Love Actually [DVD] [2003]

I've just read through all of the reviews on here and so many people have started theirs with the words "I don't normally like romantic comedies" or "I don't like Hugh Grant films". Then why are they watching it?

Too many people are watching this expecting too much. It's a film, not a documentary. In the words of Colin Firth, "It's not bloody Shakespeare".

Yes, Hugh Grant plays his standard character, (bumbling Englishman who you just want to give a slap), but that's what he plays. You don't find him doing a Tarantino do you?

Richard Curtis did a radio interview a few months ago and was asked what his plans for fuure projects was and he said that there were only so many ways he could get Hugh to mumble. He gets the joke, Hugh Grant is a parody of Hugh Grant.

Yes, Richard Curtis overdoes the sugar sweetness by a huge bucketload. That's what he does with his movies, split personalities. With Blackadder you got Curtis the cynic, with movies you get Curtis the incurable romantic.

People have said that the characters were unbelievable, that you don't find all these types of people in London. Go to the middle of London, it's full of them. Curtis has captured middle class England perfectly. It just might not be so recognizable to all of us at around the minimum wage mark.

I think a lot of people who have given this bad reviews really haven't watched it properly, hell most of them didn't even get the names and events right. Personally I think it is a great film to watch when you want to be uplifted, if you can't keep up with more than one storyline then go buy the Teletubbies. If you want a film that shows Britain for the majority then watch Shaun of the Dead, if you want Britain at its worst then watch Scum.

If you want to see Britain at the same level as Richrd Curtis see it then watch this, he says that a lot of characters and events in his films can be traced back to people and events he sees around him.

The cast in this are mostly wonderful:

Hugh Grant - Plays Hugh Grant in a wide selection of ties

Colin Firth - Can do comedy and emotion with equal ease, but can't help jumping in water.

Liam Neeson - Can't go wrong with Liam (Except Star Wars but that was beyond Liams control). Only he could have pulled of the funeral scene with as well as he did.

Bill Nighy - Pure comic genius, hard to remember seeing this that he is a dramatic actor, in this he is hilarious.

Alan Rickman - Again, how can he do wrong?

Rowan Atkinson - Another great Curtis regular, and one of Britains all time best actors. Should be given bigger parts but makes up for it in performance.

Thomas Sangster - Young but shows potential for future acting.

Emma Thompson - One of the most emotional scenes of the film, listening to CD alone in bedroom.

Martine McCutcheon - Wasn't expecting much from a TV actress but was surprised. Seeing Hugh Grant kissing her was just plain wrong though. Like a dirty old man.

Keira Knightley - Pre-Pirates and still finding her way in movies, wasn't in the film enough to develop completely.

Laura Linney - Wonderful performance, you could feel her pain at having to choose between family and love.

Lucia Moniz - Wonderful, shy and quiet at first, sweet,cute and adorable at end. Also Portugese Eurovision Song Contest entrant in the 90's but don't hold it against her.

Listen to the cast commentary with Richard Curtis, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster. It's almost as good as the film itself.

This film isn't for everyone but then what film is there in the world that EVERYONE loves?

Love Actually is a festive and funny watch and I was undoubtedly entertained for 129 minutes. From being in a relatively low mood due to the sheer coldness of the winter, I was uplifted immensely due to the Christmas tunes, happy couples and comic elements in the film. I loved that many different relationships were followed and despite the large amount of them, I was still able to emphasise with some of the storylines. The film depicted the love and warmth desired during Christmas and triggered my excitement for this month even more! Some scenes even created slight jealousy; a surprise gospel choir at a Christmas wedding is simply genius! The optimism from particular characters was delightful, and Hugh Grant's portrayal of the Prime Minister was not only hilarious but also slightly idealistic - David Cameron watch this space! Also, the realism of events (like the airport scenes) was also inspiring and hopeful, keeping the film on level ground, maybe a Christmas fairytale ending is possible after all! The brief appearances from loved faces such as Ant and Dec and Rowan Atkinson were very humorous and added light-heartedness when characters were experiencing heartbreak. Liam Neeson's relationship with his step-son was emotional and delicate, motivating families grieving through loss of loved ones to keep smiling. The film is also brought back to life through the realisation that broken relationships are existent, due to Alan Rickman's sleazy adultery. It seems fair to say that almost every relationship, be it of pain or happiness is depicted in this film and if you want to get in the Christmas mood, or simply just want to be cheered up, then Love Actually is definitely for you.

First off, I love this film. Saw it at the cinema & bought the dvd same day it was released. I've watched it more times than I care to count so this review is purely on the quality of upgrade to blu-ray. And that can only be described as superb!!

Everything is just sharper and clearer. I already thought the picture was good by playing the 'normal' dvd on the blu ray machine but this takes it a step further. The clarity is just something else. It's the little things like the shine on the door of No.10 - you can see the reflections in it!!! I'd never noticed that before. The early scene with the large Christmas Tree lit up in the shopping centre is blinding! Seriously, you do a double-blink as it is like being in bright sunlight.

The sound track is sharper and you do hear things - background noises in particular - that you won't have heard before. I spent a lot of the film wondering if bits had been added-in as there seemed to be so much I had previously missed. With this film being made only six years ago I didn't expect it to have much to upgrade but I was wrong. It is good.

And finally, the main question - how does Hugh look doing that dance??? This was the ultimate test for this film in this format. All I can say is that a white shirt & black trousers never looked SO DARN GOOD!!!!!!!

If, like me, you adore this film then you must treat yourself to the blu-ray edition. It really is worth it.