
    With so much going on not all of the stories match up with the others. Some are simply fantastic such as Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley's story. There aren't any complete blunders, but some feel as though they were made for just one joke to be slipped in. It's funny, romantic...( read more) and sweet. The sweetness sometimes evolves into absurdity, with a mass of people walking through the streets in the name of love and a dangerous airport dash that should have ended in a shooting. Luckily, Curtis also avoids TOO many happy endings. SO damn feel good it makes me want to hug YOU.
  • November 15, 2009
    A romantic comedy that mentions the fall of the twin towers in the first minute of the opening scene has to be something special. And so the movie takes the audience and grabs us by our hearts from the first moment on. Anyone who ever was in love can relate to the many aspects of...( read more) love the movie shows on half a dozen wonderful characters, creating just as many real magic movie moments. Especially the chemistry between Liam Neeson and his movie-son and Colin Firth and his house maiden and the solution to their stories should touch everyone who's not made of stone. How the director makes even characters in smaller roles shine and the audience feel as if we've known them for years, is a miracle. Just like this funny, sad and true gem of a film. Easily the best movie of the romantic comedy genre and wonderful to watch shortly before Christmas or anytime you just wanna be happy. Everyone involved in this will go straight to heaven.
  • February 9, 2010
    ok movie nothing special
  • February 9, 2010
    MORE ANNOYING THAN ENTERTAINING
  • February 9, 2010
    yeeees its a good movie i like the prime minister's secretary
  • February 8, 2010
    It was alrite!
    ~Kyle Nelson
    http://bit.ly/azhtDJ
  • February 8, 2010
    the best love story for me

Critic Reviews


November 10, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

It's terrific fun for an hour, but by the last of its 129 minutes you might find yourself going into insulin shock. full review

November 8, 2003
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

There are no fewer than nine interlocking and overlapping love stories in Richard Curtis' deadly epic sprawl of a romantic comedy, Love Actually. By the end of the movie, that's nine too many. full review

November 7, 2003
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Love Actually is irresistible. full review

November 7, 2003
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

It's no hardship whatsoever to sit through Love Actually ... But if Curtis could have sharpened his focus, and trusted his actors a bit more, Love Actually could have been splendid. full review

November 7, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs, until at times Curtis seems to be working from a checklist of obligatory movie love situations and does... full review

November 6, 2003
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

A patchwork of contrived naughtiness and forced pathos. full review

November 6, 2003
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

A warm, benevolent comedy whose characters gradually become your dear friends. full review

November 5, 2003
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Feel-good schmaltz creeps into every nook and cranny of writer/director Richard Curtis's Love Actually. full review

November 4, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

As a director, Curtis can't seem to rein in his writer. full review

View more Love Actually reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • tinkerbug22
    May 3, 2009
    I love this movie because it represents all different kinds of love and the ways that things work out....or dont work out. It shows how love can be the best and the worst thing in the world...sometimes at the same time.
  • aebetonio
    April 4, 2009
    want to know what's love all about in this story. . .ohhh loveactually ????????
  • preezo
    April 1, 2009
    this movie os adorable its so sweet and funny. it shows the meaning of being loved or dumped. i love it
  • ricarditozito
    March 22, 2009
    Starring: Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Thomas Sangster, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, Edward Hardwicke, Richard Curtis, Duncan Kenworthy, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan

    and a wonderfull portuguese actress/singer:
    LÚCIA MONIZ






  • gizemb
    November 26, 2008
    Hugh Grant.
  • perfectgentlemn
    July 20, 2008
    Great Movie about loves highs & lows, was very saddening no christmas necklace, gotta make a commitment to go with one or the other & live by it. IMO, Mr. Bean was a hoot. Enjoy ;)
  • billiejorox
    May 29, 2008
    This movie is the best movie in the world! Its been my favourite ever since i first saw it!!!!
    I LOVE IT!!
    I tink its really good because of the different drama stories going on, bt then the humour is typical hilarious english humour.
    I ADVISE YOU TO SEE IT!
    NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • KateBushFan
    December 28, 2007
    The Prime Minister's story is the best i think It is so hilarious when the little girls ask him to sing a christmas song coz they think he is a carol singer lol. And he actually does. I also like the bit when the secretary calls Natalie "Chubby" to the Prime Minister and he is like "Ohhh DOnt Cll Her Chubby" hehe it is sooooooo funny.
  • hisham7
    December 6, 2007
    I too dont watch romantic movies, but this seems quite interesting, hope to watch it.
  • andrinaaldape
    November 27, 2007
    Natalie (Martine McCutcheon)'s indie short film, Withdrawal:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqFS6ZjnNMc

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • While You Were Sleeping
    While You Were Sleeping (62%)
  • A Walk to Remember
    A Walk to Remember (68%)
  • Bridget Jones's Diary
    Bridget Jones's Diary (68%)
  • Monsoon Wedding
    Monsoon Wedding (58%)

Facts


Love Actually : Watch Free on TV


Love Actually Trivia


  • Hugh Grant as UK Prime Minister Colin Firth as a writer Alan Rickman as a cheating husband Andrew Lincoln as a man in love with his friends new wife  Answer »
  • In love actually, Thomas Sangster's character locks himself up in his bedroom and cries a lot, what exactly is his problem?  Answer »
  • Which film has the tag-line: 'Love actually is all around'?  Answer »
  • Which actor starred in Harry Potter, Love Actually and DieHard?  Answer »

Most Popular Skin