In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit at the outset that LOVE ACTUALLY is a seasonal favorite of mine and has been since I first saw it in theaters in 2003.

Nevertheless, I derive a great deal of enjoyment from reading various “takedown” pieces LOVE ACTUALLY has elicited over the years, all of which —including this one — have had the stopping power of a spitball against a Abrams M1A2 tank.

I began reading Gary Raymond’s <i>How LOVE ACTUALLY Ruined Christmas</i> (<i>HLARC</i>) shortly after Christmas 2020. Unfortunately, Raymond is the victim of bad timing, in that I’d read Lindy West’s <i>Shit Actually</i> a few days before I became aware of <i>HLARC</i>.

West’s book is a collection of hilarious essays on various films including LOVE ACTUALLY (which West hates, and her summary review of the film provides the book with its title). Unlike <i>HLARC</i>, which is solely concerned with Richard Curtis’s rom-com, <i>Shit Actually</i> dedicates only a dozen or so pages to that particular movie, and she eviscerates it riotously. (Even though, in the end, she failed to sway my affection for this flawed, imperfect bit of cinematic comfort food.)

Raymond is simply not as funny as West (though he drew the occasional chuckle from me) and, in fairness to him, <i>HLARC</i> should be reviewed on its own terms rather than in comparison with another piece of LOVE ACTUALLY criticism — notwithstanding the fact the fact that in her Foreword to <i>HLARC</i>, Lisa Smithstead sings the praises of West’s critique, noting that she has handed out copies of West’s original <a href="https://jezebel.com/i-rewatched-love-actually-and-am-here-to-ruin-it-for-al-1485136388/amp"> LOVE ACTUALLY review from Jezebel.com</a> (where it first appeared) to her film studies classes. I wager her future students would be better served if she stuck with that practice rather than having them wade through the entirety of Raymond’s book.

Raymond’s premise is that LOVE ACTUALLY is a bad movie that has “ruined” Christmas … to which I say, “bollocks.”

Like the majority of human beings on this planet, most of my 2020 — including Christmas — was <i>actually</i> ruined (see what I did there?) by a pandemic which scuttled my plans to drive cross-country to see my elderly parents, whom I haven’t seen in person since Christmas 2019. The US experience of the pandemic is due primarily to the biblical incompetence of the orange-skinned criminal in the White House and his MAGA-hat-wearing (though they eschew masks, of course), entitled, “freedom-loving” cult who have allowed the COVID-19 virus to spread like fire through a drought-parched forest. THEY <u>ruined</u> Christmas.

LOVE ACTUALLY? It’s been around 17 years and it never had the effect on Christmas that COVID-19 did, so I’m going to say it <b>hasn’t</b> ruined Christmas (and never will).

[Furthermore, I’m writing this review the day after that MAGA cult of seditionists staged an insurrection and occupied the U.S. Capitol at the behest of the aforementioned orange-skinned criminal, all of which has gone a long way toward “ruining” the USA, so to any book that suggests in its content — let alone its title — that a trifling rom-com can “ruin” Christmas, I would suggest the author — or at least the marketing department at his or her publisher — seriously reconsider his / her priorities and recalibrate their “ruination index”.]

Granted, the title is supposed to be cheeky — at least I think it is; maybe Raymond really feels this way — but given the 2020 (and first week of 2021) backdrop, I can’t even.

Raymond spent a great deal of his lockdown writing this book, to which I give him credit: despite my best intentions to write screenplays, a novel, songs, etc. during this pandemic, I haven’t been able to muster much of anything. However, to spend the length of a book dissecting LOVE ACTUALLY scene-by-scene seems to be overkill — this isn’t CITIZEN KANE or THE GODFATHER, I’ll be the first to agree — and the constraint of a web or magazine article’s word-count might have concentrated his argument in a more forceful, compelling way. Dragging it out over 180 pages is akin to Bilbo Baggins “feeling thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

But look — admittedly, I’m not the intended audience for this book, despite my having tried to keep an open mind while reading it. If you hate LOVE ACTUALLY for its shortcomings, cringe-worthy moments, characterizations, yada yada, then you might find much to like here. (Though I’d still recommend <i>Shit Actually</i> over it.) I will say that the book is an easy read: Gary Raymond is a fine writer, and the layout of the book is such that you’ll turn pages rapidly and be done with the book in less time than it’d take to watch the movie.

It’s just that I’m firmly in the camp who’ll maintain that, like Lindy West before him, Gary Raymond has catalogued all the facts about LOVE ACTUALLY correctly but has come to the completely wrong conclusion. I wrote this on Facebook re: <i>Shit Actually</i> before I read <i>HLARC</i>, but it applies to the latter equally well:

<blockquote>Lindy is pretty much spot-on in her criticisms of LOVE ACTUALLY, but she and I come to different conclusions: she *hates* it, and I *love* it — in part because I think writer / director Richard Curtis knows *exactly* how superficially and misogynistically ‘love’ is portrayed in romantic comedies — including some of his own — and this movie is his meta-humor dig at those who aren’t in on the joke.</blockquote>

In conclusion, having read this book (and other LOVE ACTUALLY critiques before it), I come to the conclusion that no critique is up to the challenge of stopping LOVE ACTUALLY — it isn’t merely the “unsinkable” ship, Titanic: LOVE ACTUALLY is the iceberg, and woe unto any hubris-filled critic who believes they can prevail over it.

LOVE ACTUALLY is the one who knocks.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Parthian Books for allowing me to read this e-book.

<b>P.S.</b> — I had an extra-textual realization about LOVE ACTUALLY right before I read <i>HLARC</i>, and if Raymond viewed the film through this lens it might alter his notions of it substantially. Yes, LOVE ACTUALLY is written & directed by Richard Curtis, but he wrote it as a fantasy springing forth from the imagination of Colin Frissell — the obnoxious catering assistant who beds a bevy of hot Wisconsinites instead of staying in London for Christmas. LOVE ACTUALLY is Colin’s fantasy of what would happen if he ditched London for the U.S., and he fleshes out the flimsy details of his own story line — because he’s not really that deep of a thinker — with flights of fancy involving a bunch of people he has crossed paths with in London, however tangentially. I mean, how else does Colin manage a foursome which includes Jack Bauer’s daughter, Betty Draper, and the Russian chick from AMERICAN PIE unless it’s all happening in his head?

I'm a fan of Love Actually. I don't think it's a great film and not even the best Christmas movie, but I do like it.

But as soon as I saw this book and read the blurb, I knew that I would like to read it and I was not disappointed.

I enjoyed the way that the author points out how ridiculous and unrealistic a lot of the plot is.

Having said that, I will still watch the film if I happen upon it whilst flicking through the channels but then, I'm not the kind of person who actually believes that the film is realistic.

This is a very funny book and the author has managed to find the right balance between humour and the scene by scene break down of the issues that he has with the film.

An entertaining and easy to read deconstruction of Love Actually and how it's a deeply problematic film, filled with epic sexism, classism, misogyny, body shaming, general terrible behaviour and tragic stereotypes. So far so good. There's a good book here, but it's buried in an epic mountain of unnecessary snark and annoying smug footnotes. Maybe the internet has finally worn me down and I'm actually tired of other people's superiority complexes....
What annoyed me most of all, was that I agree with most of what Raymond had to say about the film. So it wasn't a matter of the what, it was all about the how. It feels like he heard Michelle Obama say, "When they go low, we go high" and interpreted it as meaning it was so we could look down our noses at them.

I will start off my review by saying I love Love Actually...I have in fact watched it more times than I can count just this year (obviously a certain movie channel has been playing it on repeat).

I found this book really funny and refreshing and I laughed out loud plenty of times throughout.

I am aware that the film is problematic with some themes but have never thought of it as fat phobic....having always been on the bigger side. .thats just how society is. The fact that people DO actually think the gorgeous and thin Martine is plump just underlies that fact and is almost making fun of how ridiculous it is that anyone thought that. All the fat jokes to me in LA underline the opposite, that its ridiculous people think like that, rather than that they actually hate fat people and I was very surprised the author did not explore that idea.

I am glad he hated Andrew Lincoln's character as much as I do and was also disappointed in the Laura Linney storyline ending up like that.

With the Laura Linney storyline I think he was again very harsh on Richard Curtis. I didn't see it as being bad about mental health but in fact showing that sometimes the family of sufferers have to give up so much....I always took it as a sympathetic look at carers and their lives.

The one thing I cannot believe he didn't mention though (which would have got a 5 star review if he had!) Was that Emma Thompson's Karen changed her appearance in the final scene...for her cheating husband. That always makes me rage as it always said to me Harry wouldn't have cheated if Karen had made more of an effort...which is a) often thought and b) absolutely outrageous.

This book is enjoyable whether you love or hate Love Actually and is very witty and although I did not agree with all the authors opinions, I very much appreciated the depth he had gone into and the analysis.

This is a really funny, different book and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I will definitely be reading more by this author...as I loved his tone and humour.

This would be a terrific gift - so stock up for next Christmas as it is bound to cause alot of laughter and discussion with family and friends!

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thorough analysis of Love Actually which highlights ominous storylines, misogyny, lack of structure and so many more aspects.

As a lover of Love Actually I still enjoyed this critical point of view. And I agree with most of the points made.
It’s highly questionable how and why the film is such a classic and I will certainly look around for another Christmas related film to replace Love Actually as festive must-see.

Ok it's quite clever and it's interesting to read another persons in depth review of the film, but I found it joyless, nit-picking and quite annoying!

It didn't stop me from enjoying my annual watch of the film a couple of days later, and I must admit that I did point a few of the writer's observations out to my daughter while we were watching.

I loved Love Actually when it came out, but as time has gone on, I'm more fond of some of the characters than I am about the whole thing, and there are definitely elements that have not aged well to say the least. Now I didn't come out of this a full-on convert to the Church of Hating Love Actually, but this made me think - as well as making me laugh - and I suspect that next time I come across the film on TV, I'll probably change channel rather than hang around!

I love this film, but was invited to read the book by NetGalley, and thought I would try it.

Very disappointed, the book tried too hard to be funny and fell flat on its face for me. Rubbish book!

"Love Actually" is a movie I could (and did) watch again several times. Maybe not every year, but surely every third year I would say. And until now I found nothing wrong with that, or the movie itself.

Reading this book made me see some things in a different light. To be honest, I have never noticed the casual misogyny before. And while I don't agree on all the examples the author brings for that here, I do see his point.

Some things I just haven't questioned as much as the author does, for example how unappropriate it is when your boss tells you to finally make a move on the hot co-worker. But on the other hand - this is the only scene that makes me see Alan Rickman's character as a 'nice guy'. In all his other scenes he is looking a bit like Grumpy from "Snow White", and Gary Raymond is completely right when he writes that "he's looked narrow-eyed the entire film". I have never realised that before, but it's so true!

Gary Raymonds dismantles the whole film, scene by scene. And in almost every one of them he finds something at fault. It's just like when you know that you don't (want to) like something and then you are looking for every tiny tittle that supports your theory. Sometimes he has a point, but often it's just overdone in my opinion. For example complaining that all the people in the movie are WASPs, which firstly is not true and secondly it's like complaining that in "The Full Monty" are no wealthy characters or in "Trainspotting" no clean ones.

Although I didn't agree on everything he critizes, I still liked reading Raymonds thoughts on the movie, because he writes in a very entertaining and often sarcastic way. And I do question some of the things now. I also have to agree that the movie is not really about Christmas that much! It's just set in the weeks leading up to that and features only a few Christmassy things: a Christmas song, Christmas shopping, a Christmas Office Party and the Christmas concert + nativity play at school. Not so much after all...

Nevertheless, I'm sure I will watch this movie again (and again, and probably again after that).

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.

As both a feminist and a queer person, 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 although I'm supposedly the target of the joke.

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.preciously mentioned) and I think while this may have worked as a short form essay or as a chapter in a longer work analysing various Christmas film's, at over 200 pages this book ran far too long.

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

An interesting look at the movie. It was nice how it was broken down and easy to follow. I can see how it was done, but I think it was not as fun as I thought it would be. Not so much an entertaining read, but more of a break down on social norms. I guess I was defensive a bit because I love the movie and it’s just suppose to be a fun movie, and we understand that a lot of movies and entertainment don’t always think of social justice. This was also back in the early 2000s, and the changes in society since shows the age of the movie.
This is definitely not a book for everyone, but it was an interesting one and the right audience will enjoy it.

Thanks to Parthian Books and Gary Raymond for the review copy of the book.

Ok, this was always going to be a gamble. I LOVE Love Actually, Like really love it - I am one of those people who watches that and The Holiday every single Christmas without fail - so a book that was essentially ripping it to shreds was always going to be a bit of a risk.

Despite loving the film, I am able to see its flaws - the blatent sexism and fatism towards Martine's character, the innate anger I STILL feel towards Harry for being so easily influenced, and just how highly inappropriate it was that Harry made a pass (albeit a silent one) at his best friends new wife.

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas is Gary Raymonds scene by scene critique of the film which highlights its flaws and certainly gives food for thought, but does so in a humorous and sarcastic manner. Whilst some of the time I could see his points (and did laugh out a few times), I have to be honest in that I did not finish this book as it simply wasn't for me. I found the use of footnotes a bit to over zealous for my liking (which made it very tricky to read on the kindle) and essentially when it comes to the crunch, I still love Love Actually warts and all - isnt that what true love is really about?? :)

A funny reflection on the film but not my usual style of book so not for me personally.

I count Love Actually as one of my favourite movies ever, a perennial run-through to Christmas every year. I was a bit worried about someone who would go in to bash it all up...but I shouldn't have been. Oh, it does bash, plentifully so, but omg, the laughs and the wit and the irony and the glib writing! I couldn't help but nod along with the author because there's so many dynamics he nails on the head for what they actually are (Daniel and Sam! Karen! Harry's expressions) and I never really worked out the whole kerfuffle with the timeline and how it's all set up - eye-opening, that one.
But this was such a hearty laugh, so silly and yet on point, rude at times (which shaved a star in its rating for me), and absolutely the kind of light stuff you just want to ease into around the holiday period especially on such a difficult year

A well-crafted critique of a film I would admit to being one of my guilty pleasures. Many of the comments are spot-on, and there are some laugh out loud moments.

A very easy read, and perfect for this time of year.

With thanks to Parthian Books and NetGalley for sending me an ARC.

How Love Actually Ruined Christmas felt like it was written for me and echoes sentiments I wholeheartedly feel.

Love Actually isn’t a Christmas film. It is totally against everything Christmas should stand for. The author, like me, grew up in the 80s and tells the reader what Christmas means to him.

“Of course not, it’s not what it was. I grew up in the eighties, a decade that had enough problems of its own, but one that seemed to do Christmas the way I liked it. Toys were precious, and you know mum and dad had to work hard and save hard to buy them, but they weren’t unattainable, they weren’t driving anybody into debt, and they weren’t encouraging brawls in the supermarket. Christmas was special because it didn’t start in October but waited respectfully until the school broke up before the sound of carols or Phil Spector echoed in shops or the sparkle of street decorations lined the main drag through town…Christmas is about putting a soft focus on the past and creating a fireplace in front of which we can curl up and reminisce. Your memories of childhood Christmas don’t need to be historically accurate. They just serve to inform the tapestry of the good things growing up.”

Love Actually is cruel, misogynistic and poorly plotted. It is mean spirited and totally against what Christmas should stand for.

“Love Actually has nothing to do with Christmas. It just attaches itself to Christmas like a parasite and feeds off its sentimentality whilst pumping the host full of schmaltz.”

This book made me laugh out loud more than once but one of my favourite lines came when discussing the worse line of the movie.

“I think that anyone who finds warmth in the line ‘Lets go and have the shit kicked out of us by love’ probably deserve to have the shit kicked out of them by hobnail boots.”

As the author argues,

“It has a cold heart, it doesn’t understand anything about Christmas, and it falls well short of being a classic kind of anything.”

The appeal of Love Actually is lost on me but the appeal of this book certainly isn’t.

I was the perfect candidate for this book. I held the title for being the only one of my friends and acquaintances who had never watched Love Actually. I asked my 21 year old daughter if she’d ever watched it and the reply came swiftly “Yeah. It was sh*t” I do love how pithy the youth of today are!
So I set myself the challenge of watching the movie and then reading this book. I’m not sure I would call the film sh*t with the same vehemence that my daughter and the author have but it certainly isn’t the amazing classic that people think it is and viewed through the lens of 2020 it’s is hands over eyes, peer through fingers cringy in the main.
So, Mr Raymond’s book; I don’t agree with him on every point, some I think he’s got a valid opinion that I just don’t share and sometimes I think he’s reaching so far he may unbalance and topple over but regardless this man can write!! Every point made is with wit and the book flows so quickly I read it in probably a similar time to how long I sat through the film. I spent a good deal of time disturbing my daughter from her endeavours by reading bits out and chuckling to myself. I think ALL books about films from henceforth should be written scene by scene as Raymond has done here. It meant I managed to keep the narrative thread (such as it was!) of the film in my head and didn’t get to a chapter and think “which bit is he on about now?” this vehicle also heightened just how silly the timeline of the film was which increased my enjoyment of Raymond’s snarky commentary.
I think everyone should probably read this book. If you love the film and think it a romantic tour de force then you need to read it. Like, really, need need. If like my daughter you hate the film then you will love chuckling away and agreeing with the author and if you are like me and had no preconceived ideas about the film it is an enjoyable read that will help you decide actually how you feel about it and which parts.

HOW LOVE ACTUALLY RUINED CHRISTMAS (or Colourful Narcotics) by Gary Raymond is an in depth critique of the movie Love Actually. I really liked how this book goes scene by scene in order to give a detailed description of the movie along with Raymond’s thoughts and notes. I definitely agree with him in how this movie unnecessarily used fat jokes and misogyny to portray humour. I’ve seen the movie before and enjoyed some parts of it but it’s not one I would rewatch. After reading this book I’m in the mood to watch a *good* Christmas movie!

Since being released in 2003, 'Love Actually' has been branded a Christmas film classic. It is a mess of storylines and borderline nonsensical but I had yet to find a person who could not name at least one thing to like about it... Until along came Gary Raymond with his brutal takedown in 'How Love Actually Ruined Christmas'.

Going in, I thought he would be a lover of the film, using this book to critique the problematic elements. Woah was I wrong! Raymond detests this film, the book acting as a scene by scene takedown of the movie, highlighting every tiny problematic moment as he goes. Some of his points are absolutely fair enough and explain some discomfort I feel when watching the film (What is with the cruelty and fatphobia towards Martine McCutcheon's character?). However, I thought others were a bit of a stretch (Let's just say, an analysis of Hugh Grant addressing Margaret Thatcher's photograph got connected to a cruel reference to her being allergic to sauce - is Richard Curtis really such a clever wordsmith to make this jump?).

Overall, I did enjoy Raymond's sarcastic takedown and it gave me food for thought about what is now a thoroughly outdated film. I just wish the footnotes had not been so erratic - he does not pull this technique off as well as Adam Kay! A quick but forgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book to read as an antidote to all the other 'romance' Christmas novels. Plus, I quite enjoyed 'Love Actually', so was intrigued to read another's perspective.
Well! Another's perspective is definitely what I got! Just rather too much and too longwinded.
What this is, is a detailed (oh, so detailed) description, scene but scene all about what is wrong with a film that is beloved by many. Most of the one's who enjoyed it, probably voted Brexit, but, I'm not bitter!

The book is well written, very well researched and entertaining in parts. I just found he 'doth protest too much' at something that isn't worth the time, quite frankly.
Having said that, it did maintain my interest, although all the side references that required half a page of notes, did try my patience somewhat.

All in all, if you are interested in a decent and thorough critique of a film many love, this is for you!

Overall, for me, a 3* Good Read.

As someone who loves "Love Actually" but has friends who hate it, I was really intrigued by this book.

It's a fun, short read, written with wit and humour. While it did get me thinking about the film, it wasn't enough to change my mind about loving it - I don't agree with all of the author's interpretations, but then the world would be a boring place if we all shared the same opinion.

Worth reading if you hate "Love Actually" and are looking for validation and worth reading if you love it but want to understand why it's such a Marmite film. Overall, it was a great way to kill time in an A&E waiting room!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.