Love Actually annoyances

[marychristmas22]

Watched it last night for the 26363th time and there are still things that really irritate me.

1. Emma Watson calling Liam Neeson a sissy when he cries at the loss of his wife.

1. Juliet kissing her husbands best friend in the middle of the street. And what would have happened if the guy had come to the door in the middle of those boards?

1. This is the worst, the entire Laura Linney storyline. I get that she's giving up romantic love for the love of her brother but why? Why can't she have both? We're led to believe Carl is a nice guy, why wouldn't he have accepted her situation and supported her? And why does her story finish so abruptly about 45 minutes before everyone else's?

Not to mention all the sexism and misogyny but these things always just stick out to me as being the most ridiculous. Thoughts?

This ! All the woman are treated badly or under minded ,,

too late to edit, but I'm reading they were friends, not siblings

Although Collider says

What is Emma Thompson to Liam Neeson in Love Actually?
One scene reveals that Sarah (Laura Linney) is friends with Mark (Andrew Lincoln); other breadcrumbs lead us to discover that Karen (Emma Thompson), Daniel (Liam Neeson), and David (Hugh Grant) are all siblings, and so on.

(the edit was adding the second bit)

The only bit I like it Rowan Atkinson. Comedy gold

Came here to say this. Also glad that he is pissing off the cheating Alan Rickman-character.

I do prefer Notting hill as Hugh grant is so sweet in that and I liked how Anna called out the guys in the restaurant too. Unrealistic of course, but most Richard Curtis films are.
Best ending of any film is still La La land as was so unexpected ( sorry to derail a lot )

We watched it (have seen it before) with our older DSs (20&18, first time for them) and they were shocked at the misogyny, fattist jibes, homophobic undertones, general lack of airport security & very disappointed in Alan Rickman's behaviour towards Emma Thompson.

I actually quite liked the Laura Linney storyline, though I wish the ending had a bit added where she progressed and realised she could have both. I think it demonstrated the difficulty people had and still can have discussing mental health issues within the family with potential partners, friends etc. I do think the ending means it can be interpreted as not very supportive to those caring for family members in these situations, but as someone who’s had mental health problems and cared for others who’ve had them, I do think the stigma touched on was relevant.

I still enjoy the film, but I do have an issue with the fat shaming. Pretty much every film and programme from that era had it in some form and it sucks. To the poster who said it’s the whole point because people can see they’re not fat, I think it’s still problematic because it still puts that idea in developing minds.

Lots of men fall for younger , prettier women though. I felt at the end that Alan Rickman was truly sorry for what he did , for what it's worth! ( I hoped she'd divorce him tbh)
People still judge anyone overweight too
And anyone who has red / ginger hair !
They are probably not as vocal about it maybe , but it's still there. Fat shaming never will go away.

I watch this every year and have come to my own conclusions about most of the characters in my head.

Karl would have stayed with Sarah but it was her decision to say she couldn't be in a relationship. Her brother would always come first and besides, she felt too insecure to be with a man like Karl who she felt was too good for her so she decided it would be "easier" to end it. She often wishes things were different as she will always be in love with him. He doesn't want to push her but also wishes things were different, he realises how important her brother is to her (I imagine he has a similar situation with a family member back in Brazil). He would be with her in a heartbeat if she changed her mind.

Emma Thompson ended things with Alan Rickman even though he constantly professes his love for her and regret for the affair. He didn't sleep with Mia and certainly didn't love her but for Emma Thompson the necklace was bad enough. She made him move out even though it broke her heart because she still loves him. She makes sure the children don't know anything about their issues, told them it was a mutual decision and they are still best friends.

Colin and the American girls was just deliberately silly fluff, it wasn't that deep.

Keira Knightley can fuck off though.

It was of its time, from what I remember! The director, Richard Curtis, has already apologised and said he wouldn't make it now.

Notting Hill has been gentrified only very recently. I used to work in the area and know a lot of folk with very modest incomes that own a flat there bought in the early 90s. Some are also HA stock. I know a photographer who lives in an amazing top floor flat with a converted loft just off Portobello road and it is provided by the LA.

@MumblesParty idk it’s not the vibe I get from their interactions in the movie! Not sure what interaction I’m expecting but that was what I got from the first time I watched the movie. I do like that their relationship evolved though!

That’s absolutely brilliant! Still love that film, tho, it’s hilarious. (In all the ways this writer says, but still quintessentially British!)

I love this film, but this does annoy me.

I managed 15 minutes of it. Absolute guff.

The whole bloody film.

I like a fair amount of shite, but this film takes the biscuit. Probably because it's masquerading as a 'proper' film; at least a Hallmark cringe-fest doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is!

Oh yes and I think Martine McCutcheon and the Prime Minister stayed together, very much in love. At the end of his tike as PM he left politics all together and they lived a quiet life together with lots of dogs, as neither wanted children.

Kiera Knightley (ugh) was from money (the house was an inheritance) and her husband had a city job. They married after 9 months together on somewhat of a whim, and realised after a year or so that while they were happy, they weren't destined to be together forever and parted on good terms. She met Andrew Lincoln a couple of years later and came onto him, assuming he was still crazy about her. He barely remembered her, and rejected her as he was happily married with a baby on the way.

This was back out at the cinema recently so I went to see it. Wow, it is very cringey and I didn't stay til the end, in my head it was much shorter!

That's the thing though, I don't over think films so in my head I have the edited highlights and I love the cheesy bits and the sad bits therefore I love the film. Definitely wouldn't be recommending it to people though.

The bit I never understood was the roles of Martin Freeman and Joanna Page. Were they ‘stunt doubles’? Why would you have those people on a porn film? Sure.y the actual actors who were starring in it would be used for the lighting/sound checks as they’d have their clothes off anyway??

I assumed they were stunt doubles for normal films

Go back to the 70's and Notting Hill was a bit of a dump, the area had been largely industrial with the James Bartle Iron Works being a major employer (long closed and derelict by then) the GLC undertook a large scale demolition of terraces of houses that would be worth a fortune now, the whole area around the notorious Rillington Place (which was a slum, in 3 storey edwardian terraces) and built new blocks.

By the 90s it was much improved, gentrification well underway, still afordable and trendy as within reach of artists and creatives on lower incomes but nowhere near the dizzy heights of today.

Lets assume Hugh Grants caracher opened his eponymous bookshop in the late 80's, quite believable.

It's a cringe fest. Age gaps especially. Alan Rickman affair, keira and husband, martine and PM
I'm hoping it wasn't going for reality and just entertainment.
Maybe that's why it's popular, as it's not realistic?

It’s absolute tripe but Carl is worth a look

It has its issues but I still love it.
'Eight is a lot of legs, David'

The whole movie shit full stop

I like it. I also find it very thought provoking - all the different couple situations. That's why it's on MN all the time being discussed. Emma Thompson is obviously the outstanding actor and scene.

Sarah and Karl... He's an arse! They're in her room and the phone rings and it's her brother, who is clearly a major part of her life. Karl never asks about him or shows support. He just wants sex and strops off when he is not centre of attention anymore. Yes, Sarah needs to be allowed to live her own life and not feel the caring guilt as she does, but I can totally sympathise with her. Karl is not someone she should be in a relationship with. She needs someone supportive who cares about her and her brother, not someone who sulks because of her life situation. I can't believe how she is always criticised on MN and people think she should end up with Karl!