Discuss Love Actually
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Deliberately ridiculous (satirical) but what does that mean about its central message?
posted by rooprectSTAFFMOD on January 2, 2023 at 5:34 AM
This movie begins with sarcasm (an aging rockstar remaking a classic lovesong into a tacky Christmas jingle). From there we get a string of ridiculous setups which must also be satire if we follow the opening scene’s lead. The Prime Minister of England is a hot Hugh Grant who can’t seem to get a date and acts like a bumbling schoolboy flirting with his housekeeper even though he’s the most powerful man in Europe. An awkward loser believes he can get laid by crowds of hot American chicks just because he has a British accent. And let’s not forget the central setting of this romcom: the AIRPORT (got cliché?) with a countdown to CHRISTMAS (got Hallmark Channel?). This movie is ripe with as much parody as Airplane.
If you’re not on board with the sarcastic absurdism from the beginning you will be by the final act, when the British dork steps off the plane in “Wisconsin International Airport” (I’ll give you a minute to think about that) and goes straight to a bar where a hoard of American babes zero in on his accent and he gets into a foursome before even unpacking his bags.
Funny stuff, but let’s ask ourselves what is satire? It’s a deliberate use of parody to ridicule the person or situation it represents. What is the central theme being represented? As the opening voiceover states, it’s the idea that “love actually exists” and that it’s everywhere.
So can we conclude that under its feel-good, Christmas-miracle, romcommy surface complete with syrupy orchestral swells and the worst soundtrack ever (did anyone catch that?), this is actually a brutal skewering of love?
Reply by rooprect
on January 2, 2023 at 10:32 AM
Duh... after posting that, I just realized the friggin title of the movie ought to be a tip off.
The opening monologue and title sequence say "Love actually exists" but the title of the movie is "Love Actually" implying.... drumroll... that love doesn't "exist".
I may be slow but I get it eventually.
Reply by bratface
on January 2, 2023 at 3:10 PM
This is the opening monologue:
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. 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."
Reply by rooprect
on January 3, 2023 at 10:44 AM
Good clarification. Yea that's what I meant but didn't word it right.
The concept of real love is presented straightforward and without any parody in the Keira Knightley story: a guy falls for his best friend's wife and suffers in silence. Appropriately, this story doesn't end with a sappy Christmas miracle like the others.
The others do end with a Disney spectacle, literally a song & dance spectacle where all the disjoint stories converge--the only thing missing being fireworks and a hot air balloon. Interesting to note that Keira Knightley's story does NOT end up there, again setting it apart from the joke.
Reply by bratface
on January 4, 2023 at 1:35 AM
That scene always made me cry! And the song just made it worse.
I normally do not like sappy & sentimental movies (IAWL is a prime example) but I LOVE this movie! There were parts I didn't care for (Colin's trip to America) but for the most part, it worked! It showed love at different stages of life, first love with Sam & Joanna. Unrequited love with Mark & Juliet, I suppose you could include Sarah & Karl. Middle-aged (mid-life crisis) love with Harry & Karen. Grief over losing a loved one with Daniel. Love & friendship with Billy & Joe. It isn't a perfect movie (not Oscar-caliber) but I think it is a very good movie.
Reply by rooprect
on January 4, 2023 at 6:59 AM
Right, like I said Keira Knightley’s story is set apart from the joke. So it doesn’t have the cheesy satirical elements that the others have. If you want an example of a cheesy score listen to the music in Hugh Grant’s speech where he defends the honor of the girl by publicly humiliating the president of the United States. The music is something a 1st year Hallmark Channel intern might do. Not so subtle strings holding an interminable note for suspense, then breaking into a goofy “graduation march” theme as the orchestra swells so loud you can barely hear the dialogue.
Example of sappy soundtrack
If this were a Mel Brooks film, the camera would pan left and show a 90 piece orchestra playing in the room lmao. But I’m not saying the composer is bad; on the contrary it takes an exceptional composer to come up with something so horrendous, and slip it under the radar of most audiences.
Reply by bratface
on January 4, 2023 at 2:26 PM
It's a Wonderful Life