Love Actually (2003)

Nine London love stories, five weeks before Christmas.

A prime minister and a tea lady, a writer and a housekeeper, a stepdad and a lovesick boy, a rock star chasing one last hit — Richard Curtis braids them all toward Christmas Eve. Hugh Grant dancing through Downing Street, Emma Thompson's contained heartbreak, and the cue cards: it defined the modern holiday ensemble film.

Richard Curtis braided nine love stories into one London Christmas, and the sprawl is the point: love as parenthood, first crush, grief, betrayal, rock-star desperation, and a prime minister dancing down the stairs. Bill Nighy steals the film as a washed-up singer cheerfully admitting his record is terrible. Audiences have argued about the storylines ever since — the cue cards, the necklace, the airport dash — and the arguing itself has become part of the ritual. The cast reunited for a charity sequel short in 2017, proof of how durable this ensemble remains.

From the Film

Cast

Good to know: Written and directed by Richard Curtis in his directorial debut, it interweaves ten separate love stories in London in the weeks before Christmas.

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