By Adia Miller

The 2003 English romcom Love Actually celebrated its 20th anniversary on November 6 and with the chill of December having finally arrived, it’s about time for a rewatch.

Depicting nine relationships in various stages, it was both written and directed by Richard Curtis and hosts a cast of some of Britain’s best actors.

The most notable romantic relationships include newlyweds Juliet (Keira Knightly) and Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) as well as the friend (Andrew Lincoln) who’s secretly in love with Juliet, a writer (Colin Firth) and his housekeeper (Lucia Moniz) who don’t speak the same language, an older couple’s (Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson) marriage which dissolves after the husband’s emotional cheating, and the recently elected prime minister (Hugh Grant) and one of his junior members (Martine McCutcheon).

Two other non-romantic relationships in the film are the friendship between former rocker looking to make a comeback Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) and his manager (Gregor Fisher), and stepfather/stepson Daniel (Liam Neeson) and Sam (Thomas Sangston) who grow closer post the tragic death of Sam’s mother.

For Amanda Reid, Love Actually is her Christmas Eve rewatch and has been since the film came out 20 years ago.

“It’s just a part of the holiday season at this point,” Reid said. “The best relationship for me was always the dynamic between the stepson and his stepfather. It was just the sweetest thing. With Rom coms, you always have to suspend your disbelief a bit for them, and that includes those in this film. But the sibling relationships, the friendships, the father-son relationship, those are all real and the ones you see in the film feel authentic.”

Despite its R rating, the film upon release was a success, grossing $200 million more than its production cost and its popularity has only grown through the years, especially through the US. However, that doesn’t mean that through the years it hasn’t become somewhat dated.

With one of the stories centering around a serial womanizer, insensitive weight jokes aimed at one of the female characters, and a showcase of workplace harassment, the film is far from perfect. Even its less-prominent aspects make it seem aged.

“The running through the airport is definitely one of those moments that just makes it feel older,” junior Tara Baggott, who had her first watch of the film last holiday season, said. ” And you see it in other films, too, just going past security without any real repercussions. It’s not a bad thing. The film was made before 9/11. But it’s definitely something you see as a time that’s passed.”

None of these dated moments have erased the fact that it’s a modern Christmas classic; however, with it’s snowy setting, holiday party scenes, and endless showcase of love at the holidays all amounting in a Christmas play.

“At its core, it really is a sweet film,” Reid said. “When I hear the title, the first thing I think of is Billy Mack’s song, and the voiceover in the beginning of the movie. Because it all starts with Hugh Grant doing a voiceover about how when he gets upset, he thinks about people reuniting with their loved ones at the airport, which is where the film starts and ends, and how that is a prime example of love being all around us.”

Ohio’s Marcus Theaters will be showing the film on December 14, and if Love Actually isn’t your thing, lots of other theaters are showcasing other Christmas classics such as A Christmas Story, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, or Elf, which is celebrating its 20th.