Love Actually: Difference between revisions

The movie revolves around several different people and their relationships, all woven together. Among the myriad plotlines, we see the [[The Men of Downing Street|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] (Hugh Grant) falling hard for the girl who does the tea in Number 10 Downing Street (Martine McCutcheon), who also draws the eye of the visiting U.S President (Billy Bob Thornton); his sister ([[Emma Thompson]]) going through a rough patch in her marriage while her husband ([[Alan Rickman]]) finds himself drawn to his secretary; his work colleague (Laura Linney) finding herself torn between pursuing love with a long-time crush and her obligations to her {{spoiler|disabled brother}}; a mystery writer ([[Colin Firth]]) decamping to France after his brother sleeps with his girlfriend and falling in love with the Portuguese maid, despite neither of them speaking each otherothers's languages; an aging and burnt-out old rocker (Bill Nighy) making a last stab at music success, and his friendship with his manager / roadie; and a recently widowed father ([[Liam Neeson]]) trying to help his young stepson through his first case of heartache...

* [[Adaptation Decay]]: In-universe, as part of a nativity play that takes...several liberties. {{spoiler|Including [[Mind Screw|three lobsters, an octopus, a whale, and Spider-Man.]]}}

** Another one, Daniel's first scene is his wife's funeral, and there's a joke about him having a crush on Claudia Schiffer. He spends the rest of the movie trying to help his stepson Sam win over the girl he loves, which brings them to the school play, where he meets a woman played by... Claudia Schiffer.

* [[Can't Believe I Said That]]: When meeting David the Prime Minister for the first time, Natalie worries about how she thought '(she) was going to say shit or something and ruin everything.' Then realisesrealizes that she has indeed, just said shit, and quotes this line verbatim.

'''Natalie:''' Thank you, sir. I did have a terrible premonition I was going to fuck up on my first day. ... Oh, piss it. }}

* [[Casanova Wannabe]]: Colin, at least in his home country; he thinks that going overseas to America will improve his luck with the ladies. {{spoiler|It works.}}

* [[Chew Out Fake Out]]: In a scene cut the theatrical release, (but included in the DVD extras), Karen is called to her son's school because his teacher is upset by a theme paper he wrote, in which he described how the world would be different if people's farts were visible. Karen listens attentively to the teacher and principal, and then quietly takes her son into the hallway to talk to him;:

'''Karen''': I'm sorry too, Bernie. Sorry and ashamed and embarrassed... that I have put you in a school with such total and utter pricks that they don't get a good gag when they see one! I mean, this is high-class comedy. This is first-rate stuff! Look, you're my son and obviously I have to love you. But right now, I really love you! (Mother and son dissolve into laughter) }}

'''Billy:''' 'Come on and let it snow'? ''Ouch.'' }}

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: Cutis admits in the commentary that he did no research on America, and didn't realize he was sending Colin to the "cheese state.". This sets up every American viewer with undue expectations of what he'll find there.

* [[Did Not Get the Girl|Did Not Get The Guy]]: {{spoiler|Sarah}} the lone [[Downer Ending]] in a movie of mostly happy ones.

** Also, Mark's ending, to a lesser extent ( {{spoiler|he doesn't expect to get Juliet from Peter, and she gives him a pity-kiss. It arguably ends well since they didn't get along before, but are now friends.}})

* [[Eagle Land]]: Mixed FlavourFlavor. The US President (played by Billy Bob Thornton as [[George W. Bush]] with an added dose of [[Bill Clinton]]'s infamous womanisingwomanizing) is textbook flavourflavor 2; the American girls Colin meets in Wisconsin are a less extreme flavourflavor 2 in that they are nice, but still reinforce the stereotype of American girls as "easy" and willing to sleep with anyone who has a sexy [[British Accents|British Accent]]. It's the Sarah character, and her deep concern for her brother over her own happiness, which balances out the movie's portrayal of Americans.

* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: While most of the stories are very idealistic, there are indications that the characters had to ''earn'' that happiness. All the characters who end up happy either made a sacrifice or took a big risk [[The Power of Love|in the name of love]]. Even {{spoiler|Colin}}, who has the most idealistic story in the film, had to sell his apartment to make his fantasy come true. And the characters who end up unhappy, {{spoiler|like Sarah or Mark}}, arguably end up that way because they took no risks or were unable to move on.

* [[Everything Sounds Sexier in French]]: Colin is certain his British accent will make him irresistible to American girls {{spoiler|he's somehow right, and it's taken to such an extreme it turns into pure parody.}} Also, {{spoiler|Colin brings home a sexy girl with a thick Texas drawl (from Wisconsin) proving it works both ways.}}

* [[Gossip Evolution]]: When Jamie comes to propose to Aurelia at the end, the rumourrumor soon goes via "Father is about to sell Aurelia as a slave to this Englishman." to "Apparently he is going to kill Aurelia."

* [[Hide Your Lesbians|Hide Your Gays]]: The film manages to depict and celebrate every form of human relationship and connection, except one. Richard Curtis has said that an early draft of the screenplay had a subplot involving two schoolgirls attracted to each other, and a subplot involving the principal of the school and her [[Ill Girl|dying female partner]] that was filmed but not included in the final cut is mentioned above as an application of [[Bury Your Gays]]. The treatment of queer characters in the Richard Curtis ouevreoeuvre makes interesting food for thought.

* [[Homage Shot]]: [[Word of God]] has stated the scene where {{spoiler|Mark reveals that he's in love with Juliet by showing her his tape of her wedding, which is entirely made up of shots of her}} is a homage to the ending of [[Cinema Paradiso]].

* [[I Didn't Mean to Turn You On]]: Juliet to Mark.

* [[Language of Love]]: Jamie and Aurelia.

* [[Like Brother and Sister]]: Karen and Daniel.

** The whole point was that the US president was using his political leverage to bully Great Britain. This was how the Bush/Blair relationship was [[Your Mileage May Vary|popularly viewed]] in the UK at the time, with Blair as Bush's 'lap dog'. The incident between the President and Natalie was the metaphor that made the PM realiserealize he should stand up to the President.

'''Daisy:''' Duh. }}

** There's also an octopus, penguins, a vomiting whale, a starfish, and a SpidermanSpider-Man King.