Well researched but actually joyless.

I like Love Actually. It's not my favorite Christmas film ever but I watch it on occasion. I started this book expecting to laugh a little, maybe even agree with some of the points made. I did neither.

To give the author their due, they've presented their argument well as a scene by scene analysis of the film with references and footnotes that shows they've put thought into their writing. However, the tone of the book is too arrogant and condescending.

I feel the criticism sometimes veers too far into white Knight territory - jokes and dialogues are labelled offensive when I certainly found nothing to be offended by.

The style quickly wore thin for me and by the halfway point all I felt was annoyed that the author was making judgements about every little aspect of the film, but not in an amusing, engaging way. The writing oozes with an arrogant tone (as previously mentioned) and I think while this may have worked as a short form essay or as a chapter in a longer work analyzing various Christmas films, at over 200 pages this book ran far too long.

Ironically enough, something the author frequently chastises Love Actually for doing...

The first thing I did after reading this book was watch Love Actually to see if I agreed with the author. Was this what the author had in mind when he wrote the book?
I'm not a fan of Love Actually but I don't think the movie ruined Christmas. For that reason I requested this book: I wanted to know how the author reached his verdict.

If you don't like Love Actually, and you want to analyse everything that's wrong with the movie while having a good laugh, then read this book.

With thanks to Parthian Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book read like a Buzzfeed article, and brought up some great points about the film as a whole. It's a good read for both lovers and sceptics of the film. At times it feels a little preachy. After reading this you'll never watch Love Actually the same again.

However, the formatting of this ARC makes it a little difficult to read. The footnotes are laid out in a way it's hard to access them, and how they ARE presented interrupts the flow of the book.

As someone who annually watches Love, Actually during the holidays, but also loves pessimistic wit and dry humor, and making fun of things that other people love, this was a great read. Raymond goes above and beyond the obvious short comings of the film that make the rounds as memes each year and really dissects the film scene by scene explaining why Love, Actually actually is quite awful. Tongue in cheek, laugh out loud funny, and legitimately thought provoking, "How Love Actually Ruined Christmas" is for the Love, Actually fans and haters alike.

I actually read this last Christmas and forgot to write a review, but I honestly cant really remember what happened and what the authour said and so honestly, that probably says it all right?

"It is useless to attempt to reason a man out of a thing he was never reasoned into." Those wise words by Jonathan Swift (I think) came to mind while reading this fabulous book by Gary Raymond. Taking a tour through the classic "Love Actually" on a scene by scene basis, critiquing the omnipresent misogyny, bigotry and other outright awfulness so evident in the film, I couldn't help but laugh out loud each time Gary pointed these occasions out. "Yes, that scene is really awful when you come to think of it!" "Oh, that was actually a hideous remark to make under those circumstances." But the truth is, it just won't change the warm fuzzy glow I feel when watching this film and I can't explain why. What it did do was leave me thinking whether there are any other films which Gary can tear to shreds in the same honest, intelligent and very amusing fashion. And can this book not be added in some way as an audio commentary duing the film?

I can recommend this book to anyone who feels the same about "Love Actually" as I do and doesn't mind being confronted with a hilariously honest alternative view.

This book wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I love Love Actually and it is probably one of my favourite Christmas films - even though it's not really a full on Christmas film. Give me a Hallmark film and a big mug of hot chocolate any day.

Yeah....I don't care what this guy says, I still adore the film! I found this book a bit funny at times and though I did agree with some of the things he said, the film will always have a special place in my heart.

This is a super fun read. I really enjoyed this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Honestly, I didn't enjoy this book. It didn't need to be a full book, but I still would have rolled my eyes at it as a boring Buzzfeed article. Perhaps it's because I enjoy Love Actually that I am biased, but it just seemed very redundant.

An honestly hilarious discussion of one of the worst movies - nevermind Christmas movies! Of all time! Why *do* so many people love Love, Actually? Gary Raymond and I are in agreement - it's a terrible film that gets trotted out every Christmas and it's so bad there's a comedic horror to it.

Love ~Actually is one of my favourite films so i was very curious to read this - quite amusing to read about the film from another prospective but still a fave of mine

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas by Gary Raymond was, admittedly, always going to be a hard sell to someone who habitually refers to the film as a perennial favourite. Still, I was open to hearing what the author's objections to the film were, and I have to confess that they are, indeed, valid, well-researched and oh, so, so witty. I was helpless with laughter, agreeing with all that this seasoned film critic had to say, and as much as I have always loved the film, I concede that all of his observations are not only shrewd, but very on the nose. I found the commentary on the Karen/Daniel/Sam dynamic to be particularly astute. Will I watch this movie multiple times leading up to Christmas? Yes. Will I be viewing it with a more critical eye to the bigotry, misogyny, and litany of fat jokes? Absolutely.

I would highly recommend this read for anyone in need of some levity in these trying times. It is brilliant, snarky, and hilarious. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Parthian Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a funny light read, one that almost everyone would find some aspect that they enjoy if they, like me, are fans of the much loved Christmas comedy "Love Actually". The author shows us a side of Love Actually, that stand out quite clearly if you peel off the superficial layer of comedy from this movie. The fact that it is generally shown at Christmas time means that we are often in a warm and happy frame of mind, and this movie tends to bring back similar emotions from year to year. But when the themes explored in the movie are dissected in finer details, we see people being shamed, cheated on, exploited and belittled. And this is a movie that we look forward to watching, repeatedly. It was a very interesting take on in. Nevertheless, I will still watch it this coming Christmas time, and I will enjoy it, but I will look at it much more closely that I ever did before.

After reading this I don’t think I’ll ever watch Love Actually in the same way again.
If like me love actually is a movie you enjoy watching then I don’t recommend this book as it really will change your view on it

I enjoyed this amusing read. I've seen Love Actually a number of times, but obviously never watching it as closely as the writer of this book. I loved the little details picked out and agreed with most of the points made. I will never view the movie the same way again.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

I really do like the movie Love Actually but I love reading about other peoples opinions of films and I found most of the authors point to be very funny and valid.

Hilarious and a really enjoyable read.

Gary Raymond writes so very well. I kept reading despite bedtime and boy was I glad. An absolute riot. Highly recommended!

Goodness, I misread this book! Still, I've seen the movie, twice actually. I thought maybe I missed something the first time. I didn't. It was, and still is, in my opinion a bad movie. And it had such a stellar cast; I really never understood how it could be so bad! I did find it quite funny that Gary Raymond actually found enough material to write a book about it. I realize there are people who loved the film, I just haven't met any- yet. I found the book pretty hilarious on the whole. Poor movie. Fun book!
Mr. Raymond: How did you mange to sit through this film multiple times? I thought twice was more than enough....

"What I really found out is that the film is an unrelenting cavalcade of mean-spirited, poorly crafted dross. It is not, by any reasonable definition, a warm-hearted Christmas classic."

First off, I'd like to point of you have to take this book, and subsequently my review of it, with a pinch of salt.

Gary Raymond DOES NOT like Love Actually. He is a film critic and has spent his months during lockdown releasing years worth of hatred for the film, by writing a books' length review of it. Basically, he tears the full film to shreds in the most hilarious but brutally honest way.

"So much makes sense when you realise it; with a prescience of twenty-odd years, Hugh Grant is Boris Johnson."

Raymond goes through every scene with a fine tooth comb and gives his expert opinion on it, refusing to leave any stone unturned, amplifying the lack of realism in the film.

I really really enjoyed this book, it was funny and so truthful and I was genuinely laughing throughout. I still ABSOLUTELY LOVE the film of Love Actually, but when I watch it next, Raymond's analysis will definitely be in my mind. I will never not cry along with Emma Thompson after Severus Snape breaks her heart, or get a lump in my throat when Andrew Lincoln (the bloke from Walking Dead), shows Keira Knightly (the posh lass in Pirates of the Caribbean) the sign saying "to me, you are perfect". It's soppy, and cheesy, and a bit shite, but I love it.

"Daniel is moping over his dead wife, which must be getting right on Karen's tits by now."