Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining (if you can suspend your critical judgment)
Review: There is no denying that Love Actually is a very entertaining film. There are some very funny moments, often genuinely witty and warm, and the cast, for the most part, is first-class. The nowadays more mature Hugh Grant is no longer the annoying foppish twit he was earlier in his career, and actually manages to be quite endearing. Martine McCutcheon--already known to British audiences as a TV soap star, and certainly not an actress I would have deliberately chosen to see--turns in a serendipitously understated performance. She delivers what could have been some very tedious comedy episodes (such as the early "Oops, I just said sh*t twice," scene) in a surprisingly low-key manner. Also worth noting is Bill Nighy as an aging rocker, who has some of the film's funniest lines.Curtis brings a number of strands of plot together (the cast is huge, and many of the different storylines do not interconnect until well into the film), connecting them up in some very clever ways at times. However, it doesn't always work. At least two or three of the subplots could have been dispensed with altogether--they simply don't engage us or make sense. Lastly, there is no doubt the film is an emotional rollercoaster. You'll be fighting back the tears at times. The most emotional moments, however, arise from the filmmakers' shameless manipulation of the audience: The most banal and embarrassingly lazy cliches surface regularly to tug on our heartstrings; the score periodically swells into patriotic fervour or overblown sentimentalism to wrench our innermost feelings out of us. The British journalist Will Self furiously called the opening sequence, during which Hugh Grant refers to the phone calls from the planes to loved ones on 9/11, "the most grotesque and sickening manipulation of the cinema audience since Leni Riefenstahl's [Nazi propaganda film] Triumph of the Will." A bit of wild overstatement, perhaps, but not totally removed from the truth. Get your audience thinking back to all those images of people weeping and embracing after 9/11, and you'll have them eating out of the palm of your hand should you want to feed them a message of "love, love, love," no matter how trite the means. What saves this film is that, apart from the triteness, there are some genuinely moving moments: The scene when wrinkled rockstar Bill Nighy confesses his love for his "chubby employee"; when recently wedded Kiera Knightley watches her friend's video of the wedding and makes a startling discovery. There are also some genuinely funny moments, even if Curtis more than occasionally gives in to the temptation to sink into the predictable. And finally, there are some very clever moments, when Curtis does actually manage to defy our expectations and deliver something other than what we wanted or anticipated. Beneath the banal, there really is some warmth. Go on, suspend your critical judgment for the evening. I am not convinced it is all love, actually. It's entertainment, actually.
Rating: 
Summary: Heart-warming, but...
Review: Like other reviewers, there were parts of this movie I absolutely loved. But like the Christmas cookie plate, there were just too many sweet choices, and I was left at the end of the film with a tummy-ache. This could have been a lovely family film (or at least one I could take my mother to), EXCEPT for a plot line about a couple who meet while filming a porno movie. Ok, it was humorous at times, as they carried on regular conversion while in the most provacative of poses. But the story is a minor one, doesn't advance the plot or message, and makes it impossible for anyone to take their teen children to. Which is too bad, because there is a poignant story about a middle-school age boy who has a crush on the most popular girl at school. At any rate, I still liked it, especially since I had Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, and Alan Rickman, all in one movie!! Hugh Grant is looking even better these days, with a few wrinkles on his face. Colin Firth turns in a lovely performance as a bumbling writer. Alan Rickman is a potentially unfaithful husband, and I don't know if it was writing or directing, but something was missing with it. Nevertheless, just listening to his wonderful, resonant voice is worth the price of admission. Go see this one with your girl-buddies, but not your mom.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate romantic comedy
Review: "Love Actually", directed by Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones) is one of the most heart-warming films of the year; just in time for the holidays! This charming British comedy boasts an all-star ensemble cast featuring Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, and Rowan Atkinson. The cast alone is a reason to go see it! This film is what I would call an epic romantic "dramedy". Spanning two and a half hours, it sometimes gets difficult to sit through in those uncomfortable theater seats. But I'm here to tell your numb bum is completely worth it! Yes, this is a comedy. And yes, it is also a drama. This film brought tears to my eyes, both from laughing so hard and by being extremely touched. The plot is tremendously intricate and I don't feel it necessary to go through. All you need to know is that there are multiple storylines that all end up being interwoven with one another. It's surprising to see how (nearly) all these very different people end up being connected to each other. You know what they say; we're all seven links away from one another (or whatever it is). All kinds of love are dealt with in this film; forbidden love, new love, young love, friendly love, passionate love, secret love... "Love Actually" has it all!
Rating:
Summary: Great trailors, mediocre film
Review: Don't get me wrong, the film had many hilarious moments. It followed a handful of stories, some of which were as asinine as they were inane, but the plot generally flowed nicely into a warm, happy ending for all to enjoy. If nudity and profanity offend you, stay away. It's a British film, so things like that are heralded. Another side effect of it's British producing is a lot of obvious anti-American humor. So if you can handle nudity and profanity, uninteresting as well as interesting characters, and being made the butt of jokes routinely (if American), this will be a truly enjoyable film.
Rating:
Summary: Overcooked
Review: The sole redeeming qualities of this film -- other than Hugh Grant dancing -- are the beginning and the ending. The story is soft to the point of mushy. The characters fall in love predictably and with as much melodrama as two characters running towards each other on the beach in slow motion. I found the stereotypical European anti Americanism to be irritating. While the beginning and the ending have a feel good quality, I found the film to lack inspiration.
Rating:
Summary: I didn't mind the nudity
Review: Well, as a man who was dragged to this film by my girlfriend on the same day we saw Kill Bill, I hate that I actually liked it more than the latter. Men are supposed to take blood and violence over smooching middle-aged paradigms, not have our sensitive sides manipulated by touching storylines. I have let down my forefathers! Reluctantly I admit that the film is incredibly good, and any man who doesn't walk away with a somewhat renewed sense of hope for relationships and love is a very bitter man indeed. The movie focuses on a series of relationships in various stages of growth, with the majority of them in infant stages --the exceptions would be Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman's marriage and Liam Neeson's struggle with widowhood (that's not a spoiler, the movie opens with it) Some are more prominant than others, and while I expected that each would in someway be related to the other, some of them, in a very unconvetional way, stood alone. A few of them could have been cut out as they are a bit underdeveloped, but all of them are worth following and are very charming. (Just dropped another rung on the masculinaty ladder with that statement.) Ther'se been some hype about the nudity in the film. As a man, ha ha, I had no problem with it. But, in terms of gratuity, I think it serves its purpose, because these are poeple dealing with lust as much as love. There are some scenes where two film stand-in charatcers are asked to engage in faux sexual activity in the nude, but when you include it in the film's premise of how some people meet, it works as an amusing adult situation, not porn. It's funny, it's quirky, if you're offended then you're probably not getting the joke. Anyway, my final comment is to add that Liam Neeson's father/son story is worth seeing this movie for alone. I found myself routing for this little boy the way i route for the Red Sox.
Rating: 
Summary: Left the Theatre Laughing With The Joy Of It
Review: It's lovely and a delightful bit of Chrismas cheer.
It ain't Shakespeare, but if it doesn't give you a nice warm feeling deep down inside - then I'm guessing that TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE is more your flavor.
Rating:
Summary: Didn't Want it to End!
Review: Okay, I'll admit it, I went into this film with super high expectations, as Notting Hill and Bridget Jones Diary are two of my all time favorite movies, but I was so totally smitten by this movie that I had to write my first review to share with others. I've never seen a movie that so adeptly dramatizes the many forms in which love affects us. Each (main) character (not counting the silly little parts played by the nude stand-ins) was so earnest and "naked" in their utter surender to the reprecussions of true love, that it broke my heart while making me laugh all at the same time. Loved it, Loved it, Loved it!
Rating:
Summary: Great (intimate) date movie !
Review: Not to be seen on a first date, that's for sure. Other than that, a nice slice of love life seen from different situations. The direction was normal, but the acting and the script were well done. Very refreshing to see an adult movie that doesn't rely on special effects to carry the story, because, here, the story carries itself.
I noticed that many reviews complained about the nude scenes. I guess that's why it's often referred to as an "adult" movie. I had no problem with them---after all, it comes with the subject matter. The "negative effects of love", as one reviewer called it, are part of life. Not everyone's mind you, but they are out there. Ignoring that or covering it up are not going to change that. Just Google "Buddhist movie reviews" to see what I mean. Tolerance is half the battle won.
Not a fantastic movie, and I see no Oscar nods heading its way, but my date and I enjoyed it. It was even better with the popcorn.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly entertaining
Review: I had low hopes for this movie, but after watching it twice in one week, I have to admit that I am a little bit in love, actually. If you enjoy movies like Bridget Jones' Diary, then this is a movie for you.
I thought the high number of parallel story lines would make this a very shallow and broken film, but somehow the actors and editing keeps it all running nicely. Actually, this is one of my favorite movies this year, and I will purchase it when it is released on DVD, hopefully with tons of juicy extras!
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