Love often goes haywire in this starry, cheerful romantic comedy. Hugh Grant is the British prime minister who falls for his assistant. Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, and Colin Firth are stewing in various states of romantic distress. They sort out their lives and bring you back to the film's glorious beginning: Dozens of ordinary people fly into each other's arms at an airport arrivals gate. You feel wrapped in a warm embrace, too, as Grant's voice reminds us, "Love actually is all around," as essential and free as air.

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