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Fi's Five Favorite Fictional (Mostly Insane) Romantic Gestures #3: Love Actually (Looking for Natalie Scene)
(Click the links to read Romantic Gesture #4 and #5)
Love Actually has been called the ultimate romantic movie, and I'd say it's about as close as you can get to that very hefty title.
It's several different stories about love loosely woven together around the countdown to Christmas, and several of them culminate in romantic gestures so crazy-sweet that I had a hard time picking just one.
I've already talked about the message board declaration of love between Mark and Juliet in my countdown of favorite fictional love triangles, and I was about an inch from picking Jamie's broken Portuguese wedding proposal for this spot,
But in the end, David's door to door search won out.
David (Hugh Grant) is the Prime Minister of England, under constant pressure to present the perfect public face at all times.
Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) is a member of his domestic staff and adorkably untalented at self-presentation, and there are sparks between them at first sight.
She's also the target of all the office fat jokes, but to David's credit, he finds this as baffling as any sane person should.
Then the US president visits for policy negotiations, makes a pass at Natalie (who responds with nothing but stunned, uncomfortable confusion), and the two heads of state get into a very public bitching match at their joint press conference.
Lucky for David, this movie was made during the thick of the Iraq war, so English anti-American public sentiment is high enough to let him get away with it, but afterward he tries to avoid complications by having Natalie transferred out of regular contact with him.
We see him quietly regretting his decision for a while until Natalie finally sneaks him a Christmas card basically apologizing for not standing up to the president herself (not something you usually expect to have to apologize for in a love letter, but there you go), and declaring her love.
Yeah, this is a moment that calls for a big gesture.
David wants to answer Natalie right away, to make up for avoiding the issue for so long, but presumably the HR people have all gone home for Christmas Eve dinner, because he doesn't know anything about how to reach her except for a vague description she once gave him of where she lives, including a street name.
He takes off to look for her, and finds what he describes in the moment as the longest street in the world.
Just for the chance to talk to her before the next business day, he walks door to door, on Christmas Eve, with one of the most recognizable faces in the country, with only his chauffer and no bodyguards, asking for her, through a never ending parade of people asking if he's who they think he is, and one instance of children cajoling him into singing carols, like any normal person going door to door on Christmas Eve.
And then he tops it off by having to explain himself to her entire family and then carpool with them to a school Christmas pageant, which is taking place on Christmas Eve for some unexplained reason.
This is definitely one that qualifies as both insane and very sweet. It's not well thought out at all, it's not particularly necessary – Natalie would have been more than thrilled to hear from him on Monday morning – but it's a gesture that perfectly embodies that element of love that says, "Screw absolutely everything but you."
For that, it wins this spot.
Agree? Disagree? Comments are always welcome! Or keep up with my fictional musings by joining me on Facebook, on Twitter, or by signing up for email updates in the panel on the right!
Liam Neely
Very nicely done page and analysis. Rather liked young Sam's romantic endeavor too.
F.J.R. Titchenell link
Thanks. Me too. This movie could almost have filled this list all by itself if I let it.
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