DVD Corner

Love Actually 4K UHD Review

“Love Actually” is a Christmas classic. 

2003’s “Love Actually” is an ensemble romantic Christmas movie with interconnected stories (although not every character arc is romance centric). The film cuts back and forth between storylines involving singer Billy Mack and his manager Joe, soon to be married Juliet and Peter and a jealous best man (Mark) who is in love with Juliet, a writer (Jamie) falling in love with a housekeeper (Aurélia), design agency manager (Harry) cheating on his wife (Karen) with his secretary (Mia), movie stand-ins John and Judy, graphic designer (Sarah) developing feelings for a creative director (Karl) while having to care for her disabled brother Michael, a British caterer (Colin) who ventures to America hoping to hook up with American women, Prime Minister (David) falling in love with 10 Downing Street staffer Natalie, a widowed husband (Daniel) possibly finding love again, and Daniel’s stepson Sam having a crush on a fellow classmate Joanna.

Over the past 20 years there haven’t been many “newer” Christmas classics, but “Love Actually” is definitely one of them. Writer/director Richard Curtis does his career best work here (so far) by not only creating a heartwarming and genuinely funny romantic comedy (an R-rated one at that), but also crafting a Christmas movie that approaches the holiday in a different manner with its ensemble storytelling. The viewer isn’t getting just 1 single romantic story, but rather many. Some of the romances don’t pan out (like Sarah and Karl) and some characters aren’t even romantically entangled (ala Billy Mack), but that makes the movie work even more as this isn’t the type of movie where everyone gets what they want. Yes, there are sweet love stories here but there’s also bittersweet ones. It really covers the gamut in terms of how people spend the holidays either with someone or by themselves. 

What really makes “Love Actually” work as well as it does though is the all-star cast which includes some would be stars like Martin Freeman, Andrew Lincoln, Thomas Sangster, and Chewitel Ejiofor alongside certified stars like Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Rowan Atkinson, Billy Bob Thornton, Bill Nighy, and many more. This is truly one of the finest casts ever assembled. While every cast member has their moment, the real scene stealer is Bill Nighy as pop star Billy Mack, but Liam Neeson and Thomas Sangster (whose chemistry together is really charming), and Martine McCutcheon (Natalie) also shine bright here.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 2160p. How does it look? The transfer is a bit uneven and not up to 4K standards. While the picture is generally solid, it can look weirdly grainy and not as clean as it could have been.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? The Atmos track is pleasant all the way through.

Extras:
* Blu-ray copy
* Digital copy
* Commentary by Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Richard Curtis and Thomas Sangster.
* Billy Mack’s “Christmas Is All Around” and Kelly Clarkson’s “The Trouble With Love is” music videos
* Nearly 38 minutes of deleted scenes with intros by Richard Curtis.
* “The Storytellers”- A featurette on Richard Curtis and the characters.
* “The Music Of Love Actually With Intros by Richard Curtis”- Curtis talks about music track inclusions.
* “Making Love Actually”- A new near 30 minute retrospective extra with cast and crew interviews, film clips, archival photos, and discussions about the making of the project.

December 22, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Bill Nighy, Christmas Movie, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Love Actually 4K UHD Review, Romance Movie, romantic comedy