Watched in the cinema (172nd visit in 2023)

Love comes in all shapes and sizes. True love, silent love, impossible love, old love, extramarital love, platonic love. The love between brother and sister, the love between parent and child. Precisely because it is so diverse, love is a rewarding subject for artists (and certainly not just for the romantics among them). Filmmaker Richard Curtis - author of original British comedies such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Notting Hill" - pays tribute to love with "Love Actually" and shows it in all its facets. The romantic comedy, which doesn't shy away from the dramatic side of love, follows a group of Londoners in the run-up to the ultimate time to spend with your loved one: Christmas. The various storylines intersect here and there and come together at the end. One storyline is saccharine, another bittersweet and the third downright cynical. But we never thunder from the pink cloud, because 'Love Actually' is a feel-good movie of the purest kind.

A story with so many different characters and storylines is difficult to summarize. What's more, it's easy to give too much away if you go too far into the events. Briefly introducing the main characters is therefore no easy task. Christmas is just around the corner and former rock star Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is trying to revive his career with a dragon on a Christmas record.Billy's rebellious behavior in the promotional activities does not serve him well, however. While he seems to have little love for Christmas, there are others who use this time of year for special occasions. Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor), for example, who have decided to get married right now. A Christmas party at work offers the defiant Mia (Heike Makatsch) the opportunity to hit on her boss (Alan Rickman). For others, it is much more difficult to spend the holidays with the love of their lives: Sarah (Laura Linney) and John (Martin Freeman) are both struggling in their own ways with how to approach the colleague they're secretly in love with. And even Britain's brand new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) is distracted from an important meeting with the US President (Billy Bob Thornton) by charming tea lady Natalie (Martine McCutcheon).

Others, however, are reminded of old hurts at this time of year. Writer Jamie (Colin Firth) catches his girlfriend in bed with his brother and flees to the south of France to throw himself into his work. Portuguese housekeeper Aurelia (Lucia Moniz) soon provides a distraction. Daniel's (Liam Neeson) wife has recently died and he now has to cope alone with his stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster). The two grow closer, but not in the way Daniel expects. Juliet and Peter's wedding is not a happy event for everyone. Peter's best friend Mark (Andrew Lincoln) in particular is having a hard time. Karen (Emma Thompson), normally a beacon of calm for those around her, makes a disturbing discovery and feels her familiar, domestic surroundings slowly slipping away. Nevertheless, for many, Christmas remains above all a time of hope. For example, for Colin (Kris Marshall), a nervous dreamer who doesn't have much success with British women and therefore decides to spend the holidays in America. They must love his funny accent there!

The lives of all these people will change dramatically in the run-up to Christmas. Richard Curtis manages to connect all the characters in a natural way and make the storylines flow together. The great strength of "Love Actually" is the fact that it brings so many different characters to life. Although there are storylines among them that will make your enamel pop off your teeth, as sweet as they are, Curtis redresses the balance by alternating with a cynical touch. The greatest purveyor of these witty, quintessentially British one-liners is Bill Nighy. Humorous moments are also provided by Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page and Rowan Atkinson, who appears twice for a cameo. Overall, the dramatic storylines work better because they appeal more to the viewer's imagination. Everyone can imagine how someone feels when they find out their partner is cheating. We've all had a silent love affair. In the dramatic part, Curtis can certainly rely on his fantastic cast, carried by veterans like Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Liam Neeson. Laura Linney and Andrew Lincoln also provide emotional highlights, where we can almost feel their hearts breaking ourselves. Their characters are touching, insecure and vulnerable, trying to keep themselves strong. They are also realistic: they could live right down our street.

The cinematography in "Love Actually" is warm and atmospheric, as you would expect from a Christmas movie. Not spectacular, but definitely solid. Craig Armstrong's beautiful score is drowned out here and there by a soundtrack that is a little too strong. Fortunately, the movie closes with the truly great "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys. The music contributes to the optimism and warmth that this movie radiates. Richard Curtis forges as many aspects of love as possible into a kaleidoscopic whole in which reality and fantasy lie close together. A wonderful combination that surprisingly turns out to be excellent. "Love Actually", which was once again shown in German cinemas yesterday as part of its 20th anniversary, is the ideal movie to watch when you're feeling unhappy, because it reminds you that - even when you're gripped by pain and uncertainty - there's always love around you. As long as you keep your eyes open. This realization alone will make you feel much better after watching this film!