Love Actually

Reviewing My DVD Collection continues with . . .

Love Actually (2003)
Written & Directed by Richard Curtis

Cast
Bill Nighy .... Billy Mack
Gregor Fisher .... Joe
Colin Firth .... Jamie Bennett
Sienna Guillory .... Jamie's Girlfriend
Liam Neeson .... Daniel
Emma Thompson .... Karen
Kris Marshall .... Colin Frissell
Andrew Lincoln .... Mark
Keira Knightley .... Juliet
Hugh Grant .... The Prime Minister
Martine McCutcheon .... Natalie
Laura Linney .... Sarah
Thomas Sangster .... Sam
Alan Rickman .... Harry
Lúcia Moniz .... Aurelia
Billy Bob Thornton .... The US President
Rowan Atkinson .... Rufus, jewellery salesman
Claudia Schiffer .... Carol

When & Why did I buy this movie?
I think I got this at Blockbuster shortly after it was released on DVD, maybe 6 weeks after it initially came out. I got a previously viewed copy but not a major sale, no super deal. I probably paid between $12.99 and $16.99. But I just wanted it THAT bad. I didn't want to wait for it to be reduced to under ten bucks. And sometimes with REALLY good movies they never get reduced, all the previously viewed copies go for a high price and then once they're gone you have to go all in and buy new. I didn't want to risk it, so I paid more and bought early, because I wanted this movie. I haven't watched it in probably a year, and this will be my third or fourth time to see it.

And now once again through the magic of Internet I'm off to watch it, and I'll be back in the next line with the results!

Favourite Scene
Oh boy! There are a lot of favourite scenes in this one. I love the opening and closing footage of real people greeting one another at the airport. Hugh Grant's dance to Jump for my Love is classic! When Colin Firth's book blows away and the Portuguese girl dives in to save it and he says, "Oh God she's in." The gift wrapping scene with Alan Rickman and Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean). When Mark comes to the door on Christmas Eve "without hope or agenda" and delivers his Christmas wish written on big signs and then says, "Enough, enough now" as he walks away. When Laura Linney takes the love of her life back to her apartment after the office Christmas party and says, "Can you excuse me for one second" then goes around the corner and does the dance of joy, comes back around and says "That's done." When Emma Thompson gets the Joni Mitchell CD and realises her husband gave the other girl the jewellry, she goes into her bedroom and has a quiet emotional breakdown while Both Sides Now plays. That's a big scene! Huge! Breaks my heart everytime. She's so good at being strong and shattered all at the same time. When Hugh Grant is cruising the neighborhood knocking on everydoor looking for Natalie and has to carol for the kids. And of course I couldn't leave out Colin Firth's Romeo and Juliet scene where he asks Aurelia to marry him.

Least Favourite Scene
None. I enjoyed every inch of this movie.

Favourite Character
I have three favourite characters and I don't know if I could pick just one. I love the raunchy has-been rocker Billy Mack played by Bill Nighy. Kris Marshall's Colin Frissell cracks me up big time. And the kid Sam played by Thomas Sangster is just adorable. If I had to go with just one though . . . probably Bill Nighy.

Least Favourite Character
Nobody readily springs to mind. It's a large ensemble cast. I think they all did okay.

Favourite Quote
Again, oh boy! This is a funny movie, lots of great scenes, funny quotes. Plenty of material to pick from. Right from the beginning with Hugh Grant's voice over the opening credits "When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

When Colin is going to America and he says, "I'm on Shag Highway heading West."

In the scene between Emma Thompson's character and her daughter when she finds out she's going to be first lobster in the nativity play for the Christmas pageant. "There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?" And her daughter says, "Duh."

Billy Mack during a tv appearance when they remind him that kids are watching, "Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free."

Oh the scene at the very beginning where Natalie meets the Prime Minister for the first time -- Natalie says, "Hello, David. I mean "sir". Shit, I can't believe I've just said that. Oh and now I've gone and said "shit" - twice. I'm so sorry, sir."
And Hugh, the Prime Minister responds, "It's fine, it's fine. You could've said "fuck", and then we'd have been in real trouble." And Natalie says, "Thank you, sir. I did have an awful premonition that I was going to fuck up the first day. Oh piss-it!"

It's so nice when Colin Firth's character, Jamie says to Aurelia, "It's my favorite time of day, driving you." And she says in Portuguese, "It is the saddest part of my day, leaving you."

Colin -- "I am Colin. God of Sex. I'm just on the wrong continent, that's all." and "Watch out America, here comes Colin Frissell! And he's got a big knob!"

When Joe, Billy Mack's manager says, "Ten minutes at Elton John's and you're as gay as a maypole."

Oh and in the beginning when Billy keeps singing the wrong words to the song and he swears, "Oh! Fuck wank bugger shitting arse head and hole!"

Extras
Lots of extras on this one. There's deleted scenes with intros by Richard Curtis, The Music of Love Actually with Intros by Richard Curtis, Kelly Clarkson's music video The Trouble with Love Is, DVD-ROM, and feature commentary with Richard Curtis, Hugh Grant, Billy Nighy and Thomas Sangster. There's a really funny part in the commentary actually. Well, there are lots of funny parts, but there's this one part where they're talking about Billy Bob Thornton as we're watching him enter the scene and climb the stairs with Hugh. Hugh says, "He's a wonderful actor with particular demands like the one that he can't be around antique furniture. This scene must have been torture to him. And there on the wall is a picture of Benjamin Disraeli and his biggest phobia of all is Benjamin Disraeli. So, he's actually being very brave." It's really funny. They have a good laugh when Hugh says he put that picture on the table to help Billy look a certain way in another scene and he does look so serious and a bit freaked out. It's funny. But anyway, yes, there are extras and they are good.

Thumbs Up or Down
Two thumbs WAY up from me on this one. Love Actually is everything that love should be. It's magical and funny and it rips the guts right out of you and it's full of hope. I find the British humour to be really funny, like the stereotypical way they deal with the United States for instance. The movie isn't 100% realistic or anything like that, it's a comedy, it's exaggerated for effect, some things are a stretch. But there are some solid story lines too, like Laura Linney who gives up love to look after her brother. But if you open yourself up to this movie and go with it unquestioningly, it's a really entertaining ride. I laughed out loud, snorted even. And I cried, and not the silent tear down the cheek, but the big ole snuffly sob.

Why is this movie in my collection?
Because it belongs there. And not every movie I have can say the same. There are some that need to be traded in for something better. Love Actually stays with the collection until the bitter end though. I wanted to own this movie from the moment they started showing previews for its theatre release. And I wasn't wrong. It's a solid entertaining watch that I'll be able to revisit and enjoy for years to come. Like Four Weddings and a Funeral (which will come up for review someday). If my copy broke I'd probably pay up to $25 to get a new copy . . . and that's a lot of cash for someone who buys mostly previously viewed out of the bargain bin. If you enjoy romantic comedies, if you like the members of the cast, go buy this movie and add it to your collection.

And so ends the DVD reviewing for this weekend. I'll probably not watch anymore until next weekend. But this is fun. I like re-watching these movies and sharing my favourite and not so favourite things.