' ' Cinema Romantico: Reconciling the Love Actually Wars

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Reconciling the Love Actually Wars

The Internet has recently been alive with denunciations of 2003’s English rom com “Love Actually” which has led to opposing tomes of appreciation which has led to critiques and dismissals of both the denunciations and opposing tomes. Perhaps this can be attributed to Christmas, perhaps this can be attributed to the film’s 10 year anniversary, perhaps this can be attributed to the grinches who become angry when mythical flickering images on a screen don’t resemble reality, perhaps it’s all of the above or none of the above, I wasn't sure. I sat down and gave it all serious consideration.

Were the haters more than mere bastards so heartless they wouldn't even stand for make believe romantic running through airports? Were they actually astute observors of the cinema's propensity to mytholigize romance and, thus, its inevitable trickle down effect to real life where all us hapless wannabe lovers expect January Jones to be waiting for us at the corner bar?

Were the lovers more than mere pollyannas whose devotion to cotton candy ethos render them disappointed upon whimsy-infused excursions to London to discover not every single British woman is exactly like Sienna Miller? Were they actually the last of the romantics, the old guard fighting for the right to maintain belief in fairy-tales in a world gone cold from incessant analytics and cries of "that would never happen in real life"?

I weighed all of this and even went so far as to concoct a non-debatable thesis (“Love Actually” is totally the awesomest ) in order to formulate a point-packed essay to defend this film a few of my friends and I watch each Thanksgiving night in a tryptophan and bourbon induced haze. But then I realized something. I realized such an essay was virtually pointless in the face of one inescapable fact…….

That is, Keira Knightley’s hat is just so fetch. If we can't set aside our squabbles this holiday season all in the name of Keira's hat, what hope do we have?


4 comments:

Derek Armstrong said...

Okay, the hat thing has swayed me. I'm on board now.

All these discussions of Love Actually have reminded me that it's the ten-year anniversary of my breaking up with the girl I once thought I was going to marry. Two different Christmas movies from 2003 factored in to our breakup. Love Actually was the last movie I saw with her, and me going to see Elf with my friends instead of spending the day with her led to what ended up being the final argument. Ten years has apparently been enough time to heal the wounds, however, as we are finally now Facebook friends and she even sent me her killer recipe for meatloaf -- which my wife loves and which I'm making for dinner tonight.

I know this doesn't relate very much to Love Actually, except it sort of perfectly does, doesn't it?

I still don't like the movie that much, though.

Nick Prigge said...

It does relate to "Love Actually." It TOTALLY relates to "Love Actually." Remembering our lives through movies. I remember dating a girl once and I'd always go to movies without her because I like going to movies by myself and, yeah, she was never keen on it. So it is.

Also, meatloaf rocks. Enjoy.

Alex Withrow said...

I've been seeing a lot of crazy hatred for this film recently as well. Why is that? Did something happen that made people think about this film all the sudden? Maybe it's just the impending holiday... who knows. I've always thought it was a decent enough romcom. Nothing spectacular or anything. Except Keira, of course. That lady is special.

Nick Prigge said...

I think - repeat: think - it was the film's 10 year anniversary that brought all this on. But who knows? Maybe one person decided to write about it and everyone tagged along. I have a serious soft spot for it, I admit.