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title: Love Actually Honest Trailer
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19519493a3503656/69876b9335ba6fbf4cc05a01/screen-shot-2014-12-01-at-10-11-38-am.png?branch=production&width=790&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# This Honest Trailer for _Love Actually_ Points Out How Creepy the Film's Plot Actually Is

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ouaixY4l.m3u8" -->
## Video: Moms In Movies: The Best and The Worst

[Watch (HLS stream): Moms In Movies: The Best and The Worst](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ouaixY4l.m3u8) (3:55)

![Moms In Movies: The Best and The Worst](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ouaixY4l/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-05-08. Moms In Movies: The Best and The Worst_


by 

[Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/)


## Samantha Grossman


Dec 1, 2014 3:52 PM UTC

![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19519493a3503656/69876b9335ba6fbf4cc05a01/screen-shot-2014-12-01-at-10-11-38-am.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

by 

[Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/)


## Samantha Grossman


Dec 1, 2014 3:52 PM UTC

It’s officially December, which means the only thing any of us should be doing is curling up with [a lovely cheese pizza ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RISQc8mptK4)to watch _Home Alone._

_Some_ people, however, see the holiday season as a time to watch _Love Actually_, the 2003 Christmas rom-com that is beloved by some, and [severely](http://www.salon.com/2012/12/19/love%5Factually%5Fthe%5Fworst%5Fchristmas%5Fmovie%5Fever/) [loathed](http://jezebel.com/i-rewatched-love-actually-and-am-here-to-ruin-it-for-al-1485136388) by [many](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/-em-love-actually-em-is-the-least-romantic-film-of-all-time/282091/). To offer a critique of the film, the folks over at [Screen Junkies](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpcACMWblDls9Z6GERVi1A) re-worked the trailer to create a more honest portrayal. A _brutally_ honest portrayal.

“From the man responsible for every movie your girlfriend tried to drag you to,” the voice-over begins, “comes the film responsible for every bad movie about a dozen famous people falling in love on a popular holiday.”

The mock trailer then goes on to point out how creepy the film’s many divergent plot lines are, how the whole movie is just riddled with tired cliches and how it stars “all these people you liked better in other things.”

Happy holidays!

### See Love Actually Stars Then and Now

![Keira Knightley R: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc960616fdb1c0238/6987707cf887dcee64e89352/love-actually-12.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Keira Knightley was just 18 when the 2003 film was released. Now she's expecting her first child with husband James Righton and is up for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Imitation Game, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch. Universal; Getty Images

![Chiwetel Ejiofor R: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd52befaee24b531c/6987707c524fc076f9deb967/love-actually-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

British actor Chiwetel Eljiofor played a more peripheral character, Peter, who gets married to Knightley in the film's wedding scene. But he earned much more attention, and an Oscar nomination, for playing Solomon Northup in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave. Universal; Getty Images

![Andrew Lincoln R: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6d707dcf7d344ce8/6987707c524fc01537deb96b/love-actually-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Famous for the "To me, you are perfect" notecard scene in Love Actually, Andrew Lincoln swapped his British accent for a southern drawl as Sheriff Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead. Universal; Getty Images


![Thomas Brodie-Sangster R: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt668fc264a602fb18/6987707ce53aba80194d6b5b/love-actually-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Thomas Brodie-Sangster as little lovelorn Sam stole the hearts of many as he mourned the loss of his mother while simultaneously trying to court a classmate. He can still be seen on screens big and small in HBO's Game of Thrones and The Maze Runner. Universal; Getty Images

![Colin FirthR: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt097467c5741f8dee/6987707d524fc0178bdeb970/love-actually-5.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Colin Firth, who played Uncle Jamie, was already a heartthrob when Love Actually came out, having played Mr. Darcy in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice and then a Mr. Darcy variety in Bridget Jones' Diary. But after 2003, he has also continued to reap critical praise, picking a variety of films, from the Oscar-winning The King's Speech to Woody Allen's recent Magic in the Moonlight. Universal; Getty Images

![Emma ThompsonR: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3897b9a15e44e79c/6987707d3c16399eb8450d1a/love-actually-6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Widely respected thespian Emma Thompson has gone to great lengths for her film and television roles, which have earned her two Oscars and an Emmy--but for Love Actually she actually had to wear a fat suit to play her character. More recently, she played P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins in Disney's Saving Mr. Banks. She also made headlines after announcing Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes barefoot with a martini in hand. Universal; Getty Images


![Alan RickmanR: 2014](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta2a2ba75821d4084/6987707da988ca51ea6ab90b/love-actually-7.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Alan Rickman, who played Harry in Love Actually, was no stranger to holiday favorites… Who could forget him as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (a Christmas classic)? He went on to greater fame as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. He recently directed and starred in A Little Chaos, about designing a fountain at Versailles, that will hit theaters in the UK in April of 2015. Universal; Getty Images

![Olivia Olson R: 2011](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9262f068fb7656f4/6987707e06f2c1f1f03330e9/love-actually-8.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp)

Olivia Olson, the darling who sings Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas in the famous final scene of the film. In 2013, she released her debut EP called Beauty is Chaos. Universal; Getty Images


_Read next:_ [_The New Star Wars Trailer Gets a Spaceballs Makeover_](http://time.com/3613965/star-wars-force-awakens-trailer-spaceballs/?xid=time%5Freadnext)

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