It’s Sunday night again already, and we were graced with a few inches of snow over the weekend.

After a day well spent baking at a friend of mine’s home (more on that another day), I was ready to curl up by the fire (although we didn’t turn it on) with man-go-round to watch the modern holiday classic, Love Actually.

If you haven’t seen this movie already, go rent it/ download it/ buy it.

If you have seen it (which I’m guessing you have, its quite popular…) here is a Meri style list to break down the best and worst characters in this ensemble dramedy.

Source, actually

I Love, Actually:

• Colin Firth’s unlucky in love writer. Because its Colin Firth, and we all love him, even if we don’t believe that anyone would ever cheat on him.
• Billy Mack. If you say you don’t love this has been oldster trying to sing the worst cover song earworm of all time, you’re lying. I just don’t believe you. Also, his manager. Probably the best storyline in the movie.
• Colin Frissel. One of three characters whose name I actually know, this is the guy who believes the problem for him is BRITISH women, so he goes to Wisconsin to find love. And boy, does he… I mostly just like to laugh at his teeth, though.
• Monica Lewinsky Natalie, Hugh Grant’s secretary or something. I think we all love her, she looks like one of the Whos from the Grinch book. She is the other character whose name I know. Oh, and she swears a lot, which I like.
• Hugh Grant’s (Blair-esque) prime minister. An obvious choice, but he’s pretty likeable here.
• Liam Neeson’s widower stepdad character. Not because he’s handsome, but because he keeps it real and swears around his kid.
• Liam Neeson’s stepson, in the exact moment of the movie (see below), because he’s pretty ridiculously adorable, at least for five more minutes…
• The stand-in actors who date. They are kind of cute.
• Bill Clinton Billy Bob Thornton’s “fictional” cocky southern American President. Because for some reason I just like Billy Bob Thornton, and he plays a creep pretty well.

I Hate, Actually:

• Severus Snape Alan Rickman’s creepy wandering eye boss.
• Alan Rickman’s creepy character’s whiny wife who loves Joni Mitchell. Wah wah wah.
• Laura Linney’s ridiculous character who doesn’t believe she can date because her brother is institutionalized. Um, find a better excuse to not go out with the model guy.
• The dumb as rocks model guy Laura Linney obsesses over but won’t actually… make time for. Because you only get ONE POSSIBLE SHOT with someone you see every day. Right. Anyway, this guy is hot but dumb and boring.
• The Portuguese housekeeper.
• The entire Kiera Knightly/ husband/ creepy stalker best friend triangle. And no, the whole Bob Dylan words on cards montage is not endearing, its cheesetastic.
• The creepy vampire woman who hits on Alan Rickman and walks around all dressed up alone in her apartment.
• The kid who loves the American girl, two years from now. I don’t think he’s probably very cute anymore…

Have you seen Love, Actually? Who are your favorite (or most hated) characters/ story lines? Have you curled up with a holiday movie or book yet?

Meri