"Notting Hill" is a very complex film -- it deals with class issues, gender reversal (the man is the waiting girl with the heart of gold in the film), and "spectating" as a theme quite deftly. It is much deeper than it looks, because it is so beautifully crafted.

"Love Actually" is complete rubbish: it is particularly noticeable that all the romances are middle class and male-female (the rock star-manager thing is wispy at best) -- you would think in 2003 there could be a tad more adventure in this. There is one token black man who is barely involved in the real romance story between two white people. I am not big on political correctness, but this is ridiculous!!!

The only fine thing in the film is Emma Thompson, which, for those of us who have been Thonmpsonless for a couple of years, is worth the price of admission, but only just. Everyone else, many with immense talent (Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth! are wasted on second rate plots and dialogue so cliched that you cannot believe they are going the way you think they are going, but then they do! It is hard to believe that after "About A Boy" with Hugh Grant, Richard Curtis would give us another school pageant as the climax of his film! (And it is as wince making as in the other film). Stuffy figure caught dancing! Races to the airport to catch the girl! Oh my god, my god.

yours,

Peter T.