Back in 2003, Richard Curtis revolutionised the festive film landscape with the romantic comedy, Love Actually. With a cast like no other, Curtis brought together some of Britain’s greatest actors to tell ten interlinked love stories in the countdown to Christmas.
Set and filmed predominantly in London, Love Actually is quintessentially British with an ensemble comprised of household names such as Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Rowan Atkinson, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln and Martin Freeman. There are even cameos from British TV royalty Ant and Dec and Michael Parkinson. Alongside this, notable American stars make an appearance such as Billy Bob Thornton as the US President and Laura Linney as the hopeless romantic Sarah who harbours a secret love for her colleague, Karl.
Despite its popularity with audiences, Love Actually received mixed reactions from critics, but on a modest budget of $40 million it grossed over $248 million at the worldwide box office and remained in the top ten titles for five weeks after its release.
For the most part, Love Actually is a wholesome Christmas film stuffed with romantic tropes and heart-warming moments that continue to set our hearts alight to an uplifting soundtrack, such as Sam running through the airport to tell his school crush Olivia that he loves her. The film has become an iconic part of British pop culture that’s ingrained into our festive season such as a Lobster being present at the birth of Christ in a school nativity, to our gift wrap being as excessive as Atkinson’s. Curtis also doesn’t shy away from touching on the more difficult elements of life that typically come to light around the festive season. For many, Thompson’s performance as Karen when she cries in her bedroom to Joni Mitchell after discovering her husband bought a necklace for someone else, remains the most poignant moment of the film. It spotlights the complicated nuances of adult life, with some rose-tinted festive elements woven in to prove that love actually is all around.
After a dose of this tonic and Bill Nighy’s BAFTA-winning performance as washed-up rockstar Billy Mack, there’s many similar titles to enjoy that will offer the same warmth, romance and hope including the short charity sequel, Red Nose Day Actually. Since the release of Love Actually, there has been a rise in seasonal ensemble comedies with interlinked storylines, such as Gary Marshall’s New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
For fans of the cult Christmas classic, we’ve created a list of firm British favourites such as The Holiday and Bridget Jones’s Diary, which also features Curtis’ romantic comedies like Notting Hill and About Time and American ensemble comedies such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Crazy Stupid Love. With enough titles to keep you going well into the New Year, here are 12 films to watch if you liked Love Actually and where to stream them.
