While a contentious topic, I've enjoyed most things Richard Curtis touches, and Love Actually (as writer and director) is yet another. Curtis approaches love in all forms from different angles. Possibly unfortunately, he doesn't really cover problems involved in certain types of relationships (age, race, sexuality), but the ultimate message is that love can conquer the bad, although not always in the way we'd expected.

The format is intertwined set of stories about couples, probably drawing inspiration from Thirteen Conversations About One Thing. It's 135 minutes, but I didn't feel it. Others have commented there were too many stories or that it went on too long - but I can't imagine what could've been dropped.

The stories are a nice mixed bag - some are painlessly and humourously simple, others leave you cringing on how people can not figure out they're in love, some don't really have happy endings, and others don't have given endings at all.

Not all are about couples. One story seems to be about a potential couple, and turns out to be about the love of a sibling (a bit obsessive a love IMO, but I've never been there). Another is a touching story about a recent-widower and his step-son - both unsure of how much they can trust each other.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to give a few spoilers, but I doubt they will affect the enjoyment of the film.

One couple (the one shown humping against the wall uninterestedly with their clothes on) are light-doubles for (at least) sex scenes on a movie. The total lack of self-consciousness being naked with each other simulating sex seems to be a message in itself - that sex itself isn't special; it's the relationships that make it special.

One beautiful scene stands out in my memory. Despite his love not being returned (and his loyalty to a friend), a man tells his love how he feels (using cue-cards!). While the end result isn't obvious, my interpretation is that the cathartic release allows him to get on with his life.

The mix of ``real'' and ``unreal'' intertwined stories is excellent - building and breaking suspension of disbelief repeatedly. The movie isn't always serious in its delivery, but it has a serious message - that love is stronger than hate, that you have to work at and towards love, and that you won't always get what you want with love (and that's ok).

The movie was well-cast - each actor was suited to the role given. Special mention for Emma Thompson as a wife questioning her husband's love, but Colin Firth and Lúcia Moniz worked very well as a couple who don't even share a common language, and Andrew Lincoln as Mark, the cue-card guy.