The British holiday romantic comedy Love Actually has been around for 20 years, making it a Christmas classic—but is it a movie the whole family can enjoy?
Love Actually hit theaters in 2003 and stars almost every British actor who was popular at the time. Since then, the rom-com set during Christmas time has become a mainstay for the holiday season. Instead of one story, the plot is broken up into several interwoven tales of people falling in and out of love in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It’s all to show how “love is, actually, all around us.”
In the 20 years since the movie was released, there’s been a substantial social shift in what we find acceptable in movies and television. Some jokes in Love Actually haven’t stood the test of time. Many of the storylines don’t make sense when scrutinized at all. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while watching it (and possibly making fun of it the entire time). Is Love Actually something for the whole family to enjoy during your annual Christmas movie marathon?
Should you watch Love Actually with kids?
Love Actually may have many sweet and funny moments, yet it still warranted an R-rating. There is no violence or gore in this film, but it does contain a lot of colorful language. Just the opening scene alone, in which Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) tries to record his “new” Christmas hit, is an example of that. Two storylines include topless nude scenes involving sexual situations. One couple, a pair of stand-ins on a film set, are nude and simulating sex scenes for most of their scenes, even though their storyline is one of the most wholesome.
Besides the adult visuals and language, many of the storylines contain heavy topics. Some of them include infidelity, death of a loved one, and struggles of caregiving. One character’s entire personality is going to America where “cool girls” would be willing to have sex with him because of his “cute British accent.” The aging rock star Billy Mack makes several unhinged comments about sex and drugs while living the ideal life of a musician. Several storylines deal with “funny” plots that we now would consider sexual harassment in the workplace, like a boss telling one employee to seduce another because the rest of the office is sick of the sexual tension, and the same boss thinking of having an affair with his secretary. The President of the United States (played by Billy Bob Thornton) is a creep who uses power to take advantage of women.
Although Love Actually features some adorable moments between kids, like the “All I Want for Christmas is You” scene, the movie was meant for adults to enjoy. You might be comfortable watching Love Actually with older teens, but most will think it’s best left for when the kids have gone to bed.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
