Love Actually

Name: Love Actually
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: November 7, 2003
Duration: 135 min
Rating: 55
Cast: Liam Neeson

2003

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Mixed or average reviews based on 41 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 393 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 393 Ratings

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Love Actually

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: November 7, 2003 | R

Starring: Liam Neeson

Summary: This ultimate romantic comedy weaves together a spectacular number of love affairs into one amazing story. [Universal Pictures]

Director: Richard Curtis

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 135 min

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert

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 doesn't want to leave anything out. Read full review

Connie Ogle

The biggest surprise in the cheery, delightful Love Actually is its lively, edgy, slightly blue sense of humor. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Provides enough happy endings to make the audience forget that romance and Christmas miracles don't always work out. Read full review

Ty Burr

Charming, if terribly overstuffed, vision of romantic London gridlock. Read full review

Empire Caroline Westbrook

It’s a formula that works and, as crowd-pleasing mainstream Britcom goes, it’s a relatively solid, if flawed, entry into the genre. Read full review

Mark Caro

The movie grows more cloying and repetitive as it stretches well beyond two hours. Almost every main character boasts the same bashful, puppy-dog attitude toward romance. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Gets to be dislikable in its glib feelgoodness. The movie's many excellent actors do too much acting with too little conviction in scenes that rush through perfunctory setups to deliver pat payoffs.

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User Reviews

MichaelJ.

Dec 25, 2007

The occasional overdone moments are far outweighed by the heart touching warmth of this film. If you are looking for a deep dredging of of the human soul read Kafka or watch The Pianist. This is a light hearted reminder of some of the joy of life. And what's wrong with that? A good The occasional overdone moments are far outweighed by the heart touching warmth of this film. If you are looking for a deep dredging of of the human soul read Kafka or watch The Pianist. This is a light hearted reminder of some of the joy of life. And what's wrong with that? A good example of why one shouldn't listen to critics.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful

Heyjamesparker

Dec 8, 2019

A Christmas movie our family watches at least once a year. Great interconnectedness between stories, and a great lot of fun!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BarneyOnMT

Oct 31, 2016

WHAT I LIKED: I cried, I smiled and I laughed. 'Love actually' is the very peak of this genre; a classy, emotionally rewarding, thematic and genuinely hilarious ride. This is only made possible though because it's incredible cast all bring their A-games; bringing to life each well-developedWHAT I LIKED: I cried, I smiled and I laughed. 'Love actually' is the very peak of this genre; a classy, emotionally rewarding, thematic and genuinely hilarious ride. This is only made possible though because it's incredible cast all bring their A-games; bringing to life each well-developed character to the extent that you really care about each one. As a result this film could also be considered a lesson in handling multiple characters in one space whilst still making narrative sense, for it succeeds hugely there too.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Having said that (whilst you could argue that love is the grounding feature here) it's narrative has no obvious central points to grab hold of.
VERDICT: It's a wonder it's so good when it's so chock-full, but this is by far the best rom-com I've seen in a while. What a surprisingly charming movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Nov 21, 2016

Cute, charming, and indelibly sweet, Love Actually may be a bit too rich for some due to its wide-armed embrace of movie romance cliches and absurdities, but for those willing to go along with it, the film is a true joy. Setting it during Christmas is a stroke of genius as director RichardCute, charming, and indelibly sweet, Love Actually may be a bit too rich for some due to its wide-armed embrace of movie romance cliches and absurdities, but for those willing to go along with it, the film is a true joy. Setting it during Christmas is a stroke of genius as director Richard Curtis expertly matches the joy, spirit, and magic of the season with that of love, while being unafraid of showing of the dirty, messy, and painful side of love. Through love lost via relationship missteps or death, love found via unexpected avenues, or unrequited love, Love Actually is a breathtaking and expansive look at love that tremendously develops its character. Plus, what a cast! Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson, and January Jones, all appear in Curtis' largest romantic production yet. While I do prefer his more grounded looks at love in Notting Hill and About Time, Love Actually is still a joyful experience.

Truly, the greatest accomplishment here are the characters. For such a large cast of intertwined people, Love Actually jumps quite easily from character-to-character and story-to-story while drawing lines between each and giving each character room to breathe. From Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant), a former playboy looking to finally settle down when he meets Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) to Billy Mack (Bill Nighy), a former heroin addict rock star who realizes love may not be for him, Love Actually's character range is expansive and each romance is well-developed. Though often giving way to cliche, particularly with 11-year old Sam running through the airport to find the "love of his life", Love Actually manages to rise above the cliches by somehow exploiting them perfectly. In a lesser film, running through the airport to find a girl would have bothered me greatly. Here, however, the film manages to make it into an explosive climax, symbolizing the hurdles experienced by all characters in the film trying to find their love with the big, adorable pay-off.

Of all the characters, it is hard to choose a favorite. Billy Mack is great, of course, but one of the best pairings is John (Martin Freeman) and Judy (Joanna Page). Each encounter between the duo embodies the sweet and charming nature of the rest of the film, as well as the clumsiness and awkward nature experienced by the other characters. Though given relatively little screentime, their quick chemistry and immediate romantic charm make them an enjoyable couple to watch progress during the film. This duo really shows the charm of the film and how effective it can be at drawing pathos. We barely see this duo and yet, their encounters are entirely memorable and incredibly well handled.

Love Actually's willingness to embrace cliche may be its biggest turn off for many, but for myself, it was one of the best pieces. On their own, each story would certainly crumble if extended into a whole film. Together, however, they soar as little snippets into a variety of people's love lives. As a whole, it is a vignette and love letter to love and all of its ills and joys.

Now, Love Actually is imperfect. By not focusing on any single character, it does limit itself somewhat. Though a great vignette into love as a whole, one of the best parts of any romance film is being along for the whole ride. By jumping from character-to-character, Love Actually deprives its audience of this element and, as a result, the climax is not as infectious as it could have been. Still a great climax, but a bit stunted compared to the others works by Curtis.

Love Actually is a bold and ambitious look at love by director Richard Curtis. Pairing him with a tremendous and large cast, the film is a beautiful take on the matter and really delves into all that it can bring. That said, its large cast and numerous characters, though well-written, can be both a gift and a curse given the genre of the film. Though we become connected to each character here, the beauty of the romantic film is the journey, not just the beginning, little bits in the middle, and the ending. For it to be truly satisfactory, you must eat the whole pie, not just a slice.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

beingryanjude

Sep 2, 2014

There are countless ensemble comedies such as this--some of them actually quite successful. Love Actually contains some wonderfully connected stories but, unfortunately, too many of them.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Swati

Feb 7, 2013

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved Bill Nighy's performance, however, as well as Linney's. Mark's love for Juliet was poignant. Little Sam's story might also have worked as a subplot. Rest of the stories were trash.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

T.M.

Oct 18, 2009

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible. I want that 2 1/2 (!) hours of my life back. Friends whose taste I trust actually recommended this piece of crap to me. Just to start ... I don't I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible. I want that 2 1/2 (!) hours of my life back. Friends whose taste I trust actually recommended this piece of crap to me. Just to start ... I don't think even in America could someone has idiotic as Hugh Grant's character be elected to lead the country. If Laura Linney's character liked her hunky co-worker so much, why the hell didn't she turn off her' cellphone when she finally lured him to her bed? (And her storyline was left hanging.) Why did the subplot with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman seem to be about humiliating Emma's character? Why did Keira Knightly marry the black guy if she really wanted the other guy? And how convenient that in a huge city like London, all the children iin the story went to the same school. The movie's music was horrible, especially the little girl who was forced to sing like an American Idol reject. Were they going for the absurd when the so-so looking guy went to America and was overwhelmed with attention from prospective Playboy playmates? And the oh-so-cuteness of Colin Firth's character's and the maid's trying to communicate. The porn star body-double couple hardly had a story. But then, the stars of the movie hardly had a story. Hugh Grant's dancing-in-his underwear/"Risky Business" ripoff was unforgivable, as was the misogyny of the middle-aged men ending up with women half their ages who had been their servants.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful

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30	#30 Most Discussed Movie of 2003
6	#6 Most Shared Movie of 2003