Love Actually - yes or no?

[WarmSausageTea]

I fancy watching something festive, and I’m wondering about watching LA. I saw it 10+ years ago, and wasn’t keen, but I have had gin and am feeling quite chilled.

So, LA, yes or no? And if no, can I have some cheesy Christmas film recs, please? (I loved Last Christmas and the three Netflix prince films.)

Thanks.

@PaxMalmKallax

Bloody hell! It must be exhausting to read so much into a cheesy light hearted film! It’s not a documentary FFS!!!

This! You are so right.

I always watch it.

The bit at the end where everyone meets loved ones at the airport does make me cry as it is a reminder of how lonely I am.

@PaxMalmKallax

Bloody hell! It must be exhausting to read so much into a cheesy light hearted film! It’s not a documentary FFS!!!

It's not a question of reading anything into it, the misogyny is staring you right in the face. I don't find it exhausting to observe that. Depressing yes, but not exhausting.

I don't like The Holiday because I find all four leads incredibly irritating. My favourite Christmas film is Meet Me in St Louis. Fantastic songs and a gorgeous poignant rendition of Have yourself a Merry little Christmas by Judy Garland.

@PaxMalmKallax

Bloody hell! It must be exhausting to read so much into a cheesy light hearted film! It’s not a documentary FFS!!!

Frankly, not noticing the in-your-face misogyny would involve watching the film with a bag over your head and your fingers in your ears singing ‘Christmas Is All Around’ very loudly.

It's an awful film. Those that love it are misogynists imo... yes, even the female fans It always horrifies me how so many woman justify their enjoyment of the film in terms of it's romance or comedy, both of which are in short supply but unfortunately women have been groomed to accept, even appreciate, substandard and frankly offensive depictions of them in popular media.

@SeaWitchly

It's an awful film. Those that love it are misogynists imo... yes, even the female fans It always horrifies me how so many woman justify their enjoyment of the film in terms of it's romance or comedy, both of which are in short supply but unfortunately women have been groomed to accept, even appreciate, substandard and frankly offensive depictions of them in popular media.

Oh bore off! It's just a cheesy, light hearted Christmas film. Stop reading so much into it.

I don't get this 'reading into' nonsense. Every bit of the film has misogyny running though it, you don't have to do a Mark Kermode-style analysis to see that. It's in your face, deliberate, obvious stuff.

I suppose if you find misogyny light hearted, then yes I could see the attraction.

Yes it's awful but I love it. It's so many shades of wrong but still enjoyable.

We tried to watch it last night. I could only take 10 minutes and we had to switch to something else.

Sorry, I don't want to ruin your enjoyment of it Charlotte.
You keep watching LA and telling yourself what a lovely, light hearted film it is. Everyone else with common sense and self respect can debate the unacceptable misogyny it depicts and how we will be discussing this aspect with our daughters, nieces and grand-daughters so hopefully another generation won't be suckered into thinking films like this are acceptable entertainment :)

I love it, actually.

And if you don't like it, don't watch it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Stop reading so much into it

Yes, turn your brain off and don't trouble yourself to think too deeply about what passes for entertainment or news in popular media.
This is, in a nutshell, what is wrong with modern Britain and why a lot of people seem unable to look beneath the surface to make informed decisions regarding political propaganda [for example].

I've watched bits of LA over the years but only saw it in its entirety earlier this year.

Suffice to say I won't bother watching any of it again.

Stop reading so much into it

Stop refusing to see what is staring you in the face. You don't need to read anything into it, its literally right there.

Love Actually really doesn't upset me. It's the sort of film I can dip into when it's on, rather than sit down to watch it properly. I do love Notting Hill though.

It hasn’t aged very well, I don’t think it would be successful if it were to be released now and actually think lots of people would be up in arms about certain elements of it.

The Keira Knightley storyline is of course creepy and weird. No normal guy would film his best friend’s wife in such a way and the part where he turns up at the door with the signs is creepy AF too. She definitely should have informed the husband and he should have dropped the ‘friend’ with immediate effect.

Colin storyline obviously meant to be funny, just isn’t. Obvious inference to American women being ‘easy’ and his main gain is to use them for sex. Nice.

Always feel sad for Emma Thompson’s character. Loved Alan Rickman but his character in LA is a total sleazebag.

Martine Mccutcheon’s family plainly bully her. Lots of references to her ‘big arse’ and how ‘chubby’ she is- she definitely wasn’t/isn’t. Just wouldn’t be appropriate nowadays regardless.

Colin Firth just does his standard hapless posh bloke routine but the proposal is a bit... swift? Supposed to be romantic, actually just a bit daft to propose to a woman you’ve barely spoken to.

The Bill Nighy storyline is probably the best and its only saving grace.

One bit I don't understand is the young boy who learns to play the drums so he can be near the American girl. They play at the school concert and when she she sings 'all I want for Christmas, is you' and points at him so he is happy, but then she sings 'and you' several more times and points at other people. His face falls and it looks as though he has got over his crush.
But then we have the airport scene. Just doesn't make sense to me.

Once you read the Jezebel article you can never again watch that movie!!

I read the Jezebel article last year. I can still watch the film.

I have seen Love Actually once. I thought Emma Thompson's performance was excellent - at least the bit where she opens her present.

The part where she's talking to her recently widowed friend is a bit odd.

Other than her big scene though I didn't enjoy the movie very much.

@longtompot

One bit I don't understand is the young boy who learns to play the drums so he can be near the American girl. They play at the school concert and when she she sings 'all I want for Christmas, is you' and points at him so he is happy, but then she sings 'and you' several more times and points at other people. His face falls and it looks as though he has got over his crush. But then we have the airport scene. Just doesn't make sense to me.

Well, isn't it that he thinks for a moment that his feelings are reciprocated when she points at him, but then realises she's randomly pointing at numerous people onstage and in the audience, and is thrown into a despair so deep that his newly-widowed stepfather brushes off an approach from Claudia Schiffer in a funny hat to get him to the airport to make the kind of vaguely creepy declaration to Joanna that Love Actually thinks is adorable? (Cf also Egg and his cue cards and CD player bothering Keira Knightley.)

Incidentally, does Joanna's paramour ever actually say to Liam Neeson that Joanna is only going to the US for Christmas, not for the rest of her life? Because the big last-minute gesture only makes any kind of sense if he thinks he'll never see her again, and surely any normal adult knowing the situation would tell him to calm the hell down and wait till January and actually talk to her at school...?

Come and See is the best christmas film.

Why did they make loads of jokes about Martine McTiffanyfromEastenders being fat when she just wasnt?

Does Emma's character forgive her husband then? I'd forgotten that bit if so

She doesn't necessarily forgive him, but in her own words she " stays married, but always knowing that life is going to be that bit more shit."

It infuriates me.