Is there anything Bill Nighy can't do?

The Movie: Love Actually, directed by Richard Curtis
Recommendation: Me.
Reason: I wanted to see if Chiwetel Ejiofor could play a character I don't hate. Also, everyone I talked to said it was really good.

The good news is that yes, Chiwetel Ejiofor pulled it off. I did not hate his character in Love Actually. He didn't seem at all villainous, didn't wield any sort of weapon against anyone, and if his philosophy was in any way disagreeable, I didn't notice. Hurray! The great news is that Love Actually is a sweetly sensational rom-com that manages to be funny and romantic while not being overly sappy. There are sugary moments, but the movie as a whole manages to dodge the 'overly cute' bandwagon quite nicely.

It's a quirky, interesting bunch of plots, some large, some small, all of them overlapping in tiny ways. The movie explores not only romantic love, but also familial love, lust, the love of children and unrequited love. It places equal importance on the love between siblings, parents and children, perfect strangers and long-dating couples. The relationships are explored in short segments, snippets rather than extended examinations of the whys, whos and hows. The performances the cast pulled off shone-not a one of them was bad, and most were note-perfect. Bill Nighy in particular did an excellent job. He's starting to become a secondary Christopher Walken-his presence improves every movie I've seen him in.

It was a fun, interesting movie that made me laugh, cry and cheer here and there. I have a feeling I'll be cheerily watching it for years to come. I'd heartily recommend it for anyone who doesn't like the usual sort of rom-com.

-12/365 down, 353/365 to go