Love Actually Totally Explained

Everything about Love Actually totally explained

Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into the personal lives of a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are linked as their stories progress. The ensemble cast is comprised of predominantly English actors.
The film begins five weeks before Christmas and is framed around a week-by-week countdown until the holiday, with an epilogue that takes place one month later.

Cast of characters and storylines

Billy Mack and Joe

With the help of his longtime manager Joe, aging rock and roll legend Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) records a Christmas variation of The Troggs' classic hit "Love Is All Around." Despite his honest admission that it's a "festering turd of a record," the singer promotes the release in the hope it'll become the Christmas number one single. During his publicity tour, Billy promises to perform the song naked on television should his recording hit the top spot, and he keeps his word - albeit while wearing boots and holding a strategically placed guitar - when it does. After briefly celebrating his victory at a party hosted by Sir Elton John, Billy arrives at Joe's flat and, explaining Christmas is a time to be with the people you love, suggests the two get drunk and watch porn. Billy and Joe's story is the only one exploring platonic love, and the two characters are unrelated to any of the other characters in film, although a few of the other characters are shown watching Billy Mack on their TVs.

Juliet, Peter and Mark

Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) are wed in a lovely ceremony videotaped by Mark, Peter's best friend and best man. When the professional wedding video turns out to be dreadful, Juliet shows up at Mark's door in hopes of getting a copy of his footage, despite the fact that he's always been cold and unfriendly to her. The video turns out to consist entirely of close-ups of her, and she realizes that he's secretly in love with her. Mortified, Mark explains that his coldness to her is "a self-preservation thing" and excuses himself. On Christmas Eve, Mark shows up at Juliet and Peter's door posing as a carol singer with a portable CD player, and uses a series of cardboard signs to tell her that "at Christmas you tell the truth", yet, "without hope or agenda... to me, you're perfect." As he leaves, Juliet runs after Mark to give him a kiss and a sweet, sympathetic embrace, before returning to Peter. Mark tells himself, "Enough, enough now," perhaps acknowledging that it's time to move on with his life.

Jamie and Aurélia

Writer Jamie (Colin Firth) first appears preparing to attend Juliet and Peter's wedding. His girlfriend (Sienna Guillory) misses the ceremony allegedly due to illness, but when Jamie unexpectedly returns home before the reception, he discovers she's having an affair with his brother. Jamie retires to the solitude of his French cottage to immerse himself in his writing. Here he meets Portuguese housekeeper Aurélia (Lúcia Moniz), who speaks only her native tongue. Despite the language barrier they manage to communicate with each other, with subtitles indicating they're at times in agreement with each other, and sometimes of opposite minds. Jamie returns to England, where he takes a course in Portuguese. On Christmas Eve, he decides to ditch celebrations with his family to fly to Marseille to propose to Aurélia in his mangled Portuguese, and she accepts using her recently learned English.

Harry, Karen and Mia

Harry (Alan Rickman) is the managing director of a design agency. Mia (Heike Makatsch), his secretary, clearly has designs on him. His nascent mid-life crisis allows him tentatively to welcome her attention, and for Christmas he buys her an expensive necklace from jewelry salesman Rufus (Rowan Atkinson), who takes a very long time adding ever more elaborate wrapping while Harry becomes increasingly nervous with the fear of detection. Meanwhile, Harry's wife Karen (Emma Thompson) is busy dealing with their children, Daisy (Lulu Popplewell) and Bernard (William Wadham) who are appearing in the school Nativity; her brother David; and her friend Daniel, who has just lost his wife to cancer. Karen discovers the necklace in Harry's coat pocket and assumes it's a gift for her, only to be given the CD Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now to "continue [Karen's] emotional education," as Harry puts it, instead. She immediately concludes Harry is having an affair, and briefly breaks down alone in her bedroom before composing herself to attend the children's play with her husband. Following the play, Karen confronts Harry, who admits that he's been a "classic fool," a point driven home to him when he sees Karen enthusiastically congratulating their children. As for Mia, she's shown smiling while trying on the necklace.

David and Natalie

Karen's brother, the recently-elected Prime Minister David (Hugh Grant), is young, handsome, and single. Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) is a junior member of the household staff at 10 Downing St. and regularly serves his tea and biscuits. Something seems to click between them but, with the exception of some mild flirting, neither pursues the attraction. When the President of the United States (Billy Bob Thornton) pays a visit, his conservative attitude and refusal to change any policies leave the British advisors stymied. It is only after David walks in to find the President attempting to seduce Natalie he stands up for the UK, saying it's still a great country for things like Harry Potter and David Beckham's right foot ("[andhis] left foot, come to that"), and embarrassing the President in a nationally televised press conference by saying that "a friend who bullies us is no longer a friend." Concerned that his affections for Natalie are affecting his political judgment, David asks for her to be "redistributed." Later, while looking through a sampling of Christmas cards, David comes across a card signed "I'm actually yours. With Love, Your Natalie." Encouraged by this he sets out to find her. After much doorbell ringing, including a ring at Mia's doorstep, David eventually finds Natalie at her family's home. In exchange for some time with Natalie, David offers to drive everyone to the local school for the play, the same one in which his niece and nephew are appearing. The two watch the show from backstage, and their budding relationship is exposed to the audience when a curtain at the rear of the stage is raised during the big finale and David and Natalie are caught in a passionate kiss.

Daniel and Carol; Sam and Joanna

Daniel (Liam Neeson) has just lost his wife Joanna to a protracted illness, leaving him and stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster) to fend for themselves. Daniel must deal with his sudden responsibility, as well as the evident end of his love life ("That was a done deal long ago", he says to Sam, "unless, of course, Claudia Schiffer calls, in which case I want you out of the house straight away, you wee motherless mongrel."). Sam, too, is especially forlorn about something, and eventually reveals that he's in love with a girl from his school, also named Joanna, who, he assumes, doesn't know he exists. After seeing Billy Mack's new video in a store window, he comes up with a plan, based on the premise that "Girls love musicians . . . even the really weird ones get girlfriends." With Daniel's encouragement, Sam teaches himself to play the drums, eventually acting as drummer for Joanna's performance of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at the same aforementioned school play. Unfortunately, Sam fails to make his meaning clear, and he and Daniel must chase Joanna to the airport where her family is heading back to the United States. Thanks to another passenger heading through airport security, the jewelry clerk Rufus, as well as the gate staff being distracted by watching Billy Mack's naked performance on TV monitors, Sam is able to sneak through security to confess his love to Joanna before she boards the plane. Sam finds Joanna and tells her. He is brought back to his step-dad by security guards. Joanna runs back to Sam and kisses him on the cheek. Meanwhile, just before Daniel and Sam's hasty departure from the Nativity play for the airport, Daniel bumps into another parent, Carol (played by Claudia Schiffer), and sparks immediately fly.

Sarah and Karl

Sarah (Laura Linney) first appears at the wedding of Juliet and Peter, sitting next to her friend Jamie. We learn she works at Harry's design agency and is in love with creative director Karl (Rodrigo Santoro), a not-so-secret obsession recognized by Harry, who implores her to say something to him since it's Christmas and Karl is aware of her feelings anyway. Unfortunately for all concerned, Sarah has a mentally ill brother who calls her mobile phone incessantly. Sarah feels responsible for her brother and constantly puts her life on hold to support him. Sarah's chance at making love with Karl comes following her company's Christmas party (hosted at an art gallery run by Mark), but she abandons the opportunity for her brother's sake. She wishes Karl "Merry Christmas" as he leaves the office on Christmas Eve, and it's clear he wants to say something to her, but he departs and she breaks down in tears before picking up her phone to answer a call from her brother.

Colin, Tony and the Wisconsin girls

After several horrible blunders attempting to woo various English women, including Mia and the caterer at Juliet and Peter's wedding, Colin Frissell (Kris Marshall) informs his friend Tony he plans to go to America and find love there because, in his estimation, the U.S. is filled to the brim with gorgeous women who will fall head over heels for him because of his "cute British accent" ("Stateside, I'm Prince William... without the weird family.") The first place he goes after landing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a bar where he meets three stunningly attractive women who, after falling for his Basildon accent, invite him to stay at their home, specifically in their bed, with them and their housemate Harriet ("the sexy one").

John and Judy

John and Judy work as stand-ins for the sex scenes in a movie. Colin's friend Tony is part of the film crew, and gives them directions as to the activities they should simulate so that lighting checks and such can be completed. Despite their blatantly sexual actions, and frequent nudity, they're very naturally comfortable with each other, discussing politics and movies as if they'd known one another for years. John even tells Judy that "it is nice to have someone I can just chat with." The two carefully and cautiously pursue a relationship, and see the play at the local school together with John's brother.

Finale

The film begins with a voiceover from David, commenting that, whenever he gets gloomy with the state of the world, he thinks about the arrivals terminal at Heathrow Airport, and the pure, uncomplicated love felt as friends and families welcome their arriving loved ones. The film ends with a scene at the airport enacted to the tune of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows".

Billy Mack arrives with a gorgeous six-foot blonde woman pushing his luggage cart. He refers to her as one of two (and possibly more) new girlfriends, indicating his career has taken a turn for the better. Joe is there to greet him, and their relationship remains solid.
Jamie and Aurélia, now engaged, return from Portugal and are met by Peter, Juliet, and Mark. Aurelia jokes that if Jamie had told her his friends were so handsome, she might have chosen a different Englishman. Jamie then jokes that she doesn't speak English well.
Harry returns home from a trip abroad, and Karen and his children are there to greet him. Harry is delighted to see his kids again; his exchange with Karen is more reserved, but suggests that, though the two are not on steady terms, they intend to give their marriage a chance.
Daniel and Carol are there, hand in hand, with Carol's son and Sam as he awaits Joanna's return from the States. When Joanna walks through the doors, Sam says, "Hello," restraining the impulse to embrace her. Daniel curses, "He should have kissed her..." but Carol soothes him, "No, that's cool."
While waiting for Colin, Tony runs into John and Judy, about to depart on a trip together. Judy happily displays an engagement ring on her finger.
Colin returns to England from his magical trip to the US with Harriet, the fourth Wisconsin girl, for himself and her sister Carla for Tony.
As David walks through the gate, Natalie - heedless of the surrounding paparazzi - runs straight through his entourage and leaps into his arms, planting a big kiss on him.
The film ends with a montage of anonymous persons greeting their arriving loved ones that slowly enlarges and fills the screen, eventually with a shape of a heart appearing.

Production notes

The Working Title Films production, budgeted at $45,000,000, was released by Universal Pictures. It grossed $59,472,278 in the US and $188,000,000 internationally for a worldwide total of $247,472,278.
Most of the movie was filmed on location in London, at sites including Trafalgar Square, the central court of Somerset House in the Strand, Grosvenor Chapel on South Audley Street near Hyde Park, St. Paul's Clapham on Rectory Grove, Clapham in the London Borough of Lambeth, the Millennium Bridge, Selfridges department store on Oxford Street, Lambeth Bridge, the Tate Modern in the former Bankside Power Station, Canary Wharf, Marble Arch, the St. Lukes Mews off All Saint's Road in Notting Hill, Chelsea Bridge, the OXO Tower, London City Hall, Poplar Road in Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth, Elliott School in Pullman Gardens, Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, and London Heathrow Airport. Additional scenes were filmed at the Marseille Airport and Le Bar de la Marine.
Scenes set in 10 Downing Street were filmed at the Shepperton Studios.

Trivia

The set for Daniel and Sam's house was the same one used in the film Notting Hill, which starred Hugh Grant.
   The song "Love is All Around" was featured in screenwriter Richard Curtis' breakthrough film Four Weddings and a Funeral, in which it was performed by Wet Wet Wet.
   The scene in which Colin attempts to chat up the female caterer at the wedding appeared in drafts of the screenplay for Four Weddings and a Funeral, but was cut from the final version. .
   In the film Billy Mack's single is announced as the Christmas Number One on Christmas Eve, although in reality the Christmas chart for 2003 was announced on December 21. Wes Butters, who presents the BBC Radio 1 Top 40 show in the movie, as he did at the time in real life, announces the top two singles are by Billy Mack and Blue, then reveals Billy is Number One and immediately plays Billy's record. In real life, while the new Number One was revealed in this manner at the time, the announcement would be made after all the singles from #10 to #3 had been played in full. The revelation of the #1 single would be followed by the playing in full of the #2 single and then the #1, so the announcement should have been followed by Blue's record.
   Billy Mack's performance on Joe's TV bears a resemblance to Robert Palmer's music video of Addicted To Love - right down to the male singer standing front stage in each case, all other band members being female and all band members having the same physical position and instrumentation.

Principal cast

Alan Rickman ..... Harry

Emma Thompson ..... Karen

Hugh Grant ..... David

Martine McCutcheon ..... Natalie

Colin Firth ..... Jamie

Lúcia Moniz ..... Aurélia

Liam Neeson ..... Daniel

Thomas Sangster ..... Sam

Keira Knightley ..... Juliet

Chiwetel Ejiofor ..... Peter

Andrew Lincoln ..... Mark

Laura Linney ..... Sarah

Rodrigo Santoro ..... Karl

Bill Nighy ..... Billy Mack

Gregor Fisher ..... Joe

Kris Marshall ..... Colin

Abdul Salis ..... Tony

Heike Makatsch ..... Mia

Martin Freeman ..... John

Joanna Page .....Judy

Olivia Olson ..... Joanna

Billy Bob Thornton ..... President of the United States

Rowan Atkinson ..... Rufus

Claudia Schiffer ..... Carol

Ivana Milicevic ..... Stacey

January Jones ..... Jeannie

Elisha Cuthbert ..... Carol-Anne

Shannon Elizabeth ..... Harriet

Denise Richards ..... Carla

Soundtrack

The film's original music was composed, orchestrated, and conducted by Craig Armstrong.
The soundtrack album reached the Top 40 of the US Billboard 200 in 2004 and ranked #2 on the soundtrack album chart. It also achieved gold record status in Australia and Mexico.
Songs heard on the soundtrack include:

"The Trouble With Love Is" by Kelly Clarkson

"Here With Me" by Dido

"Sweetest Goodbye/Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5

"Turn Me On" by Norah Jones

"Take Me As I Am" by Wyclef Jean and Sharissa

"Songbird" by Eva Cassidy

"Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling

"Jump (for My Love)" by Girls Aloud

"Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell

"All You Need Is Love" by Lynden David Hall

"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys

"I'll See It Through" by Texas

"Too Lost In You" by Sugababes

"White Christmas" by Otis Redding The UK release of the soundtrack features an additional score track by Craig Armstrong, "PM's Love Theme," and "Sometimes" performed by Gabrielle. However it doesn't include "Wherever You Will Go" by The Calling. The US disc replaced the Girls Aloud version of "Jump" with the Pointer Sisters' original recording.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" was written and originally recorded by Mariah Carey.
Although they were not included on the soundtrack album, the Paul Anka song "Puppy Love" performed by S Club Juniors, and "Bye Bye Baby" by the Bay City Rollers, are heard in the film.

Critical reception

In his review in the New York Times, A.O. Scott called it "a romantic comedy swollen to the length of an Oscar-trawling epic — nearly two and a quarter hours of cheekiness, diffidence and high-tone smirking" and added, "it is more like a record label's greatest-hits compilation or a very special sitcom clip-reel show than an actual movie . . . the film's governing idea of love is both shallow and dishonest, and its sweet, chipper demeanor masks a sour cynicism about human emotions that's all the more sleazy for remaining unacknowledged. It has the calloused, leering soul of an early-60s rat-pack comedy, but without the suave, seductive bravado." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times described it as "a belly-flop into the sea of romantic comedy . . . the movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs, until at times Curtis seems to be working from a checklist of obligatory movie love situations and doesn't want to leave anything out . . . it feels a little like a gourmet meal that turns into a hot-dog eating contest."
   Susan Wloszczyna of USA Today stated, "Curtis' multi-tiered cake of comedy, slathered in eye-candy icing and set mostly in London at Christmas, serves sundry slices of love — sad, sweet and silly — in all of their messy, often surprising, glory."
   Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle opined, "[it] abandons any pretext of sophistication for gloppy sentimentality, sugary pop songs and bawdy humor — an approach that works about half the time . . . most of the story lines maintain interest because of the fine cast and general goodwill of the picture." Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly rated it B and called it "a toasty, star-packed ensemble comedy . . . [that's] going to make a lot of holiday romantics feel very, very good; watching it, I felt cozy and charmed myself."
   In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers rated it two stars out of a possible four, saying "there are laughs laced with feeling here, but the deft screenwriter Richard Curtis dilutes the impact by tossing in more and more stories. As a director . . . Curtis can't seem to rein in his writer . . . he ladles sugar over the eager-to-please Love Actually to make it go down easy, forgetting that sometimes it just makes you gag."
   Nev Pierce of the BBC awarded it four of a possible five stars and called it a "vibrant romantic comedy . . . warm, bittersweet and hilarious, this is lovely, actually. Prepare to be smitten."
   Todd McCarthy of Variety called it "a roundly entertaining romantic comedy," a "doggedly cheery confection," and "a package that feels as luxuriously appointed and expertly tooled as a Rolls-Royce," and predicted, "its cheeky wit, impossibly attractive cast and sure-handed professionalism . . . along with its all-encompassing romanticism, should make this a highly popular early holiday attraction for adults on both sides of the pond."
   Michael Atkinson of The Village Voice called it "love British style, handicapped slightly by corny circumstance and populated by colorful neurotics."

Awards and nominations

Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (nominee)

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Bill Nighy, winner)

BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Emma Thompson, nominee)

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (nominee)

Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay (nominee)

Empire Award for Best British Film (winner)

Empire Award for Best British Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)

Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Martine McCutcheon, winner)

Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Andrew Lincoln, nominee)

Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)

Evening Standard Peter Sellers Award for Comedy (Bill Nighy, winner)

European Film Award for Best Actor (Hugh Grant, nominee)

European Film Award for Best Director (Richard Curtis, nominee)

London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner)

London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actress (Emma Thompson, winner)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner)

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor, Musical or Comedy (Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster, nominees)

Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, Musical or Comedy (Emma Thompson, nominee)Further Information

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