Love Actually
Well it’s happened. We are smack dab in it folks. It's holiday time! it seems only fitting to discuss one of the best Christmas movies of the 21st century. “Love Actually”. The Richard Curtis ensemble flick is a fun, seasonal rom-com perfect for the cold wintery nights ahead. What I personally think gives the movie its iconic status is the music. “Love Actually” has, in my opinion (you’re welcome to your own but I’m not listening) one of the best soundtracks of all time.
Love is All Around…I mean Christmas is All Around
The film opens with Bill Nighy as Billy Mack, a rock and roll legend in this universe, recording a Christmas version of the Troggs’ song “Love is All Around”. Having trouble singing the new version, Bill switches back to the original, saying love instead of Christmas. This song is one of the more humorous tunes in the film, much like Nighy’s character. In the lore of the film, “Christmas is All Around” became the number one Christmas single and Uncle Bill while on his promo tour graced us with this important advice: “Don’t buy drugs. Become a pop star and they give you them for free.” Thanks, Bill.
All You Need is Love
It almost seems like an obvious choice to put the song “All You Need is Love” in a film called “Love Actually”, but the way this scene is constructed, makes the Beatles classic a fun surprise. Keira Knightley’s Juliet and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Peter get a surprise at their wedding from best man Mark played by Andrew Lincoln. A band pops up in each corner of the church serenading the newlyweds with the love song. The horn section is probably my favorite addition. The audience watching at home is just as delighted as the couple.
Jump (For My Love)
A fun fact about this scene is that Hugh Grant loathed dancing. “It’s hard enough to dance if you’re English and middle aged,” he told GC. Grant is a real trooper and a great actor for putting on a happy face. Plus, he’s got sick moves…for an English guy
Both Sides Now
“For your emotional education”. Who can forget Emma Thompson crying in the bedroom while a raspy sounding Joni Mitchell can be heard in the background? One of Emma Thompson’s top ten scenes ever. There isn’t a woman who has watched this scene and not cried.
All I Want For Christmas Is You
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” is another song performed live in the film. The only scene where almost all the characters interact. It’s filled with Christmas magic, hope, and young love. How can you beat that combo?
God Only Knows
A perfect choice for an ending of a film. Like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights”, “Love Actually” closes with the Beach Boys hit. “God Only Knows” illustrates the end moments of both films perfectly. In “Love Actually”, not only do we see the main cast of characters reuniting in an airport, we see a montage of happy faces and greetings from fellow travelers, mimicking the opening scene. A perfect bookends.
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