The Medium is Not Enough TV blog: Microfeed for "Today's Joanna Page: Love Actually" http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/2008/06/todays_joanna_page_love_actually.php Comments for the entry "Today's Joanna Page: Love Actually" en-us Movable Type v4.32-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:05:07 +00:00 Comment from Jane Henry Well though I kind of agree with your rundown, I do quite like this film, but I wasn't really looking for deep meaning, just enjoying the romance.

I really liked Colin Firth's section particularly the way they misunderstood each other.

Ditto Kris Marshall, Joanna Page/Martin Freeman and Hugh Grant/Martine McCutcheon (however unlikely). Bill Nighy was the best thing in it though.

Emma Thompson was very good but I wanted to throttle her for being so wet.

And the Liam Neeson storyline was EXCRUCIATING... particularly as we went to see it with a friend who has been widowed. There is one scene when Liam rings Emma in a state and she WON'T talk to him because she's making a costume for the nativity play. Eeek. How can she be so insensitive. Having been in her position as a friend I was cringing all the way.

That said, ridiculous and all as the Thomas Sangster scene was, HE is fabulous and a great talent who I hope fulfils his early promise (he was much better in Nanny McPhee though).

Overall I'd give it a thumbs up, but you are probably right about the lack of coherent message about love.

]]> 4189@http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/#c24261 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:05:07 +00:00 Comment from Anonymous I loathed this film with an absolute passion and think you have been very kind to it (my review would just have been a series of inarticulate screams and swearwords) - however, for some reason I do remember that Laura Linney has a brother in the mental hospital, not a husband (she talks about having to look after him because their parents are dead), which shouldn't really stop her from getting off with the guy at work but whatever.
The porn star stand-ins were probably about the least offensive part of the film, even though I think they would have been better as running characters in a sketch show or something. Also, is this really a thing that happens? My knowledge of the porn industry is thankfully small, but I can't imagine there are stand-ins. Or if there were, why would they have to be naked, how would that really change the lighting requirements (unless they had very shiny bodies)?

]]> 4189@http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/#c24262 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:07:30 +00:00 Comment from MediumRob I wanted to rant, but somehow I couldn't. My heart wasn't it. So I tried to be as fair and as upbeat as I could.

All the film's pretty unrealistic and the idea of porn star stand-ins is pretty much made up and purely there so that Curtis can have the strange juxtaposition of dialogue and action without John and Judy actually having sex, which would have made it less of a rom com and more something else.

Thanks for clearing up the brother/husband thing. Makes even less sense now, but my criticism remains valid.

Bill Nighy is always good in everything, except maybe Gideon's Daughter. He acts well in that, but it's like he's had a personality removal.

]]> 4189@http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/#c24265 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:51:54 +00:00 Comment from Persephone Whoa-whoa-whoa... Whaddaya mean Emma finds out that he's tempted, but not done anything??? A fella who buys his secretary expensive jewellry and his wife a Joni Mitchell CD??? He's done something, I think. I found the final scene in the airport, where Rickman and Thompson indicate without words that the marriage is damaged beyond repair, heartbreaking.

That said, I enjoyed the movie, but wasn't as bowled over as many seemed to be. (I was rather appalled when it was shown as a sleepover movie to my then-twelve-year-old daughter. It's not really a family flick, is it?) I thought most of the performances were delightful (including the shy and sweetly innocent porn stand-ins), but found the Thomas Sangster storyline corny beyond belief.

]]> 4189@http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough.com/#c24269 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:02:16 +00:00 Comment from MediumRob My impression (and given the husband/brother mix-up, that could probably be wrong) was that he was up for it and the jewellery was his way of showing his secretary, given her previous request, so he hadn't physically done anything. But mentally he was already there and he was certainly guilty of being a rubbish husband. I was more moved by the scene in which she realises, though.

I'm not sure who's bowled over by it. Most people seem to think it's poor to average at best, with the Sangster storyline universally derided/loathed, the porn star stand-ins generally being the most liked.


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