Brooke Ivey Johnson
Published December 2, 2025 7:16pm
Updated December 2, 2025 7:16pm
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Previous Page Next PageTwo decades after it first charmed audiences, Love Actually has come to Netflix in time for Christmas — and fans couldn’t be happier.
Richard Curtis’s 2003 festive ensemble film, which interweaves ten stories of love, loss and awkward social encounters backdropped by a glittering London Christmas, has long been a December staple.
Now, with it coming to streaming just in time for the holidays, viewers are once again declaring it the best-ever Christmas rom-com.
Set in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Love Actually follows ten loosely connected storylines that unfold across London — from the newly elected Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) falling for a Downing Street staffer, to a grieving widower (Liam Neeson) helping his young stepson navigate first love, to a wife (Emma Thompson) quietly confronting the possibility that her marriage is crumbling.
The film darts between grand romantic gestures, awkward office flirtations, and moments of genuine heartbreak, ultimately weaving its characters together in a final airport-set montage that celebrates love in its many imperfect forms.
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Upon its release in 2003, Love Actually became a major commercial success. Produced on a reported budget of around $40–45 million (approximately £25–28 million), it went on to earn more than $246 million (around £150 million) worldwide, securing its status as a global box-office hit.
One of the best Christmas rom-coms in history is on Netflix now (Picture: Universal Studios)
While critics were initially divided, audiences embraced it wholeheartedly, fueling years of annual rewatching, endless quotability, and a cultural afterlife that now spans memes, parodies, and a Red Nose Day mini-sequel.
Rotten Tomatoes user CoalMinersDaughter7 summed up the film’s enduring appeal, writing: ‘I love this movie and it will always be one of my favourites. Funny, sad, romantic and heartwarming. Love Liam and Hugh’s characters. But Emma Thompson’s scene in the bedroom with the Joni Mitchell song is hands-down the most emotional movie scene I’ve ever connected with. What’s not to love about this movie?’
It’s a sentiment echoed by guglielmod, who called it ‘one of the best ever Christmas movies of all time,’ adding: ‘Why others have given this a worse rating than mine is beyond me! Definitely a golden oldie now. I watch it every year!’
The film’s many intertwined story lines have charmed viewers since the film came out more than two decades ago (Picture: Peter Mountain/Universal/Dna/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
On IMDb, EdShullivan described it as a film they will ‘never grow tired of seeing … over and over and over again,’ admitting to having watched it at least seventeen times.
They wrote: ‘Great songs, a superb cast from top to bottom, heartwarming romances, and of course a must-see FEEL GOOD ending,’ he wrote, giving it ‘a perfect 10 for 10 IMDB rating.’
Other holiday films to stream this Christmas
It’s a Wonderful Life – Amazon Prime
Jingle Bell Heist – Netflix
Champagne Problems – Netflix
Violent Night – Apple TV+
Kiera Knightley also offers a memorable performance (Picture: Peter Mountain/Universal/Dna/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Another IMDb reviewer, Jackburden, praised the film’s layered storytelling and timeless charm.
‘I love this film. Despite the clearly fantastic storylines, I like the characters, and the amazing A-list cast does a great job. I caught it first in theatrical release, then I watched it three times back to back on a plane to London… It’s one of those movies you can watch repeatedly when flipping channels for a quick pick-me-up.’
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With its sprawling cast, Love Actually is a snapshot of early-2000s British cinema at its most star-studded.
Metro's film critic Tori Brazier has a different take on Love Actually...
‘The overall issue with Love Actually, though, is its hollowness, like it’s had its soul sucked out, in comparison to some of Curtis’s other efforts.
‘It also sells an overly glossy, surface-level Christmas that doesn’t really reflect the celebrations most of us have in the UK.
‘It feels like unwrapping the most lavishly gift-wrapped (*cough* Rowan Atkinson) present as a child, only to find a pair of socks. Or a Joni Mitchell CD.’
Read more here.
Hugh Grant is at his best in Love Actually (Picture: Universal/Dna/Working Title/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
But its real staying power comes from its warmth and sincerity. It’s not just a romantic comedy; it’s a film that captures the messy, imperfect, and deeply human ways we love each other.
Now streaming on Netflix, Love Actually is poised to enchant a new generation — and, for long-time fans, to rekindle a familiar spark.
After all, as Curtis’s film reminds us every year, ‘Love actually is all around.’
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