Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting
Hill), makes his directorial debut with Love Actually, a Robert Altman-esque
ensemble affair that depicts that crazy little thing called love through several
disassociated storylines.

There are too many story lines, in fact, to describe in their entirety in
this review, but one of the major ones involves Hugh Grant as a British
Prime Minister and his crush on a secretary.

The cast are all likable enough. Grant does his typical, charming Hugh Grant
thing. The film's funniest, most engaging performance is given by Bill
Nighy who plays aging rock star Billy Mack. His energy and offbeat, deadpan
delivery really liven things up.

My favorite story-line is perhaps the one that gets the least amount of
screen time. It features a pair of porno film stand-ins who develop a crush
on one another. What's odd about this vignette is that in these characters'
professional relationship, they are paid to grope one another while naked,
but once the cameras are off, and they interact in their normal lives, they
are actually quite shy and awkward about approaching each other with actual intimacy
and I found the entire scenario very endearing.

The problem with Love, Actually is that not all of the story lines really
work because some of them feel painfully underdeveloped. We're talking about
a two hour movie here, and many of the scenarios just don't pay off. The
most ridiculous moment comes in the form of a Billy Bob Thornton cameo (he
plays the President of the United States). His little war of words with the
Prime Minister came completely out of left field, and it really irritated me
that the film makers tried to jam a half-assed political statement in the
middle of this sweet-natured look at love. It felt all wrong. I could have lived with
it's quick jab at American politics had the scene been remotely
funny or interesting. As it stands, it's neither.

You could do much worse than Love, Actually. It certainly means well and
it's not often that you see so many good actors in the same film. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Billy Nighy, and Billy Bob Thornton. That's enough talent for half a dozen films, actually.

Writer Richard Curtis makes a decent directing debut and I'm curious to
see what he does next. His Love, Actually is a sporadically entertaining
tale of love that doesn't always work it's magic, but does so enough for a
recommendation. It'll make a fun video pick.