<P> Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly rated it B and called it "a toasty, star - packed ensemble comedy...(That's) going to make a lot of holiday romantics feel very, very good; watching it; I felt cosy and charmed myself ." Nev Pierce of the BBC awarded it four of a possible five stars and called it a "vibrant romantic comedy...Warm, bittersweet and hilarious, this is lovely, actually . Prepare to be smitten ." Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle opined "(it) abandons any pretext of sophistication for gloppy sentimentality, sugary pop songs and bawdy humour--an approach that works about half the time (...) Most of the story lines maintain interest because of the fine cast and general goodwill of the picture ." </P> <P> In his review in The New York Times, A.O. Scott called it "a romantic comedy swollen to the length of an Oscar - trawling epic--nearly two and a quarter hours of cheekiness, diffidence and high - tone smirking" and added, "it is more like a record label's greatest - hits compilation or a very special sitcom clip - reel show than an actual movie (...) The film's governing idea of love is both shallow and dishonest, and its sweet, chipper demeanour masks a sour cynicism about human emotions that is all the more sleazy for remaining unacknowledged . It has the calloused, leering soul of an early - 60s rat - pack comedy, but without the suave, seductive bravado ." In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers rated it two stars out of a possible four, saying "there are laughs laced with feeling here, but the deft screenwriter Richard Curtis dilutes the impact by tossing in more and more stories . As a director...Curtis can't seem to rein in his writer...He ladles sugar over the eager - to - please Love Actually to make it go down easy, forgetting that sometimes it just makes you gag ." </P> <P> Although critics' reviews for Love Actually were mixed, the film is more popular among audiences and has even been discussed in recent years as an arguable modern - day Christmas classic . Christopher Orr of The Atlantic, on the other hand, remains negative toward the work and even described it as the least romantic movie of all time, considering its ultimate message to be, "It's probably best if you give up on love altogether and get on with the rest of your life ." </P> <Ul> <Li> Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film (nominee) </Li> <Li> BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Bill Nighy, winner) </Li> <Li> BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Emma Thompson, nominee) </Li> <Li> Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy (nominee) </Li> <Li> Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay (nominee) </Li> <Li> Empire Award for Best British Film (winner) </Li> <Li> Empire Award for Best British Actress (Emma Thompson, winner) </Li> <Li> Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Martine McCutcheon, winner) </Li> <Li> Empire Award for Best Newcomer (Andrew Lincoln, nominee) </Li> <Li> Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress (Emma Thompson, winner) </Li> <Li> Evening Standard Peter Sellers Award for Comedy (Bill Nighy, winner) </Li> <Li> European Film Award for Best Actor (Hugh Grant, nominee) </Li> <Li> European Film Award for Best Director (Richard Curtis, nominee) </Li> <Li> London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner) </Li> <Li> London Film Critics Circle Award for Best British Supporting Actress (Emma Thompson, winner) </Li> <Li> Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bill Nighy, winner) </Li> <Li> Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor, Musical or Comedy (Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster, nominees) </Li> <Li> Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress, Musical or Comedy (Emma Thompson, nominee) </Li> </Ul>

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