Love Actually

Rating: 2/4 (Too many stories, too many people and too much bad music)

How many personal stories can you compress into a single romantic movie? Love Actually tries to set a record with 10. I caught the movie on TV today and it was a choc-a-bloc full of big name actors. Everyone from Hugh Grant to Liam Neeson to Emma Thompson. The story is set in UK (a non-US movie for a change!) and follows the 5 weeks leading to Christmas in the lives of 10 or so people. One is the UK Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) who is starting to love his young chubby assistant. Another is a lonely writer who is attracted to his house cleaner. Another is a nerdy boy who thinks he can get gals if he travels to the US (and in the end he does!). Yet another is a middle aged guy whose marriage is teetering on the edge of an extramarital affair. And some more like that. All of these people will come together for a common ending come Christmas Day, but will they find their loves?

The movie is supposed to be a romantic comedy, but there isn’t much comedy here. But there is lots of sugary romance, hugging and kissing. Too much in fact, that it would make any Bollywood director proud. The background music is full of pop songs and jars badly with the moods onscreen. Also, the whole point of the movie gets lost with all those stories which have no relation to one another. Nothing great here, just a good watch.