Richard Curtis’ directorial debut easily could be renamed
“Bridget Jones’ Diary about Four Weddings and a Funeral
in Notting Hill” and reaffirms Curtis’ title as the
go-to guy for British romantic comedies.
This time around, the screenwriter decided to step behind the
camera and try his luck as director. Commanding a stellar cast of
who’s who in British and American cinema didn’t hurt,
either. Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Billy Bob Thornton are just
some of the noteworthy actors filling the bill. And, of course,
what Curtis movie would be complete without the customary
blundering Hugh Grant role?
Set up in a portmanteau approach, the film weaves in and out
between nine different storylines that involve loosely linked
characters five weeks before Christmas. Whatever the situation, all
types of love are explored through different scenarios: platonic,
unrequited, unintelligible, romantic and so forth, only proving
that love actually is all around.
With so many exceptional performances, it is hard to pick just
one to highlight. The most entertaining would have to be Bill
Nighy’s portrayal of Bill Mack, an aging singer trying to
make an end-of-career comeback. Mack butchers Wet Wet Wet’s
“Love is All Around,” turning it into a holiday song to
milk the seasonal commercial system out of more money. Looking
wasted and nonchalant, he stumbles from one scene to the next
trying to promote a song that even he openly despises, and rightly
so. But in “Love Actually,” even cynical people are
able to discover love.
The only problem with the film, admittedly hard to find, was
surprisingly Grant’s performance as the Prime Minister. The
newly elected figurehead soon finds his work environment
complicated with the presence of his attractive caterer, Natalie
(Martine McCutcheon). The storyline between the Prime Minister and
Natalie is not particularly engaging, as the two clumsily avoid one
another, trying not to draw attention to their mutual attraction
for fear of poor publicity. It’s ground that’s been
trodden before in “The American President.”
Some viewers may complain that Curtis offers nothing that
hasn’t been seen already in his previous films. However, that
criticism is precisely the charm of the film. Curtis does not
deviate from the formula that has been so successful for him thus
far, and why should he?
““ Laurie Lo