The Couch Critic
The Couch Critic is your laid-back guide to movies and TV shows that deserve your attention—or maybe don’t. Nathan dives deep into storytelling, character development, and cinematic style with a sharp eye and a wry sense of humor. Whether it’s a blockbuster hit, a hidden gem, or a cult classic, Nathan’s relatable approach ensures every episode feels like a cozy chat with a friend who just happens to love film. Perfect for casual watchers and cinephiles alike, The Couch Critic brings thoughtful critique without the fluff. Grab your favorite snack, settle in, and let Nathan guide you through the world of screen entertainment.
The Couch Critic
Love Actually: All the Ways We Connect
Hugh Grant dancing through 10 Downing Street. Emma Thompson crying to Joni Mitchell. A young boy dashing through airport security for love. These iconic moments from "Love Actually" have cemented its place in holiday movie history, but does this ensemble romantic comedy truly deliver on its premise about love?
We tackle this star-studded film that follows eight interconnected love stories during the Christmas season, from the Prime Minister falling for his staff member to a widower helping his stepson navigate first love. With performances by Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and many more, the film attempts to showcase love in all its forms—romantic, familial, platonic, and even unrequited.
Our conversation explores which storylines resonate most powerfully and which fall flat or feel problematic by today's standards. Katy finds herself charmed by Hugh Grant's bumbling romance and Colin Firth's relationship that transcends language barriers, awarding the film a solid 4/5. Meanwhile, Nathan questions whether many of these relationships qualify as "love actually" or merely attraction, ultimately giving it just 1.5/5 and questioning its place in the Christmas movie canon.
Beyond the romantic elements, we discuss how the film portrays other forms of love—the bond between Liam Neeson and his stepson, Laura Linney's dedication to her brother, and the friendship between aging rock star Billy Mack and his manager. These non-romantic storylines may actually contain the film's most authentic expressions of love, challenging viewers to consider what the title truly means.
Whether you're a die-hard fan who watches every Christmas or a skeptic questioning the film's messaging, our conversation offers fresh perspectives on this holiday staple. Listen now to join our debate about power dynamics, relationship authenticity, and whether "Love Actually" deserves its place among cherished Christmas classics.
On the couch. We're laughing, crying, feeling it all, Breaking down the big screen, the hits and the flaws. Grab your seat, press play. Let's take the pic.
Speaker 2:Lights camera action episode of the Couch Critic. I'm your host, Nathan, and on today's episode I'm joined once again by my best friend, Katie. Hi, Katie, how are you, best friend, Katie Hi.
Speaker 3:Katie, how are you? I'm so great I'm not eating right now, for once, while we record, and I'm excited I've gotten to be on some episodes lately. I had missed you and I'm excited to review our movie today. Yet another Christmas movie on your Christmas list.
Speaker 2:It is. It actually takes place around Christmas, so I was excited for that. This is a movie I've never seen before, and this is also a movie that I've never seen before, but yet I went out and bought it just for this list you mean went out and bought it, like at the $5 bin at Walmart or on Amazon. I went out to a store and bought it.
Speaker 3:Wow, how much did you spend.
Speaker 2:It was like a. I don't know if you guys have second-to-Charles stores where you are, but that's where I got it. So it wasn't crazy expensive and I'm glad it wasn't crazy expensive because of my thoughts on this movie. But before I get into my thoughts on this movie, love Actually stars Hugh Grant, martine McCutcheon, liam Neeson, laura Linney, bill Nye, colin Firth, emma Thompson, martin Freeman, chawatel Ejiofor. I see I wrote the pronunciation and I still said it wrong, so I apologize. Andrew Lincoln the pronunciation and I still said it wrong, so I apologize. Andrew Lincoln, keira Knightley, alan Rickman RIP and Rowan Atkinson.
Speaker 2:So this is a star studded movie. It's one of those films Cause, like I, I think it's like this was the first one, but then they kept on making movies kind of like this where there's all these different couples and it's around the same holiday and all of their lives collide somehow at the end of the movie. And this movie kind of did that. There are a lot of couples and I told my wife because my wife watched the second half of it with me it felt like the holiday on steroids. So Kate's movie is the holiday and that movie has two couples in it and I don't think their lives ever collide with each other.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they do.
Speaker 2:See, that's how much I didn't like that movie.
Speaker 3:Kate Winslet's character is literally her brother, is Jude Law's character that Cameron Diaz is with. Okay, this movie is more similar to she's Not that Into you. And then there was another one that came out called Valentine's Day. That had Taylor Swift back when she was dating Taylor Lautner. I was trying to tally before we got on here.
Speaker 3:I need to write down how many couples or love stories are we talking about here. I'll try to write that down while we're going, but the synopsis basically is there are a zillion couples and you're following all of their love stories and I do appreciate that there's all kinds of different avenues, right? So you have older folks. You have like a little kid. You have someone who's cheated on. You have someone who likes someone else that's married. You have someone that's like at work. You have, I think, three, a cabinet. There are three different storylines where basically a person's supervisor and or boss is like love interested with one of their co, like their subordinates, um, and there's one, like I said, one incident of cheating and then one incident where you're, I guess, supposed to kind of root for the guy who's in love with someone else's wife, his best friend's wife. I don't know, this would be the longest episode if we tried to tackle every couple on this situation, but I want to hear your likes first, if you have any.
Speaker 2:Well, while you were talking, I actually did mentally count and I think there's around eight or nine If you count Liam Neeson, because his wife died. But by the end of the movie kind of spoiler he meets somebody else.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you get to see at the end, you get to see one month later, so there's a little bit of closure.
Speaker 2:But to me it is like the Holiday, because the holiday has two storylines in it and I liked one of them and I didn't like the other one. This movie had a plethora of storylines and there was like maybe one or two that I liked and all the other ones I could care less about, even though is in this and the walking dead is one of my favorite TV shows, and I guess this is before he did the Walking Dead yeah, yeah, what was this 2006?
Speaker 3:yeah, something like that what were your favorite couples story I love anything you grant.
Speaker 2:He's awesome. Actually there's three there's three.
Speaker 3:He always plays the same person.
Speaker 2:He does, which is why the movie heretic if you haven't seen it. It's like a thriller. He's in it and he does really good in it, but I digress. So I like hugh grant. I like his storyline was nice and cute. Um, I love liam neeson. Just because it's liam neeson and, yeah, when my wife walked in she's like wait, liam Neeson's in this. You don't expect him to be in a romantic comedy.
Speaker 3:Wait on sidebar. I was Googling this while I watched. You know, liam Neeson's real-life wife died while they were skiing, like with a traumatic kind of freak accident, traumatic brain injury. She died after. Because I was like, okay, is this just like he's playing it out and we're like she died after this movie? So he's literally playing the role of a man grieving and like a widow or grieving the loss of his wife, and then I'm like that is so wild to me, like two years after the release of that, unfortunately and very sadly, like he's experiencing that and I just thought, whoa, what a weird thing. I'm sure there was a lot of I don't know crossover, because he probably had to get himself there mentally to play that role Probably felt very surreal. I feel like him and his stepson was almost another relationship, because most of the relationship there was him and the son bonding.
Speaker 2:And then I like the Colin Firth storyline too. I like the storylines that are kind of like your stereotypical sappy romance, like usually people are like oh my gosh, that's so cheesy. I liked it because I saw all the other relationships in this movie, like Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. And Alan Rickman is cheating on his wife with this younger girl at his office, rickman is cheating on his wife with this younger girl at his office. And then I I kind of liked the ending of Laura Lenny's storyline too, because she really wanted to get with this guy at her job but she also had to take care of her brother who I guess was like in a um, like a nursing home facility or something, and then by the end of the movie she decides that her family comes first and I really thought that was sweet and was not expecting that. So maybe there were four storylines I liked.
Speaker 3:I was very disappointed. She didn't end up with the hot guy from work Very disappointed, hot. Take Nathan. I didn't research this because my computer's dead. I don't think it was her brother. She says that, but then she repeatedly says like hey, honey, and like the way that they're hugging each other I wouldn't think a brother and sister would. I think that's why she couldn't be with this guy was I think that's her husband and like that. He had basically like mental illness, so she's. So in my mind it felt like she was choosing this man, her original, than over the chance that knew of that. That's how I interpret this Like, and I thought maybe she was just lying to him saying, oh, it's my brother, when in reality it's actually her sick husband and she decides at the end she's going to commit to him instead, which I was still disappointed since at least, but that was my interpretation. I'd love anyone listening to tell me if you could cook it with me I, I can I tell you why I disagree?
Speaker 2:you know, okay, because I think it's like her younger brother and she's talking to him like how his, like, how their mother used to like.
Speaker 3:Could be could be he like.
Speaker 2:You know how people, some people have that mental capacity of they're still a kid I guess.
Speaker 3:But I can try my brain's racking for why she can't possibly like be in a relationship with someone because she has a mentally ill brother, like that's just, that's just sad. Um, okay, couples that I liked. I agree with you, colin, was. It's kind of hard to go into these without my biggest dislike of the movie Go ahead and say that and then we'll come back to it my biggest dislike of storylines. That has what we would call love. I would call it lust Hugh Grant's character. He and her don't have some big thing. They're bonding over with personality or conversation. It's literally he sees her and the first thing he thinks is wow, adi, he's just a tractor, not to mention, he's the prime minister and she's his subordinate. I know this is weird, but my other favorite couple was Snape and Emma Thompson, because whatever his name is, what's the actor's name?
Speaker 2:Alan Rickman. But why is that your favorite couple?
Speaker 3:Because I think I just love her as an actress. I loved who she was trying to be and I think this is what they're getting at the end he basically admits that he was wrong and she, I think, takes him back. I don't think he ever physically cheats, I mean they don't. I think that they would have showed it was happening. I think basically, like it was all going to lead up to like's flirting, he's dancing, he's getting a gift and also building up to maybe, you know, be intimate. I don't know. I just I feel like it was more realistic of like a deep, like their love between each other was so deep, so so deep that it was like they're at this point family, like he knew he messed up, he's not going to go off with that girl. She loves him so much that she's willing to call him out and not be like bye, like leaving you and divorce. I just think it was for that reason. I feel like it was almost this like sweeter love and again, not to mention I don't think anyone should ever cheat, but like this woman's throwing herself, throwing herself, throwing herself. So like I can understand that he was feeling tempted and I guess I was grateful that he didn't make moves earlier. Anyway, did you feel the same way as me about the love? That's my biggest dislike.
Speaker 3:I liked the movie. I was definitely entertained, 100%. It's funny.
Speaker 2:I like romance, but the concept that this is called love actually, yeah, I mean especially with emma thompson's line when she confronts ally rickman with what he did and said something like what would you do if it became like an attraction or maybe even love? I'm like what she's saying, that she think. Does she think that he loves this woman because he bought her a jewelry thing instead of her? So I thought that was dumb. I thought the the Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley part was dumb. But I also.
Speaker 2:I also liked, even though I didn't like that she kissed him. But after she kisses him he says you know what, that's enough, I don't have to, I don't have to chase after this anymore. So he kind of got his self-gratification, I guess, out of that and but I'm still going to go back to I really think that the Laura Linney storyline is her brother, because I don't, I don't like this, this mindset of everything. Love has to be like romantic Cause, like I love my family, I love my kids, I, you know it doesn't have to necessarily be romantic love, and I think that's the whole point of the of the title is love is everywhere, okay okay that's fair and going back to, like liam nissan and his stepson maybe it goes back to what I'm saying about evan thompson like maybe that's the whole point is their, their love, their marital love is stronger than lust.
Speaker 3:Like again, he kind of almost messed up, but like that love is stronger than lust. The thing I liked, the characters where they don't speak the same language, that couple. I think that can maybe go back to what you're saying like. Like yet another maybe facet of love is that it can transcend language, that like you don't have to speak to each other, even though there seems like they literally never had a conversation back and forth. That we see in the movie, but like if he was there for a long time, like they're around each other.
Speaker 3:Love can be through action, love can be through smile. So like theirs to me also felt a lot more love than it felt lust. And he proposes at the end, which is a little crazy, but this makes no sense, david, how about the guy? He's like a british guy and he really wants to sleep with women, so he goes to wisconsin, which I think is supposed to be funny. It's like that's not out, miami, and why is that in the movie? Like that has nothing to do with love. Is it just highlighting the opposite?
Speaker 2:I didn't get that storyline. I did think it was funny that I think her name is Jessica Jones, or she's the actress with the blonde hair. She was in Mad Men. I thought it was funny that she was in it. It was random because I'm the type of person and I'm like, oh, that's that person from. Yeah, I don't remember their names though, so I apologize if she's listening to this episode. But yeah, that storyline was dumb.
Speaker 2:But again, going back to how not all love has to be romantic, even the guy whose number one song gets number three wrong, he realizes that he loves his manager. And of course, in today's society people would probably think, oh, they're going to get together because they're two guys. No, I think that was a friendship love. He realized that this guy has been with him through thick and thin and they've been together, they've done all this stuff together and he realizes that at the end of the day, that guy is his best friend and he loves his best friend, who happens to be a guy. So I think that again, is another example of how this movie isn't necessarily supposed to be all about romance, romance, romance, because you got Liam Neeson and his stepson bonding and you got Bill Neeson and his stepson bonding and you got Bill Nye and his manager bonding and so, and then Laura Linney and her obvious brother at the end of the movie.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I liked how it didn't just stick to the stereotypical romantic comedy Everything's about romance. But yeah, there were that those couples that I could care less about, and the whole Martin Freeman, basically porn star thing. Yeah, weird, I mean. And yeah, and what frustrates me is what you said about that couple is that they have the most simplistic, just having conversations with each other, getting to know each other, and at the end of the film they realize you know what?
Speaker 3:I like you.
Speaker 2:Let's go out to dinner.
Speaker 3:So my big critique is that the title's wrong but you're convincing me, you're convincing me, baby, to rethink.
Speaker 3:But the other big one would be you're telling this Christmas movie, when now, this is my personal thing, but if it's a Christmas movie I feel like I can watch that with my parents, I could watch that maybe with my kid, definitely with my spouse friends. This scene had enough things that I was like I feel weird watching, like there is nudity in it and then there was quite a bit of sexual conversation, right, like, especially the guy going to Wisconsin to like be with the ladies. To me that was kind of a negative, just that there's so much emphasis on the sex part of it. Uh, I'm more, I'm more like like you know, a good makeout scene, like it's almost like taunting me like the whole movie. You're just like waiting for everybody to like culminate in the like good kiss and you only get I think like you can grant you get a kiss like a good kiss and there's a few others. But there's too much of this actual stuff for me.
Speaker 2:Okay, so I.
Speaker 3:I would not feel comfortable watching this with my parents.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing I don't trust your judgment about what you're comfortable watching, because your favorite Christmas movie to watch as a family is Bad.
Speaker 3:Sam, I just but there was no nudity in that.
Speaker 2:Every time you mention that you are uncomfortable watching something. I just throw that back in your face because you have like. There's no reason for you to say that, because I watched both of those.
Speaker 3:I cannot wait to review that with you, you're horrible. It's a fantastic movie.
Speaker 3:I'm not watching that All I have to say. I enjoyed the movie. These are my two edits. For the most part I'm pulling watching All of this. I enjoyed the movie. These are my two, you know. For the most I'm pulling for these characters. Maybe my final critique might be it was like a little too many couples, like there was almost so many that we didn't get enough time with each one. I feel like this movie made me laugh and it made me, and you know, enjoy the romance. So I definitely liked the movie. I def I think that she's not that into you which came out later, was by far better, but of course this was the og, which is, I think, what makes it such a classic. Um and valentine's day that came out after. That was me, but I think there should be less couples.
Speaker 2:I cared about the couples that I cared about. I think I was able to focus on majority of them but, like you said, there was that random guy who goes to america. That was stupid waste of time and but I think I was able to focus on pretty much all the couples that were in this movie and I think they did. I think they did a pretty good job at like letting each couple have their time to shine. It's kind of like an avengers movie where you're like how are they going to do this with all these heroes in it? But somehow they do. And I mean I didn't like the movie. I didn't think the movie was that great, but the care the the couples I cared about, I was able to actually focus on them and I think it was funny that rowan atkinson was in it.
Speaker 2:If you don't know who that is, it's mr bino oh yes, it's a cameo, I mean just random, and I loved it he was and his parts are very funny.
Speaker 3:And I will also say I do enjoy the crossover, like that's just a fun thing. It keeps you on your toes to be like, oh my gosh. And then this character somehow crosses over, like the prime minister who grants happens to be sisters, with emma thompson's character, who also happens to be friends, which we don't understand really the relationship, but friends with snape well, well, and Emma Thompson's married to Snape, but I thought it was random that she was at Liam Neeson's wife's funeral and they never really fleshed out how they know each other, did you?
Speaker 3:know that. Oh, that's what I meant. That's what I meant. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I was hoping that she would leave Alan Rickman and that she would run into the arms of Liam Neeson. I really thought that she would leave Alan Rickman and that she would run into the arms of Liam Neeson.
Speaker 3:I really would not be loved, though. That would not be loved, so maybe this goes back to friendship love of like she was there for him, but that's the thing.
Speaker 2:She wasn't, because they never interacted.
Speaker 3:The whole movie, all right. Well, what do we? What will we rate this for Christmas? We, we have to admit there was. It was during Christmas time, and you could argue that Christmas is about love. Probably not at all necessarily the kind of love you know we talk about agape love and Eros love, and you know Philea love, philemon Yon love, philemon Yon love. So I'm going to give this a 3.5 for Christmas, me too, because it's definitely going to be Christmas whether I watch this or not, and I think you could take Christmas out of it and it would be the same movie.
Speaker 2:I mean, they did. You know, she's just not the nitty-do-do and Valentine's Day. They just switched the.
Speaker 3:There you go.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I gave it a 3.5 too.
Speaker 3:Because, yes, Bill Nye's song 3.52? Wow, that's pretty specific.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 3.52. So if you round it it's a 3.5. So that's what I would give Love Actually for Christmas. But what are you going to give it for a general rating?
Speaker 3:I don't pick it on it, but I did like it and I think it did set the tone for a certain genre of movie. So I'm going to give it a 4.
Speaker 2:I rated it way lower than that. I don't see myself watching it again. I'm actually going to try to trade it in and take it back to the store because I don't really feel like owning it. I'm going to give it a 1.5. I thought it is a big waste of time, even though I did like some of the couples in it because I like Hugh Grant. But it's not a movie that I see myself watching again. And my wife was like, why do you even own this? I'm like because it was for the list. So, yeah, that's Love Actually. So if you've seen it and you love it, actually you should let us know by clicking that, send us some fan mail link next Tuesday.
Speaker 2:I'm not sure if this next movie has anything to do with Christmas. It's. It's probably one of those other ones. I'm like why are we even watching it? It's Santa Claus the movie. So I was being sarcastic. It's probably has everything to do with Christmas because it's really called Santa Claus the movie. So I was being sarcastic. It probably has everything to do with Christmas because it's literally called Santa Claus the movie. So yeah, that's what we were talking about next Tuesday and then this cinema Saturday. I am taking on Final Destination 1 through 5 to get ready for Final Destination 6 Bloodlines Also. By the time this episode drops, it'll already have been Mother's Day, so happy Mother's Day.
Speaker 3:Well, I appreciate it. I enjoy being a mother, and as a good mother. I will not subject my son to watching this movie, but I'll probably let him watch Santa Claus with me.
Speaker 2:Oh, I thought you were going to say that I probably will let him watch Santa Claus with me. Oh, I thought you were going to say that I probably will let him watch Bad Santa Eventually.
Speaker 3:Eventually, I will inaugurate him and he will get to watch Bad Santa.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you for listening everybody and Sam, our loyal listener, thank you once again for being awesome. This is the Couch Critic where every movie gets its close-up.
Speaker 1:It's not just a movie, it's a way of life. We'll watch it together, day or night, so settle in close and don't miss a flick. This is the moment for the couch critic.
