LOVE
ACTUALLY
by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt, guest
reviewer
Rated R
for sexuality, nudity and language. 135 min. Written and directed by
Richard Curtis. Released in theaters
Nov. 14, 2003; on DVD April 27, 2004.
The
Story: This movie follows the lives of eight very different London
couples, dealing with their love lives in various loosely and
interrelated tales, all set during the frantic month before Christmas.
Any hopeless
romantics out there? Then I’ve got the movie for you: Love Actuality,
starring none other than Britain’s most confirmed bachelor, Hugh Grant.
Even your guy will like this film, as it’s so much more than a chick
flick.
This quirky
British film never stalls, as it quickly jumps from one amusing or
heart-tugging scene to the next. And the acting is, as the Brits say,
“Fantastic!” The producers must have had a really huge budget (or
called in a lot of favors), as so many top-tier actors are in the
cast. Let’s see, there’s Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman…Colin
Firth…Laura Linney…Liam Neeson…Billy Bob Thornton (brilliantly cast as
the smug, womanizing U.S. president)…and many, many more.
I don’t know
where gorgeous Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro has been hiding, or why
I’ve only recently begun to notice British actor Bill Nighy (Underworld),
but he rocks as an over-the-hill pop star who cannibalizes an old hit in
the hopes of a comeback. One of Nighy’s funnier lines: “…so if you
believe in Christmas, children, like your uncle Billy does, buy my
festering turd of a record....” Sure, he may end up with the stacked,
bottle-blonde, but his most touching scene is when he admits that he
truly loves his pudgy (male) manager of 20 years: “[I] left Elton
John's, where there were a hefty number of half-naked chicks with their
mouths open, to hang out with you,” he says. “It's a terrible mistake,
Chubs, but you turn out to be the fucking love of my life.”
Emma
Thompson is glorious, as usual, in her portrayal of a committed
wife and mother. But it’s knife-in-the-heart painful to watch her play
the wife who is taken for granted. I promise you this, gals: any of you
who has ever lost first place in a guy’s heart will share Emma’s big
sloppy tears when she realizes that her husband (Alan Rickman) is doing
more than just flirting with the office slut.
Yet painful
scenes like this are balanced with scenes so over the top that they
could only happen in Hollywood. My favorite is when the token “loser”
character, a sex-hungry British dork, stomps off to America to find lust
when the office slut (yes, these story lines really intertwine!) treats
him like dirt. Only in the movies would he get to first base with not
one, not two, but THREE luscious Wisconsin babes within five minutes of
entering a nearly empty Cheese State bar. (Interesting note: the
director of the film didn’t realize how far off the radar Wisconsin is,
or the laugh that his choice would get in theaters across the U.S.!)
Hands down
though, it’s the press conference scene that is my favorite. It’s just
after Billy Bob Thornton hits on Hugh Grant’s secretary (yup, Grant soon
realizes he wants her for himself). Grant is the cheeky prime minister,
you see, so he gives some real teeth to his response. Thornton tells the
assembled press that his visit has been very satisfactory: “We got what
we came for and our special relationship is still very special.”
Grant’s
response is brilliant: “I fear that this has become a bad relationship.
A relationship based on the President taking exactly what he wants and
casually ignoring all those things that really matter to, erm...
Britain.” He gains laughs—and glares from Thornton—when he adds: “We may
be a small country but we're a great one, too. The country of
Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter. David
Beckham's right foot. David Beckham's left foot, come to that” and
that “since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward, I will be
prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for
that.” Yowza!!
It takes
focus to keep up with all the bouncing between the eight plot lines of
the couples trying to find—and keep—love. Some do, some don’t. But if
you enjoy quirky characters, want to bask in the tingle of puppy love,
or are simply crazy for British accents, pop this goodie into your DVD.
Just don’t
forget the popcorn and the Kleenex.
P.S. Great
soundtrack, by the way!
DVD
Extras: Audio commentary by director Richard Curtis and actors
Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, and Thomas Sangster; deleted scenes with
commentary; music of the film with introductions by director Richard
Curtis; music video Kelly Clarkson "The Trouble With Love Is".
Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt
is an award-winning freelance writer who has penned numerous articles on
the arts, health, human resources, and interesting people and places for
web sites and publications including American Profile, Family Circle,
Ladies Home Journal, HR Innovator, and others. She has written for
Ripley's and Mobil Travel Guide, and is the author of three scholastic
career guides for high school students. She also writes and edits for
business and nonprofit clients.
Sheri has just sold
her first children’s picture book to Chronicle Books. Check out her writing samples:
www.Rehwoldt.com.
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