Love Actually

Love Actually - ****

In what is shaping up to be a miserable year for Christmas films, we need only to look back on the DVDs of last year's crops to be reminded of how they are done right. Along with Bad Santa and Elf, Love Actually helped to make last year possibly the best ever for Christmas themed movies, and upon multiple viewings, it continues to impress. From Richard Curtis (who's been a part of nearly everything notable out of the British entertainment industry in the past decade), this is clearly a film to be viewed by romantics and romantics alone. However, once you're drawn in with premise, Curtis' precision filmaking along with an extremely solid core cast make it an infectious treat. The writing is also surprisingly sharp for such an obvious romance, and make each of the specific stories unique. The clear breadwinner of the plots is the one shared between Colin Firth and Lúcia Moniz, which tells the story of a man who comes home to find his wife in bed with his brother, only to move away and eventually fall in love with his Portuguese maid. A real treat, and one of 2003's best movies. Thumbs up.