Or is half of Love Actually the most smug and self satisfied film ever?

[JakeBullet]

Just watching it again now......I mean it's 50% shite yet I feel compelled to watch.

All the rich Chelsea types
The impossible romance between the aide and the PM
That kid falling in love and re-enacting the scene from the Titanic
The smug surprise rendition of "all you need is love" at the wedding.

It's all so impossibly smug.....AND it has Keira Knightley doing her usual jaw jutting stuff. It DOES have some nice stuff in there which is why I watch but half the stories make me want to put my foot through then screen.

If it wasn't for the Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and the American woman story it would be unredeemable.

The rest are smug smug smug

Yep am being unreasonable but don't care.

Hate the "slutty secretary" character. The implication being that she has snagged a good man from his wife...when in reality a decent human being would have seen through her from fucking miles away. And he is the massive ass hole.

Really dislike the creepy stalker friend taking videos of Kiera for himself..because isn't that sweet then showing up at his friend's wife's house.

I like the PM storyline but really hate that he has her "redistributed" for being sexually harassed. How fucking dare she. And then she apologies. And then he goes against all his foreign policy beliefs because someone tried it on with a woman he likes...

Love Emma Thomson

Love the rock star, love ant or deck.

Love Colin Frizzle

Love Colin Firth (although again he is just the poor cuckold to a slutty woman)

Love the stand ins

Really like Liam Neeson's character although don't see why they have to give him Claudia Shiffer, two seconds after his wife has died.

Don't mind the kids too much.

Oh and forgot about the American woman veyr good plot there I think

I noticed that Colin Firth's mum, in the brief moment he arrived home for Christmas only to turn round and head off to Marseilles, was also in the staff line-up at Number 10.

My gift to you all: another excuse for watching it again, just to see if I'm right.

on the tv tonight,
after this thread, the thought of watching it with a check list of course, is hard to resist.

Oh I watched it last night.

I couldn't see Colin Firth's mum twice though... perhaps I need to watch it again tonight to make sure...

It completely makes me cringe except for the rl reunions at the airport.

The airport scenes are fabulous....and were real. The joy in people's faces as they greeted loved ones was the reason I watched the rest of it. Laura Linneys character was fabulous and the mental health service was shown positively. When her brother lashed out there was none of the old dramatics of padded cells and hoards of people holding the patient down, just a very calm technique to prevent her being struck and end of.

I luff it..... sob
disclaimer, I cry at absolutely anything ....sob

Oh. I always thought that Et's hub just made a fool of himself flirting with the secretary. I didn't think they actually DID it! Will be watching closely tonight! Did anyone else notice her accent change when she opens the door to the PM near the end? I think it's fab. Total waste of time watching it again of course but I am going to

I read a review of this film somewhere that said it took the male gaze to whole new levels and every camera shot of the women was like seeing the world through the eyes of a leery old uncle. Ever since, I just can't watch it without thinking it's the work of a perv.
YUCK
And it'smug too... and tonight I wondered for the first time if Hugh Grant's PM is a David Cameron style Tory since there's a reference to a Blair like family being the previous residents of Downing Street.
Final reason to hate it, all the women are gorgeous, then divide into gorgeous, duplicitous sluts, gorgeous, barely speaking objects of lust or gorgeous losers in love.
AND the gay couple's story was cut.
Enjoying watching it though

I love it even though lots of it annoys me. However, I would watch anything with Liam Neeson.
I hate the Keira Knightley story.
All the weight jokes make me want to throw something at the screen ('Miss Dunkin Donuts').
I'm torn about the Laura Linney story - yes, it shows a different type of love but I can't help think there's an implication that someone with family commitments can't have a relationship. I just wish they'd given her a happy ending. It wouldn't have been any less plausible than the BT guy coming back with the gorgeous American women.
(I do think Richard Curtis has issues with women though - The Boat That Rocked was awful)

I love it makes me feel all xmasy and makes me tearful but feel good at same time.

richard curtis always makes london out to be small village,
Yes they all look good and lie massive houses and vast wealth.

I did wonder tonight they would never hold a general election in winter.

My faves are

laura linney-so sad and no real happy ending

emma thomspon so sad

colin firth hes so cute

the kid was cute very middleclass

the rockstar and his manger was sweet and funny.

The american bit as daft fun.

dont like the keirea knighlty storyline much.
pm and tea ladys quite sweet -huge grant typecast a bit again.

Emma Thomson is fantastic. The american woman's story makes me want to smash up the tv.

Each time I watch that scene I am silently (sometimes!) begging LL to turn her mobile off....

Never saw it and now I'm blinking locked in for another 20 minutes. The Emma Thompson storyline is so awful and true to reality. Most the rest is definitely on the cringing side. Hate the Keira Knightly nonsense, ooh I'm perfect, let me give you an adulterous kiss.

I think that film is utter shite and always have done.

had a power cut in the middle. actually I enjoyed it, perhaps because I missed so much of it. i must have been feeling the lurve

It's cringeworthy but I always cry at the very last bit where it shows real life scenes of family and friend hugging each other.

piccadilly I never saw the pm storyline that way. I thought he got Martine whatserface moved on because he was falling for her.

Utterly shite film that I always have to watch.

Saw it for the first time tonight and have to say I thought it was a load of old shit - particularly the Prime Minister/Downing St tea girl storyline.

However, I did shed a wee tear along with Emma Thompson when she went upstairs after unwrapping that bloody CD.

Utter cringeworthy shit.

This is our family feel good Christmas film. We love it - even though it is cheesy and quite ridiculous for the most part!

Oh yes it is shit but love Alan rickman in it so always watch......the dirty bastard!!

There's no christmas if I haven't watched Love Actually. People do realise it's supposed to be a light-hearted comedy and therefore does not necessarily have to be realistic and believable, right?