Film Dictionary

June 6, 2003

The Principles Of Lust (2003) ***

This is the kind of film where a British looser can fly to Milwaukee, walk into a bar and find not one, not two, but three friendly American girls who think his British accent is so cute they all want to sleep with him. In other words, it's a realistic film. Written and directed by Richard Curtis, ''Love Actually'' is the ultimate romantic comedy, featuring about a dozen couples at various stages of romance. The main theme is the difficulty of saying ''I love you'' to another person. It might seem impossible to offer so many variation of that same theme in a single movie, but Curtis - who wrote such classics of British romantic comedy as ''Four Weddings and A Funeral'' and ''Bridget Jones's Diary" (and who also wrote ''Notting Hill'') - pulls it off splendidly. There are so many interconnected stories (arranged in a mosaic fashion like ''Short Cuts'', ''Magnolia'' or ''Crash''), it's difficult to pick the best one. One of the most amusing involves a new British Prime Minister (Hugh Grant imitating Tony Blair) who almost declares war on the United States after a boorish American President (Billy Bob Thornton brilliantly combining the worst vices of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) makes a pass at this secretary. There is also a surprising story involving a stand-in in a porno movie (Joanna Page) who falls in love with her partner. Their courtship ritual is all in reverse. They began completely naked in each other's arms (without knowing one another), and finally put on their clothes to go on a date. Another subplot involves a single girl (Laura Linney) whose love life is ruined by her brother, or is it ? Fast-paced, constantly surprising, sexy and very smart, ''Love Actually'' is strongly recommended.

Owning Mahowny (2003) ***

Calendar Girls (2003) ***

A Problem With Fear (2003) ***

Marion Bridge (2003) *

A typical Canadian "FUF Movie" ("Fucked-Up Family Movie"), about three sisters dealing with their mother's death. Frustratingly, the film's big secret - one of the sisters (Molly Parker) was impregnated by her father and had to give up her daughter (Ellen Page) for adoption - is never fully revealed, only hinted at.