When Love Actually arrived in 2003, and became an overnight sensation. Audiences loved the wildly popular cast ensemble, heartwarming love stories, and its classic British aura. A number of arguments have been made for and against Love Actually. Some audiences hated certain storylines (Juliet and Mark), whilst others couldn’t have asked for more (The Prime Minister and Natalie).

It is really difficult to not like Love Actually because it markets itself as ust what it is- a holiday movie. It doesn’t sell itself to be otherwise. Yet, each time you rewatch Love Actually, there’s are moments of, “aww what a people-friendly Prime Minister Britain just elected!” Then there are moments of cringe as well such as blond Keira Knightley not flying, was it necessary to ask Martin Freeman to crank it up a notch during filming erotica, and why is Emma Thompson’s role as a mother shamed continually?

Call it a classic or a cash-grab attempt, here are arguments made on both sides.

BEST: HUGH GRANT’S NARRATION

It is no mystery as to why the filmmakers decided to open with Hugh Grant’s narration. The actor does lend his classic British voice to the movie and gives it a wholesome British appeal.  Grant’s professional trademark is his posh English pronunciation.

Therefore in the very beginning, Grant lays stress on love, immediately explaining the purpose of the movie with his monologue.

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Aiport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed. But I don’t see that. Seems to me that love is everywhere."

WORST: SCREWING OVER EMMA THOMPSON

Emma Thompson and Sir Alan of the Rickman, real-life best friends, played a couple, Harry and Karen in the movie.  Apparently, Harry is bored with his marriage or something. The causes aren’t explained, but he’s thoroughly disinterested and disregarding of every little effort his wife puts into their marriage. Come on Harry, get a grip, Mia is just a tramp, while your woman is gazing at you two in a room full of your co-workers drinking champagne in utter apathy.

Years may go by, but Harry will never be forgiven for doing Karen dirty and for gifting her a Joni Mitchell CD to “continue her emotional education”.

BEST: SAM’S YOUNG LOVE

What young Sam feels for Joanna is nothing but a pure form of love. Sam is besotted with the American exchange student, Joanna. So he does absolutely everything in his might to win the girl of her dreams, from learning drums to running from the airport security just to talk to her before she leaves for America.

The confession scene played out between Sam and his step-father, Daniel is the absolute proof that Love Actually did not do a disservice to love by leaving “young love” unspoken.

WORST:  GIANT CHOIR IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMEONE ELSES WEDDING

During the course of Juliet’s wedding to Peter, the best man Mark announces a surprise. In the middle of the actual wedding, the man disrupts their schedule by having a giant singing choir sing for them! Maroon 5’s Sugar-ish, eh? That’s not a nice gesture, that is actually sociopathic behavior, because of absolute disregard for everyone’s schedule or the consent of the bride and groom. Additionally, to pack men with saxophones in your wedding venue without the hosts having prior knowledge of it seems off-putting.

BEST: PRIME MINISTERS SPEECH- THE COUNTRY OF CHURCHILL

The Prime Minister is fired up because an unpleasant American President is at their doorstep, someone with no regard for official protocol. So he stands up to him because, for one, he has come to Britain to announce an unfavorable pact, and two he’s tried to get sleazy with Natalie. Whilst, the latter part is debatable on many accounts, Hugh’s speech is one of the best-remembered things from the movie.

WORST: KAREN AND DANIEL, UNEXPLAINED

One of the shortcomings with Love Actually is that it left a debatable scope for Emma Thompson’s Karen and Liam Neeson’s Daniel’s relationship. Who are they to one another? Judging by Karen’s advice, the two seem awfully close. At the beginning of the movie, a visibly sad widower, Daniel rings up Karen and she blurts out these lines. “Get a grip. People hate sissies. And no one’s going to shag you if you cry all the time.”

Karen is present at his wife’s funeral, their kids attend the same school. It’s best to put their relationship as a well-aged friendship. A little explanation would have helped.

BEST: INTERRACIAL LOVE STORY JAMIE BENNETT AND AURELIA

One of the most redeeming features of Love Actually is Colin Firth’s character, Jamie. Jamie is English and Aurelia is Portuguese. It’s not every day that an Englishman picks up a crowd of French people, including the girls’ father and sister who direct him to the restaurant where the girl works at.

It’s definitely not every day that an Englishman learns to confess his love in Portuguese and the woman learns to reply in English (just in case).

Jamie and Aurelia proved that love transcends space and language.

WORST: LACK OF SAME-SEX ROMANCE

Richard Curtis’s Love Actually lacks a same-sex romance. Given that Hugh Grant passionately made a plea for love at the beginning of the movie, it makes one wonder why isn’t there an LGBT representation in the movie?

All straight love stories pander to the heteronormative lust, to see only a boy and a girl loved up. There’s however a teeny bit room for the platonic love between singer Billy Mack and his manager, Joe.

It was reported that there was actually a lesbian love story that was cut out of Love Actually, albeit for different reasons. The story was an emotional tale of the headmistress from Karen’s school and her partner, with a terminal illness.

BEST: HAPPY ENDINGS

Every character gets their happy ending by the end of Love Actually, fulfilling the purpose of the movie. Like it or not, Love Actually is a light, festive rom-com that should be watched for comic relief and warmth.

By the end of the movie, young Sam had his tryst with Joanna, Daniel had found his love, The Prime Minister of England had established a new protocol and reminded the world of what a great country Britain is, And oh, he’d kissed Natalie in front of a large crowd, too. Every single story was neatly stitched, with the exception of Emma Thompson’s Karen, of course. But that’s another discussion.

WORST: GLAMORIZES STALKING

Once you have aged well as a viewer, you find it difficult to get past Mark’s stalker actions disguised as love. Love Actually doesn’t just normalize stalking, it rather glamorizes it. No, Andrew Lincoln’s Mark is not a cute guy, deeply in love with his best friend’s wife. The latter part is not a crime, but to have documented your best friends’ the-then fiancè, is only encouraging creepy-male behavior as normal.

No matter, how many cue-cards he comes with, take the glorious Love Actually music out of the scenes, you will know.