Love Actually has endured because it's a terrible movie. The people who watch it each December know (and celebrate!) that fact. It's cheesy, creepy, and why the heck are there so many turtlenecks?
But somehow, through all the borderline stalking, language barriers, and Christmas lobsters, there's something endearing that keeps fans in love with the 2003 film. Daniel's (Liam Neeson) relationship with his stepson, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), is incredibly sweet, even if it's incredibly awkward that Daniel's hitting on a model just weeks after burying his wife. A budding romance between two body doubles for sex scenes is a great rom-com plot. And who doesn't love Hugh Grant's dancing? The movie is bad, but in a good way. (Mostly.)
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And because the nostalgia is still there, after more than a decade, fans in the States and across the pond are eagerly awaiting the film's "sequel" later this year. It's more of a reunion special than an actual sequel — it will be a short, produced for the U.K.'s charity fundraising event Red Nose Day. The special will air this Friday BBC1 in the U.K., in conjunction with Red Nose Day; NBC will air it in the United States on May 25.
NBC just released a digital teaser for the special, and (most of) your favorite stars are back. Also back? The worst part of the original movie: Mark's (Andrew Lincoln) signs.
The trailer features the reunited cast holding up signs about "Red Nose Day Actually." Unfortunately, the teaser centers on a "joke" about which cast member has aged best. The premise is offensive, to say the least, but it also makes no sense, given the wild age differences of the cast. Keira Knightley was just 18 in 2003 and is celebrating her 32nd birthday this month; her costars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are both 56. And age differences aside, surely there's a less superficial way to get fans hyped for the special.
Is Mark still in touch with Juliet? What about Sam and Joanna? And who is Kate Moss playing? We'll have answers to all of our burning Love Actually questions soon enough. Until then, here's Hugh Grant's legendary dance scene.
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