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Those creepy over-sized place cards came back. Kate Moss channelled her inner Pat Butcher. Bill Nighy was his glorious self and well, Hugh Grant stole the show. Yes, he did dance to Hotline?Bling by Drake and it was epic.
Okay, he couldn’t quite throw down the moves like he used to, but he also roasted Pierce Morgan and said the right words. The words that needed to be said as ordinary people do extraordinary things to help others in a time of great adversity.
Grant, reprised his role as the Prime Minister (now married to Martine McCutcheon’s?Natalie) and made a rousing, poignant speech that seemed so timely, it could have been written’this week.
And while there are good reasons Love Actually didn’t sit well with all viewers 13 years ago – all the men end up with “prizes” in the form of women by the end (spotted on a Reddit thread), and, as is the norm in a Richard Curtis film, it’s almost entirely about middle-class white people in North London – but it gets many things right. The women shine (Emma Thompson, people?), it’s genuinely funny and the dialogue?is snappy and heartfelt.
And the same happened this time around. Grant’s speech about how “good is going to win” was the perfect message.
“…On a deeper level, I’m optimistic wherever you see tragedy, you see bravery too. Wherever you see ordinary people in need, you see extraordinary people come to their aid. Today is Red Nose Day and people who are giving their hard earned cash to people they’ll never meet, who’s pain and fear they’ll never feel and want to fight. So it’s not romantic love that is all around, most people still every day, everywhere have enough love in their hearts to help human beings in trouble. Good is going to win. I’m actually sure of it.”
As for the others, Keira Knightley (Juliet) is still married to Chiwetel Ejiofor (Peter) and they have clearly had access to the fountain of youth, Andrew Lincoln (Mark) isn’t hopelessly in love anymore, because he’s married to Kate Moss who looks decidedly un-Kate Moss like. See below:
Liam Neeson’s lovestruck son Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) is marrying his childhood sweetheart Joanna (Olivia Olson) but – and this is a real heart wrencher -Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is on Radio Watford and is asked about his manager, Joe (Gregor Fisher), whom he was rude to in the original film. He then reveals that Joe died from a heart attack. CAN’T COPE.
However, the sketch managed to raise €71 million for Comic Relief, which at least, very happy news.
The full 12-minute clip likely won’t appear online until it airs in the US in May but social media has many more clips for those that missed it last night.