This is the time of the year when I catch up on videos due to the absence of anything approaching decent original TV to watch.
Last Christmas was really a case of Lord of the Rings and nothing else. Certainly it was a bad kiddie season. As I remember it, the Movie Mob took in a video of Miyazaki's Spirited Away for the annual Christmas Tree-Decorating Night rather than shoehorn in any of the movies that were playing at the local multiplexes. So, I didn't spend much time staring at movie one-sheets then. I DID hear Love Actually was a pretty good movie ... but was unsuitable for children. Soooo, I missed it.
Thank god for DVD. It's a wonderful little movie with all the sickly sweet romance that makes for a great holiday movie still viable and enjoyable here in the humid depths of summer.
Admittedly, there was a scene I'd seen in the previews that I wanted to see again. No, not the staircase dance scene for Laura Linney. There is a look of happiness on a young ladies' face looking back over her left shoulder that is in this movie with the impressive Keira Knightley. This scene hits about 55 minutes in. Unless you'd seen it in real life a few times, you'll probably be mystified about what I'm talking about. But that was my original reason for watching the movie.
Almost all the guys in the movie are clueless and slowly catch on during the movie that something good is right in their lap. And we are talking REALLY good. The age span is impressive, with Olivia Olson for the tweeners, Knightley for the teenagers, Lucia Moniz and Martine McCutcheon for the young men out there and Emma Thompson for the discriminating man. I was going to label Thompson incomparable, but I think of her as the British Kathleen Turner, an earthy complete package of LADY.
Despite the sweet little crush young Sam has for the Olson-played Joanna, the movie certainly is for grown-ups. I could have done without the language, but the scenes involving the X-Rated movie's body doubles are as good as the movie gets.
The DVD has some really great extras involving writer/director Richard Curtis. Gotta admit, I really wished they'd kept the first extended 8-minute scene they cut most out of in the final version of the movie. Would have explained the Leo/Kate /Titanic reference later in the movie. Some good background on the music in the movie, albeit without talking about the running gag of turning Love Is All Around into a Christmas tune.
Why WASN'T this movie a huge hit here in North America? TOO many stories and a weak ending. I could have spent time with virtually ALL of the people, but the little bits made several stories too watered down to enjoy to the max. The young Brit's trip to Wisconsin could have been more or less, but was unsatisfying at the length it was. And a movie that starts so strongly about the Knightley triangle, pays off only in a cute Christmas caroling scene. Again, more or less would have been better. And Linney's Sarah, star of the only tragic storyline, could have been less.
I was surprised we didn't actually see more of McCutcheon and Hugh Grant, playing the British PM. And Thompson and Alan Rickman could have had a whole movie to themselves, as could Liam Neeson playing the just widowed step-father to Sam, played with earnest seriousness by Thomas Sangster.
When a movie leaves you smiling, prompts the odd out-loud chuckle and plenty of grins, and ends with you wanting more, it has to be a pretty good movie.
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