“Love Actually,” the feel good Christmas movie with lots of British humor and a twist of nudity, follows nine stories of love in London. The stories range from office romance to love at the age of ten.
With an ensemble cast including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson and Martine McCutcheon, the movie captures every aspect of love from unrequited to paternal to blossoming. Because there are so many characters and lives to follow, the movie doesn’t have one second to drag on.
The “R” rating is solely based on nudity and the excessive profanity. But the nudity is done tastefully because most of the scenes follow body doubles working on a movie and talking about their hometowns while simulating a blowjob scene.
Unlike most American movies, the fleshy scenes are meant to bring humor to the movie and not just to make male viewers hot and bothered.
Maybe the thought of nudity will attract more guys to the chick flick, because after nine stories of love and loss a gal will need someone to hug afterward.
Crying is acceptable at this movie with Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson’s superb acting. Thompson’s talent shines when her character, Karen, breaks down in her bedroom just before the family leaves for the Christmas concert at her child’s school.
The funniest storyline involves an awkward sex-crazed twenty – something year old. Colin, played by Chris Marshall, gives up on the women of England since they have all rejected his crude ways. So he hops on a plane to Milwaukee in hopes that his British accent alone lands him a hot American chick. With lines like, “I am Colin, the god of sex. I’m just on the wrong continent, that’s all,” his character delivers a lot of laugh – out – loud moments.
Hugh Grant steals the show with his role as David, the British Prime Minister. His fumbling over a young assistant and standing up to the President of the U.S., played by sleazy Billy Bob Thorton, brings excitement to the political role. The movie is worth going to see just to watch Grant shake his thing to the Pointer Sisters after telling off the president.
This film is a must see, and it is a perfect start to the holiday season.
[A+]