“Love Actually”

Starring Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan…

“Love Actually”

Starring Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson

Directed by Richard Curtis

With the holiday season fast approaching, very nearly washed-up musician Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) records a “festering turd” of a Christmas record. The rocker may not be in the holly, jolly Christmas mindset, but the rest of England is scrambling to score a spot beneath the mistletoe.

Directed by Richard Curtis, “Love Actually” weaves together 10 tales of romance to convince us that love, as the prime minister (Hugh Grant) puts it, “actually is all around.” The “Magnolia”-like structure breaks down the conventions of uni-couple romantic comedies by sampling stories from the full spectrum of love and loss.

The slew of scenarios in “Love Actually” hammers home love’s ability to transcend language, age, race and gender. Shy Jamie (Colin Firth) can’t understand a word of his housekeeper’s Portuguese, yet as the two draw closer, they settle into the same nonverbal wavelength. Age is hardly an issue for 11-year-old Sam (Thomas Sangster), who matter-of-factly informs his stepfather (Liam Neeson) that he’s certainly not too young to experience “the total agony of being in love.”

Romance blossoms everywhere, even among casually conversational porn star stand-ins eager for a cup of coffee after a round of simulated sex. The political arena is no less vulnerable; although love at first sight is “terribly inconvenient” for the not-so-suave prime minister, it kindles the fire necessary to confront the demeaning American President (a randy Billy Bob Thornton) in an explosion of epic music and British pride. Curtis neatly tucks the nationalistic undertones into the other stories by infusing the same brand of comedy into political life, including the prime minister’s propensity to boogie behind closed doors.

Because of the connection of characters through friendship, blood or coincidence, their stories are deftly woven together rather than butting against each other as a series of vignettes. Sardonic Billy and his ridiculous hit single surface in each story, evoking a laugh every time and reinforcing a sense of unity. But even the “old ex-heroin addict” can’t dodge Cupid for long, and he, too, falls headfirst into love.

Curtis holds the adventures of 10 pairs – or the occasional trio – on tight leashes, lingering on snippets of tales long enough to develop the characters while keeping the comedy fresh and fast-paced. Each thread ties up neatly, though not always happily, ending on a general note of contentedness and evading the genre’s trap of implausible fantasy fulfillment.

With a loaded cast and snappy dialogue, “Love Actually” conquers all – even those of us as reluctantly romantic as Billy Mack.