To always cry at the Emma Thompson bits in Love Actually?

[summerbreezer]

Against my will, I've been forced to watch LA this evening. I find this film to be cheesy and irritating..apart from her part.

The bit where she is standing in her room after discovering that her husband has another woman. OMG. Wonderful film making.

It is a good 30 - 40 seconds of watching a woman do nothing, and yet it so beautifully charged with emotion. She blinks back her tears so her children don't see her cry. She goes to straighten the duvet as if it is a reflex action.

Then later on she tells Alan Rickman he has made "the life I lead seem foolish too". So lovely, so dignified. I also like the fact he doesn't get as far as having a physical affair, but that doesn't matter. The damage is done.

Gives me goosebumps.

I thought that too but his manager says

"Its always been you" maybe I am reading too much into it !

The Holiday is less fun than Sophie's Choice.

YANBU. I just got a lump in my throat thinking about that scene.

Emma Thompson totally rocks.

The holiday us crap and Kate Winslet is cringey and Kate with Jack Black, are you kidding? That isnot a realistic combo

Hate how the " ideal husband" is a widower who in real life is lying cheating bastard

It is just all wrong and if makes me cross .

However Last Holiday with Queen Latifah and Gerard Deoardieu I love, " the secret of happiness? Butter"

I'd forgotten the completely unbelievably Colin Firth story. THEY DON'T SPEAK TO SAME LANGUAGE. So at most, it's lust. Plus she is about 30 years younger than him. Stooooopid.

I have to say, I am quite saddened by some of the messages on here. :( You do know that flat shoes are never an excuse to cheat, right?

The Portughese lady and the writer are my favourite bit of the film! I love how she jumps into lake for the manuscript. And she's 10/15 years younger than him max.

I didn't like the comedy fat sister though, I thought that was just lazy.

I love this film, unashamedly! The whole thing makes me feel Christmassy and has me moving from sobs of sadness to tears of laughter!
And jeepers, if flats mean OH will have an affair, I'm doomed.

I love this film. Best film ever.

My dh never wears heels, does that mean I'm allowed free rein?

I wear heels once in a blue moon

Sod it perhaps we should throw our keys in the bowl now

Well I'm a man so I naturally find the scene where Bill Nighy realises that Gregor Fisher is the "fucking" love of his life the most touching part.

That aside, I've always assumed that AR and his PA never consumate their relationship: the scene where she sits on her bed in her sexy underwear suggests she got the gift, but waited for him (in underwear) in vain. If they'd DTD she'd not be wearing it. In the meantime, AR has gone home to his family, later been confronted by ET and realised what a fool he is. ET asks him whether this is about "a gift and sex" or "a gift and love", indicating that the latter is more serious than the former; they are confronted by the fact that their relationship has simply been going through the motions, have emotionally divorced themselves from each other, and can only hide it from the kids and others, no longer themselves. I pity ET, it is a touching scene. Although I'm the FT earner in my family, I'm pretty dull, to be frank, and though I'd be horrified if DW had an affair (emotional or otherwise), I'd imagine I'd tell myself it had been coming.

Agree about the misogyny on this thread.

Agree about the subtlety and brilliance of Emma Thompson's scenes

Agree that Andrew Linnoln, whilst extremely sexy, is not very noble

I also cry when Bill Nighy declares his love for his friend

And love the relationship between Firth and the Portuguese woman, especially (even though it could be terrible), the bit where she strips off to jump in the water. And when they leave each other at the ferry terminal

I also love the airport scenes that frame the film

I don't agree that the ET character is dull.

I mean she is worn down by life. You can see she is pretty sparky underneath.

The Bill Nighy and his manager relationship is definitely platonic.

I love the Portuguese story! to the point where I have given serious thought to naming our first born dd after her and DH even agrees ETs bedroom scene really is a powerhouse of emotion. And of course, the lobster!

Being an expat I cry at the airport scenes. It is very embarrassing.

The ET character is not dull. She's not a vamp. One does not have to be a vamp to be interesting. The AR character and his psychopathic PA behave appallingly badly and there is no possible excuse.

Nice to see a couple of men agreeing about this, by the way!

I love this film. It's not a masterpiece, but it's the kind of thing I could watch any time without any difficulty. The kid drummer is probably the most irritating part but I've seen far, far worse!

I adore the whole film, and I am unapologetic, although there are odd moments that I think let it down, as there is in all Richard Curtis's work - Largely brilliant with a few clangers.

I think Laura Linney is a great actress or should we say act or ? Never quite sure) but I do find it immensely frustrating that she and Karl don't quite get it together in the ned because of her brother and that phone call. I imagine given that she has had many years of getting phone calls like that and she is nothing changes, she would learn that there are times when it's ok to just switch off your bloody phone FFS! And it was annoying that she didn't explain to Karl what was going on and ask for a rain check - gggrrrrr!!! I wanted to bang their heads together and say 'oh for crying out loud, it's a wonder either of you ever lost your virginity at this rate'.

I love love love the Martine/Hugh storyline. Except where she says 'where the fuck's my fucking coat?' in front of her whole family and little children - just doesn't ring true to me, and when she says 'Oh piss it.' No-one ever says 'Oh piss it.'

And I thought Andrew Lincoln was fantastic although elements of his storyline trod a dangerously thin line. Although the scene where he knocked on the door and held the cards up was very sweet and romantic, and the bit where he walks away and says 'Enough. Enough now.' gives me goosebumps.

Oh absolutely the 'Daddy - my Daddy' gets me.

I remember someone in an interview (don't think it was Richard Curtis but someone involved in the production), saying that ET's scene had to be shot several times because of various technical faults, and she pulled it off with equal power and intensity every time. Incredible.

Loecat I'm really glad you mentioned The Tall Guy - I've been trying to scan the interweb to find some clips from it as Emma was superb in that as well. There is a really poignant scene in it when they are at a drinks party and Jeff G hands his lover a drink and she doesn't say 'thank you', just takes it from him really naturally in the way you do when you are very familiar/intimate with someone, and Emma notices and the penny drops. Very subtle moment but it told such a big story.

I love the Jamie/Aurelia story as well. I love the way she arrives looking all scowly and frumpy in her big coat and how she blossoms and softens as time goes on. I find that pairing quite believable.

Why would the OW put her undies back on though...?

And let us not forget this Impossible not to cry along with her.