I love Love Actually. Do you?

I turned on the TV last night. In my Twitter stream, my southern followers were all talking Love Actually. Now, I have the Love Actually DVD in the drawer under my TV but you know what I did, don’t you?

I had to watch in on the tele … with ads and everything.

Because it’s Christmas.

And it’s one of my must-see annual Christmas movies.

(Elf is up there too for sheer brilliance from Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel and don’t get me started on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Chevy Chase offers up pure gold. We’ve even upgraded from a VHS to DVD copy of that one. It is watched EVERY Christmas Eve.)

But back to Love Actually.

Why is it that you can watch a movie like this over and over again and still smile, laugh and cry?

For me, they had me at the airport scene. Having just spent some quality time in airports, I alway tear up at the sight of couples saying goodbye or a grandma welcoming her grandkids through the gate. I like trying to work out a person’s story. What’s brought them to the airport, to the flight I’m also going on?

And I guess that’s what Love Actually does. It tells many stories of many people. People who are linked by two to three degrees of separation at most (don’t you love the diagram above?). Stories about love, heartache, hope and happiness. The stuff we want to lap up at the best of times but especially so at Christmas.

I’m not one to dig too deeply about the so-called quality of movies such as this but Bobby Finger over at The Hairpin has.

Bobby starts the Hate Actually post:

With its cast of international superstars, 135-minute running time, nine interconnecting subplots, and ostentatious tagline “The Ultimate Romantic Comedy,” Richard Curtis’ Love Actually seems to have made its way into the pantheon of Christmas classics by sheer force alone. It’s a glossy, big-budget film with borderline-detestable examinations of love and romance containing perhaps three genuine moments that seem to be of our own universe, but Love Actually is one terrible Christmas movie that has strong-armed its way into the hearts of millions (including my own) despite being absolutely terrible. And this is why.

Yes, he says it’s a terrible movie but admits that it’s got into his heart. (Thank goodness, I was worried he was going to actually diss it completely.)

I actually LOVE the rest of his post where he states the LOVE or HATE case for each of the couples or threesomes in the plot. Here’s just one example:

Uncle Jamie (Colin Firth) and Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz)

Why I hate actually it:

• This is the second of three subplots in which a man falls in love with his female subordinate.
• Jamie and Aurelia never have a conversation before his proposal.
• Jamie doesn’t back up his work.
• Jamie doesn’t think writing on a typewriter near a body of water is a problem when one doesn’t back up one’s work.
• Jamie and Aurelia never have a conversation before his proposal.

Why I love actually it:

• Colin Firth smiles!
• Colin Firth speaks broken Portugese!
• Colin Firth was so good in Bridget Jones!
• Colin Firth was so good in Bridget Jones 2!
• Colin Firth was THE BEST Mr. Darcy!
• Have you seen the Colin Firth Pride & Prejudice?!?! Colin Firth proposes and she says, “Yes,” and the music swells and I get goosebumps!

I do admit to having a lot of “admiration” for Mr Firth … that goes back to THAT lake scene in Pride and Prejudice. Do you?

And is Love Actually an annual favourite in your house? What other Christmas movies do you like? And do you watch them on TV even though you have the DVD?

We’re talking all things Christmas on the Facebook wall today. And we want to see what Christmassy things you’ve been up to. Have you made a gingerbread house or some rum balls? Have you wrapped all your pressies?What’s your tree look like this year? We’d love you to share your photos on the wall so we can keep things lovely and festive this week.