I saw "Love Actually" last night

[XemaSab]

and frankly, what on the surface seemed like a cheerful enough film sort of bugged on further reflection.

The three most interesting and developed story lines involved Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, and the writer dude hooking up with their servant girls.

Any thoughts on this?

[SeattleGirl]

1. I love that movie

My favorite line is "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love."

I'm wondering, though, why you call those women "servant girls". Yes, they were in positions of subordinates, so I'm wondering if you think the men were merely taking advantage of them.

[LostinVA]

3. But, in two arcs they fell in love

And in the third, he never hooked up, and I don't think ever would have.

[XemaSab]

4. I think the men were taking advantage of them

When Hugh Grant asks to have the girl "transferred," he's basically using his power over her informed by his attraction to her.

And what's Alan Rickman supposed to do? Fire the girl, or keep her around and incur the wrath of his wife?

This is why sexual harassment is a crime.

[SeattleGirl]

6. I guess I see it a little differently

Yes, Hugh Grant was using his power, as you say, as a direct result of his attraction, but they did fall in love, which is just what people do.

As far as the Rickman character, I would perhaps see that a little more in the light of sexual harassment, except for the fact that she came on to him, so she has some responsibility there too.

Interesting how people see the same thing, but interpret it differently, isn't it?

[XemaSab]

8. It is interesting

But the whole movie seemed more like a male fantasy than not. Most of the "featured" characters were men, and you had three stories of men falling in love with employees, and zero stories of women doing the same?

[smirkymonkey]

40. Totally - and all the women who were over the age of 30 were

the only one's who were "unlucky in love" - I found the movie to be incredibly annoying, not just because of the sexism, but because most of characters were so annoying. I think I am the only one who found that little kid (who's mum just died) deserving of a smack. He just got on my nerves, along with the rest of the cast and the idiotic story lines, if you can call them that.

[XemaSab]

47. The woman they really focused on

other than Emma (:loveya:) was the one who HAD to give up being with the hottie to take care of her brother.

[LostinVA]

61. Laura Linney's character didn't have to

She was a nice woman who had become totally co-dependent and guilt ridden. I always like to imagine to characters AFTER a movie,m and I think she was able to finally get on with her life (and Karl!), because she was obvious to how fucked up she was.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

33. Um, I think you're reading it wrong.

It made him uncomfortable because he misread something that happened with Billy Bob's Character, and thought she had hit on the president.
There was no resolution, visually of the Alan Rickman thing. She was a tramp. If anything Alan Rickman was sexually harassed. She opened her freaking legs for God's sakes when he was talking to her.
Duckie

[radwriter0555]

38. I didn't read it that she had hit on the US president... I read it that he

was in denial of his attraction to her. Especially when framed with his public smack down of the US president in the press conference.

I could be wrong!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

41. I meant that HE read it that way...

That's not the way it happened, but he really couldn't know that.
Duckie

[LostinVA]

62. I agree with Yellow

He was very aware of his attraction of her, thought she was too young, so tried to be "good"... then thought something weird had happened with the US President, and basically had his feelings hurt. So... he couldn't stand to be around her anymore. She wasn't fired, just transferred.

[XemaSab]

39. I read it that the president was making inappropriate advances

and the press conference was his way of telling the president to show some respect.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

42. Yes, but he didn't know she didn't like it.

[LostinVA]

2. I LOVE that movie! Have seen it like 20 times

My favorite story arcs: Colin Firth and falling in love with his young Portuguese housekeeper, and Liam Neeson and his little stepson -- it's so sweet!

[SeattleGirl]

5. Liam Neeson and his stepson are my favorites

I really liked how Liam was so loving and supportive of the boy. :loveya:

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

7. Lame Actually. -nt

Didn't care for it. :)

[LostinVA]

30. And said "She... or he."

[Missy Vixen]

9. I love the Hugh Grant story arc

I still laugh everytime he looks at the portrait of Maggie Thatcher and calls her a "minx". The Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman arc makes me marvel at her unbelievable acting skills.

I never even thought of the "servant girl" aspect. It's fairly common for people who work together to fall in love, so maybe that's why I never noticed it previously.

Julie

[Beausoir]

10. Me too!

I loved his dancing scene.

And Emma Thompson's breakdown was a wonderful, hearthwrenching bit of acting.

I just could not believe that Laura Linney didn't pounce all over that gorgeous, half nekkid Brazilian guy.

[LostinVA]

12. God, I'm a lesbian, and even I thought Karl was smokin' hot!!!

[XemaSab]

13. You're not kidding!

The brother's not going anywhere.... :crazy:

[LostinVA]

14. hehehehe...!

I saw it the first time at the theater, with three straight women. They literally all drew in their breath when he stripped down and started muttering. Then giggled when I went, "Omigod!"

[XemaSab]

15. Rodrigo Santoro

[LostinVA]

22. OHMIGOD! I'm turning straight! Where's my CoverGirl?!

[LostinVA]

11. Yeah, I agree

I think the Colin Firth arc is sweet, too... because their feelings for one another cuts through age, backgrounds, language, etc.

Must just be a chick flick thing... although my Dad liked it.

[henslee]

16. Holds record for highest U.S. gross for an English pic. I have a

a hard time with Hugh Grant playing himself in every picture. OTOH, Kyra Knightly is very easy on the eyes.

[pointblank]

17. I usually stay away

from "chick flicks", but I liked this one. I watch it whenever it comes on oddly enough.

I even get teary eyed at the end sequence when they show the random people hugging each other.

Did you know that those scenes are real and were taken at an airport when people were meeting others getting off of planes?

[Missy Vixen]

20. Yeah, that brings on the waterworks, too

>I even get teary eyed at the end sequence when they show the random people hugging each other.<

Pre-draconian security measures, one of my favorite things to do when picking DH up after he'd arrived home from a business trip was to people-watch in the airport. It warms the heart to see so many people so happy to see each other :cry:.

Julie

[Starlight]

18. I thought it was incredibly stupid. Poorly written, poorly acted, poorly

edited. The end was especially stupid. It was a total waste of my time. :thumbsdown:

[smirkymonkey]

44. So did I - I think what really bothered me so much was that it was

manipulative in a cheap, cheesy way.

Also, did anybody else notice that in the Wedding Scene, at first it seemed like the grooms friend was in love with HIM and it was almost like they decided mid-film that they didn't want a gay couple, so the switched and made the groom in love w/ the bride. I'm not even gay and I noticed it.

The only relationship I found even remotely romantic was Colin Firth and his Portugeuse/Spanish cleaning woman - simply because they had the most chemistry of all the couples.

[radwriter0555]

19. "A classic tale of men, once again, taking advantage of

oh wait......

The chicks ended up with the good bits, didn't they?

The nasty girl didn't bang the richtman character....

The catering manager got THE PRIME MINISTER.... not bad.

The housekeeper got the dashing writer with a house in the south of france AND an earnest and heartfelt and PROPER proposal of marriage presented properly to her dad even.

Not bad, not bad.

Miss Dunkin Donuts, 2003...

[XemaSab]

23. It just bugs me to see accomplished men go for women well beneath them

I'm not saying that the women in these instances didn't do quite well for themselves, but what about accomplished and capable men going for accomplished and capable women?

*Shades of Maureen Dowd.*

Oh, and on edit: why is it better that he presented the proposal to her dad? How patriarchical is THAT?

[LostinVA]

24. I don't remember him doing that

He proposed to HER, but he went to her house first. She wasn;t there, so her whole family -- and half the neighborhood -- followed him to the restaurant. I thought it was romantic, specially when he proposed to her -- so heartfelt -- in his oddly formal and rather bad Portuguese. And when she spoke English? *sob*

[terrya]

21. Is this the movie where Hugh Grant plays the prime minister of Britain?

Yeah, right. :eyes:

[hopein08]

25. I love Alan Rickman & Liam Neeson!

They made the movie. I can't even really remember Hugh Grant's role (all of his roles run together in my head and I can't keep them straight) or Keira Knightley's.

It was a pretty good movie.

[LostinVA]

26. Keira's part was smallish

[XemaSab]

28. She was the girl who was married to the black dude

and the dude's friend turned into a psycho stalker, right?

[LostinVA]

29. No, he was the anti-stalker

He was totally in love with her, but he cared for his friend too much to mess with his girl. So, in self-preservation, he became cold and aloof towards her... making her and her husband think he didn't like her.

I've seen it a zillion times. I know it by heart!

[Ramsey]

27. That's my "worst movie I really liked"

For the other thread :-)

Actually the movie was pretty good, but as much as I love and admire Hugh Grant's comedic skills, I really really did not buy him as even a highly fictional prime minister.

[GalleryGod]

32. I Loved that Film! For that Libby-you get "Exiled" back

HERE!

Remember Virgin Gorda ?????????:bounce:

[Ramsey]

48. You are my god!

I'll take that exile any day!

:-)

[GalleryGod]

60. Voila! My dear, Libby !

[Flaxbee]

31. I liked the movie, wasn't disturbed by any 'powerful man

lording it over servant girl' overtones...didn't cross my mind. But I do wish the movie had focused more on the three stories you mentioned (perhaps including Liam Neeson's story) and cut the Keira Knightly, Laura Linney (though I think she's a terrific actor) and Colin-character going to Wisconsin stories - or at least minimized them and spent more time on Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Though the Hugh Grant storyline was enough for me - no need to really elaborate there, but I felt gypped about not seeing Rickman & Thompson enough. Hated the scene with Mr. Bean at the jewelry counter.

[XemaSab]

35. I thought those were the most interesting stories

but I was bugged once I realized what the three stories had in common. I liked it, but upon analysis it seemed to be very obviously written by a man.

[terryg11]

37. Colin character going to Wisconsin is great!!!

What a great poke at America. FOur (or was it five?) extremely hot girls (in my opinion) totally falling for the guy with the accent, only because he has the accent. HA!

Hugh Grant did just fine as pm thank you very much. I agree, the guy plays one character but it's nice to see on occasion, he does it so well.

[Debbi801]

34. I love that movie....

except for Alan Rickman's character. And I'm a big Alan Rickman fan.

[XemaSab]

36. What didn't you like?

I've been in that situation before, so I guess it was too personal for me to really reflect fairly on.

[Debbi801]

45. Just that he allowed himself to be swayed by the younger secretary. (nt)

[smirkymonkey]

43. I agree - I am also a big Alan Rickman fan, but I hated him in that

role - he was so whiney and irritating. I was so dissapointed.

[stlsaxman]

46. I thought the story of the "porn-star" stand-ins was wonderful, too

and the story of the "brit kid" going to America was hilarious...

i even loved the story of the worn-out rock star and his manager...

"it's shit, isn't it?"

[Aristus]

51. The thing I liked about the lighting doubles falling in love was

the surprising innocence of the whole thing. Their hesitancy and shyness were so incongruous with the way they meet.

[stlsaxman]

54. yeah- it wasn't about the sex... they were physically naked to each other

from the get-go, so they only had their personalities to discover! very sweet.

[Missy Vixen]

59. "Let's get pissed and watch porn!" n/t

[MrScorpio]

49. Needless to say, I love that movie

I feel it right, ahem, here

[Ronnie]

50. Best Movie Wedding

Ever. I felt cheated, though, when they cut away from it.

[jobycom]

52. None of them were "servant girls," and BTW, you left out another

The rock star's love interest turned out to be his male assistant, too. :-)

The writer's girlfriend was a maid hired by his landlady, and he didn't make a pass at her while she was subordinate to him in any way.

Rickman's character was the prey of an employee, not the predator, and he rejected her in the end. By any standards, she harrassed him. And there was no real relationship there, only a power play.

Hugh Grant's woman was a staffer, not his servant, and he never made a pass at her, either. In fact, he had her transfered to avoid any such issues, and she pursued him.

And in neither of the two successful relationships was there a physical relationship. Both parties in each relationship pursued a primarily emotional one.

If the issue was male abuse of power over women, it never happened. If it was simply that the women were of a different station than the men, so what? Maybe the relationships were a bit traditional, but not offensive. I wasn't bothered at all.

I was amused at the portrayal of American women, though.

I loved the movie. Nicely written, nicely directed, and it kep a lot of story lines in the air without making them boring. Beats Lord of the Rings or Ferris Buehler any day, but then, most cable access shows do that.

[XemaSab]

55. They were all totally servant girls

Two of them had the sole duties of serving tea and fetching papers, and the third looked like the AA, and the AA is typically the LOW person on the totem pole.

[jobycom]

56. Hmm.

I saw two professionals and a part time housekeeper. You saw three servants. I'd be a better resume writer! :-)

The English bloke who went to America and met the supermodels was a servant boy. The job we saw him perform was to carry trays of food.

[XemaSab]

57. Good point

But I still maintain that 500 years ago the job title of those three women would have been "wench."

[jobycom]

58. 500 years ago the sole identity of those women would have been

'wench,' not just the job title.

Most of the people in that movie, i think, were defined more by their age than their role in life. The young people, except the artist and Keira Knightly (who's job wasn't shown, iirc), had low level jobs. The older people had more advanced jobs, or were assumed to be comfortably beyond employment (Emma Thompson). The three sketches you mention were between older men and younger women (which was my complaint when I watched it), thus the women had lower end jobs.

My biggest problem with the portrayal of women in movies and most literature is that they are just women. Men are spies, farmers, politicians, whatever. Women may have professions, but they are still mostly defined by their gender, whereas men are defined by what they do. That was true in Love, Actually, as well. We knew what the rocker, the businessman, the artist, the writer and the PM did. The jobs of the female love interests, iirc, were not really focused on, except for Emma's, as a housewife, and Judy's, as a body double. Your three servant girls, and Laurie Linney, had non-defined jobs, though they had jobs. Linney's interest's job wasn't defined, either.

Liam Neeson's and Keira's husband's job weren't mentioned. So as far as films go, I didn't think it was too bad. Most of the complaints I had about it were more complaints about society and its stereotypes. Few movies break the molds. Except Million Dollar Baby, and films like that don't come around very often.

I'm rambling. Nyquil is setting in. Hope I made some sense. If not, be gently, and forgive me! :-)

[supernova]

63. "My biggest problem with the portrayal of women...

n movies and most literature is that they are just women. Men are spies, farmers, politicians, whatever. Women may have professions, but they are still mostly defined by their gender, whereas men are defined by what they do. That was true in Love, Actually, as well. We knew what the rocker, the businessman, the artist, the writer and the PM did. The jobs of the female love interests, iirc, were not really focused on, except for Emma's, as a housewife, and Judy's, as a body double. Your three servant girls, and Laurie Linney, had non-defined jobs, though they had jobs. Linney's interest's job wasn't defined, either."


:* B-) :hug:

[bridgit]

53. is that the one where hugh grant is the prime minister of england...

if it is imo it played like some lost episode of love american style brit style :shrug: