Written and directed by Richard Curtis and produced by Duncan Kenworthy (the team behind NOTTING HILL and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL) this zingy British comedy weaves a vivid crazy quilt of interlocking or unrelated vignettes all dealing with the subject of love over the Christmas holidays in London. The big name cast includes Hugh Grant as a prime minister who falls for a staff member, Liam Neeson as a widower counseling his son in the ways of romance, Laura Linney as a shy woman working up the nerve to ask out a coworker, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman as a couple faced with infidelity, and Colin Firth as a writer who falls for his Portuguese maid. Additionally, a pair of porn film stand-ins bond on the set, an artist fantasizes about his friend's wife; and perhaps funniest of all, an aging rock star (Bill Nighy) tries for his comeback with a Christmas novelty song. The likes of Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson and Denise Richards turn in cameos, helping making this film a throwback to those all-star, multi-plotted comedies of the 1960s and '70s, such as IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD (1963), NASHVILLE (1975), and CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978). With Curtis' comedic credentials and the star wattage of pros like Grant, Neeson and Thompson, LOVE, ACTUALLY is a laugh-packed affair, with more than a few tears to be shed along the way, and a startling amount of bawdy raunchiness.
Theatrical Release: November 7, 2003
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Dual Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound - English
Dolby Surround Sound - French
Dolby Surround Sound - Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary: Richard Curtis - Director, Hugh Grant, Billy Nighy, and Thomas Sangster - Stars
Featurette:
1. Deleted Scenes with Introductions - Richard Curtis - Director
2. The Music of LOVE ACTUALLY - Richard Curtis - Director
3. "The Trouble With Love Is" - Music Video by Kelly Clarkson
Director of Photography
Michael Coulter:
Review 1:
"...[Curtis brings] a sharp sense of character comedy combined with a very human touch. His feeling for people is as genuine as his wit, and he manages it all with a light-on-its-feet casualness..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C1 11/07/2003
Review 2:
"[T]he film's freshness, sure-footed control of its emotional effects, and sincerity are hard to dismiss."
Source: Film Comment
p.78 05/01/2004
Review 3:
"...A big, snug duvet of a movie that you can flop into and get lost in..."
Source: Total Film
p.90-1 12/01/2003
Review 4:
"...A movie as sweetly munchable as a Christmas cookie..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.93-4 11/14/2003
Review 5:
"...There are laughs laced with feeling here..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.103
Review 6:
"It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.38 11/07/2003
Review 7:
"LOVE ACTUALLY is irresistible."
Source: USA Today
p.6E 11/07/2003