WASHINGTON – Ten years have flown by, yet time has been kind to one of the most popular holiday movies, “Love Actually.”
The ensemble romantic comedy, starring Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, among others, tells 10 separate Christmas- related stories, largely set in London.
“It’s one of those uplifing movies where you have a bunch of big name stars interweaving in each other’s stories, culminating in a great holiday, feel-good movie,” says WTOP film critic Jason Fraley.
Universal Pictures has released a 10th anniversary edition, containing a Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy of the film.
“Love Actually” has become a holiday favorite for movie fans who watch it yearly, along with films including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Story,” and “Elf.”
“People like tradition, everybody being together, something the older people have done year after year after year,” says Michele Zavos, standing outside a local coffee shop.
Zavos says she often remembers what was going on in her life when she sees movies she likes.
“If you watch the same movie every year you’re reliving all those nice moments in your life,” she says.
“You know what to expect because you’ve seen it before,” says movie lover Henrik Weng, “yet you keep discovering new stuff.”
Fraley says “Love Actually” was released at an intersection of technologies.
“It came at the time when VHS was just swtiching over to DVD.”
“A lot of people probably have this on their shelves, and I’m sure a lot of people had the VHS and went out and got the DVD, and now they’re debating, ‘Do I really want to go out and get the Blu-Ray again,'” Fraley says.
Fraley says “it’s probably a bit too soon to call it a classic.” He thinks many people will eventually buy the Blu-ray version of a film like because it is the closest quality to the film shown on the big screen.
Still, he believes the ongoing popularity of “Love Actually” is primarily based on its endearing story.
“The annual airing around the holiday really gives it longevity,” says Fraley.
Watch 10 scenes from “Love Actually” compiled by The Stir blog.
WTOP Tech intern Sarah Weimar contributed to this report.
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