Movie # 4. Love Actually. “Love is all around.” Intimate love, loyalty love, kids love, love across cultures, gender, and sexual expectations. It’s still love–it’s wonderful, it hurts, it happens, and this movie does it with humor, tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation, sweetness, bravery, and gentleness.
Words are Powerful: “When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge–they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling you’ll find that love actually is all around.” ~ Prime Minister of Great Britain played by Hugh Grant.
Exchange between Karen and Harry as she confronts him about a gift she thought was for her. “Would you wait around to find out if it’s just a necklace, or if it’s sex and a necklace, or if, worst of all, it’s a necklace and love? Would you stay, knowing life would always be a little bit worse? Or would you cut and run?… Yes, but you’ve also made a fool out of me, and you’ve made the life I lead foolish, too!”
Daniel to stepson Sam: “Sam, you’ve got nothin’ to lose, and you’ll always regret it if you don’t! I never told your mom enough. I should have told her everyday because she was perfect everyday. You’ve seen the films, kiddo. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
Seven words that say it quite simply and quite well. “All I want for Christmas is you.”
Ethel Lee-Miller is a Tucson writer and author who blogs fairly regularly and every day at Christmastime.