Film Review : Love Actually (2003)

I was introduced to this film by someone very special in my life. At the time I happen to work for a British company and had some insight to British culture. It has been over 08 years since I first watched this film and now I watch Love Actually every time during Christmas. In my opinion, it is one of the best Christmas Movies ever made.

This movie immediately resonated with me for some very unique reasons which I have listed out below.

1. I will never ever forget my first travel by an airplane and it was to London. When the aircraft was taking its rounds to land, I was just enjoying the views of London heading down to Heathrow. So Love actually begins with this beautiful opening scene at Heathrow Airport which just really warms up my soul with nostalgia.
2. The selection of songs and music right throughout the film was just so perfect and puts me in the holiday mood right away. I love the wedding scene of the surprise with “All you need is love”. I thought that was such a unique idea to surprise someone at their wedding. Nothing beat the song that tops the chart – Christmas is all around. (Where I live they play this version on the radio during December) Overall music theme is just so very Christmassy and filled with lots of holiday cheer.
3. Hugh Grant. Yes, I have always been smitten by Hugh Grant for the longest time, and it is public knowledge that the person who introduced this film to me does have some resemblance to Hugh Grant’s and hairdo. (at least at the time) and I have told him that he reminds me of the handsome Hugh Grant.  I absolutely love the part where No 10:  dances away to Pointer Sister’s “Jump”. Its such an iconic dance I must say.
4. Billy Bob Thornton. I was not particularly fond of Billy when I first saw his role as the President of the USA. Over the years watching his acting career taking heights, I developed a great appreciation of him.
5. Some of the catchy phrases in this movie are now in my day to day vocabulary. “this is not just a box”, “ In the flashiest of the flashes”, “dark corners for dark deeds”, “ I am going to America”, “My fat manager”,  “Oh please sir, please!
6. The writer and his Portuguese helper is like watching a film in a film. It’s a different story line all together and is quite interesting. There are several story lines intertwined in this film which makes it all the more interesting for someone like me.
7. All the characters in this film, even the little child who plays lobster and the one of the kings with his spiderman face paint, they all play such a unique and vital role to the wholeness of this film. It is very rare to have all the characters so significantly portrayed in a film. I love the British humour; all round I think this is such a brilliant film.

So when you get the chance, do watch this film. I am confident that it will add some cheer to your day. I am not much of a person who watches a trailer prior to a film. But for your benefit, I am sharing the trailer.