Not a book – but Love Actually

Four Days Until Christmas

For my countdown to Christmas I’m going to add my favorite holiday film.  OK you precise people, I admit it’s not a book, but every year, I bring out my cherished DVD to watch it yet again.  (My husband just groans, rolls his eyes and goes to the den.)

In case you’ve been living in Kazakhstan, and are unaware of this film, let me explain.  Love Actually follows the lives of eight very different couples all immersed with love in various forms.  These loosely interrelated tales are set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.

Love Actually has a superb cast, including Bill Nighy as an aging rock star, Emma Thompson as a heartbroken wife, Hugh Grant is the Prime Minister (I know!), Laura Linney, a lonely woman with a secret crush, and Liam Neeson as a sad widower raising his young step-son (oh Liam, I could so cheer you up) .

The romantic entanglements range from comic — to charming  — to heartbreaking;  a couple fall in love while working in the porn film industry as stand-ins, another couple are unable to communicate given language barriers, and a married couple face an extramarital enticement.  And with Hugh Grant as Prime Minister there’s plenty of giggles.  Oh, and as a an added bonus, the soundtrack is delightful.

Try and see the film in its original uncut for TV form (cable or Netflix) but if not, Love Actually will undoubtedly come around as a holiday TV movie, so don’t miss it.  I dare you not to choke up during the final montage of airport scenes set to the Beach Boys music.

Trailer HERE

What is your favorite holiday film?