One of the things I have trouble admitting to people is how much I like "All I Want for Christmas Is You", by Mariah Carey. When I think about it, there is very little about the song I should like. It is drivel. It is cotton candy. It is completely devoid of depth. But I like the song very much. I rock out to it ever friggin' time I hear it. Maybe "Love Actually" has something to do with why I like it. This movie depends on evocation of a lot of nostalgia, and music taps into our sense of nostalgia. Steph and I first saw this movie 8 years ago. We attended a screening of it at a theater that had special screenings for parents with children. We enjoyed it then (adult content and all), and we watch it every year in December. It is a patchwork of many stories all designed to give the viewer a spectrum of what love is and how different people experience it as Christmas approaches. But it is also a comedy, and there are some riotous moments.
There are so many stories in the film that the viewer inevitably ends up clinging to one over others. For Steph and I, our favorite story line is one of the sad ones. Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson play a married couple who have a very comfortable, familiar and loving relationship. Rickman's character begins receiving explicit advances from a young lady at work. He does not run the other way, and what comes of his crisis makes up the story of the two of them. It is fair to say that these two outstanding actors could breathe life into the phone book, but their work here is extraordinary because of its truth.
The movie is not perfect. There is at least one story line that I find a waste of time (ask me if you are interested). Another storyline involves two adult film doubles who make small talk while performing scenes naked. In spite of the ribald nature of their scenes, the ultimate effect is actually quaint, as later they are shy about even kissing on a date, even though they have been doing much more exotic things while "working". The funniest story line is the one that opens the film. Rock icon Billy Mac is recording a horrible Christmas song, and his plot line follows his attempt to make this single a hit. Anyone who knows anything about rock history will find a lot to laugh at in this portrayal of an oversexed, strung out aging rock star. The most poignant story is the one involving Laura Linney. Laura Linney brings amazing talent to any work she does, and here she portrays a woman in love whose desire to pursue her wishes keeps being interrupted by a complication. Another plot line involves Hugh Grant as the Prime Minister, who must come to terms with the attraction he feels for a young woman who works for him at 10 Downey Street. All of these stories are played out over a London at Christmas which seems more like a small town than one of the largest cities in the world. That is part of the movie's charm. It feels intimate and close, and it truly makes the viewer feel warm, even though some of the story lines seemingly only exist for the purpose of getting laughs or dabbling in comical sex.
The truth that shines though in the movie is what brings Steph and I back, as well as the laughs. Love is a complicated thing, and sometimes pursuing what we think is love hurts those we love the most. It is always important to remember that the greatest love is self sacrificial-something which is lost on some of these characters, though not on all of them.
