Love Actually - Another View

My wish list for Christmas...

I would like to believe that stories in the movies can be true...But only a good movie, good director and a good cast can make us believe that love actually happens in our lives every day.

A Prime Minister can change the country's foreign policy over a 'chubby' secretary, or life can go on, trouble-free, after a husband buys a present for his curvaceous secretary, or a kid can fall in true love, just like an adult - the list goes on and on.

And, being Christmas, of course it's the thought that counts.

This movie brings to mind Happy Ending Maestro Frank Capra and, with so many stories threaded together, it's pretty similar to a Robert Altman film - but it's still too early to say if Richard Curtis will achieve the same greatness as either director.

This is the directorial debut from an experienced and successful screenwriter - and we know that Curtis the screenwriter knows what the public wants.

But the various storylines in this movie rely more on the experience and good will of a big-name cast than on a strong directional style.

One thing's for sure, Love Actually will make enough moolah to give Curtis plenty more directional experience.

While the casting is impressive, sometimes it can seem that you're actually watching several different movies simultaneously - quite like a Tarantino, then.

Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson and Bill Nighy all give great performances in the stories I would love to believe most in this film.

And you know what - for a couple of minutes in the movies, I really did believe.

With love (actually).

Mariano Gutierrez Alarcon