Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Christmas, Love, Infidelity, Marriage, Melodrama
Tagline: Coming soon actually.
Plot: From the new bachelor Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) instantly falling in love with a refreshingly real member of the staff (Martine McCutcheon) moments after entering 10 Dowing Street... To a writer (Colin Firth) escaping to the south of France to nurse his re-broken heart who finds love in a lake... From a comfortably married woman (Emma Thompson) suspecting that her husband (Alan Rickman) is slipping away... To a new bride (Keira Knightley) mistaking the distance of her husband’s best friend for something it’s not... From a schoolboy seeking to win the attention of the most unattainable girl in school... To a widowing stepfather (Liam Neeson) trying to connect with a son he suddenly barely knows... From a lovelorn junior manager (Laura Linney) seizing a chance with her long-tended, unspoken office crush... To an aging “seen it all, remember very little of it” rock star (Bill Nighy) jonesing for an end-of-career comeback in his own uncompromising way... Love, the equal-opportunity mischief-maker, is causing chaos for all. These London lives and loves collide, mingle and climax on Christmas Eve—again and again and again— with romantic, hilarious and bittersweet consequences for anyone lucky (or unlucky) enough to be under love’s spell. Acclaimed screenwriter Richard
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 Discussion forum for this movie
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 There are times when all of this goodwill feels a tad forced and artificial (such as at the ending), but, on balance, Love Actually is appealing and genial with plenty of solid laughs, and worthy of a recommendation for those who appreciate this kind of thing. Just don't expect material that's edgy, dark, or challenging.  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
An overcrowded Anglo romantic comedy from the "Bridget's Four Notting Hill Weddings" guy leaves the actors, and the audience, no room to breathe.--Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)
...certain scenes ran a little long, as well as lack of development in some of the stories. But overall, despite that last nitpick, I really was impressed by how well the screenplay developed so many of the relationships and ended them all satisfactorily(and not necessarily "happily") 7/10-- (JoBlo.com)
And while some of the joy feels a bit forced and fewer stories would've been nice, the flick is gushing with clever British humor and charm. So, in the end, it'll leave you feeling mushy in all the right ways. B-- (E! Online)
Still, there are plenty of unforced laughs, some disarmingly open “sexy bits”, and enough hearty swears to make the neutered Hollywood romantic comedy machine choke on Janet Jackson’s nipple guard. The cast are generally good to awesome, and while Curtis’ direction is merely functional, he’s taken a complex idea and served it up with a pretty impressive success rate for a first attempt. 7.5/10-- (CHUD.com)
Love is a many-splendored thing, but this film could have done with more of the splendor and not so much of the many. Focusing on a number of couples who are connected incidentally to each other, the London-set "Love Actually" strives for Paul Thomas Anderson but achieves Richard Curtis times nine or so, which is a little much--yet, at the same time, it's not enough.  --Christine James (Boxoffice Magazine)
I once had ballpoints printed up with the message, No good movie is too long. No bad movie is short enough. "Love Actually" is too long. But don't let that stop you.  --ROGER EBERT (Chicago Sun-Times)
A breath of fresh air in a season full of downer dramas and horror films, Love Actually allows you to sit back and enjoy the romantic, comical and bittersweet consequences of being under Cupid's spell. --Kit Bowen (Hollywood.com)
One of the film’s strengths is in showing how each relationship will survive – and only because of their love, actually. 8/10--Avril Carruthers (Movie-Vault.com)
The greatest, most honest exploration of love since Shakespeare- except funnier and without the murders.  --Derek May (MovieWeb)
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| Cast |
Bill Nighy
Underworld, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Constant Gardener |
 | Colin Firth
Shakespeare in Love, Bridget Jones's Diary, The English Patient |
 | Liam Neeson
Schindler's List, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Batman Begins |
 | Emma Thompson
Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, The Remains of the Day |
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 | Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, King Arthur, Bend It Like Beckham |
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...vibrant romantic comedy, blending ambition with good sense by filling the profuse parts of his multi-storied script with excellent, experienced actors, and rising young stars.  --Nev Pierce (BBC Films)
...a gargantuan romantic comedy that juggles almost a dozen relationships, half of which should have been cut and none that are fully realised. This is a recipe for disaster, yet the movie is actually enjoyable in spite of it all. It’s a mess, but a lovable mess.  --Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal)
Call it a Christmas gift from Britain to the world; this film is undeniably charming and, for a holiday movie, sets the standard for the first years of the 21st century. 85/100--Jamie Gillies (Apollo Guide)
Come one, come all and wonder at the finely-constructed marvel that is Mr. Richard Curtis’ Cynical Manipulation Machine! You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! And you’ll go home feeling ever so slightly used… --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)
Plenty of people will love this film (you know who you are), but personally I couldn't wait to escape the theatre by the time the full 135 minutes had been wrung dry. 4/10--Gary Panton (Movie Gazette)
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