With the festive season fully upon us, Netflix has just added two modern Christmas classics to its library in the UK and Ireland. For those of you who love a Christmassy re-watch, Love Actually was added to the streaming service yesterday, while The Holiday was added today.
Released in 2003, Love Actually boasts a star-studded cast including Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Alan Rickman, Martine McCutcheon and Rowan Atkinson to name a few.
Written and directed by Richard Curtis, the film follows nine interconnected stories in the countdown to Christmas and features a number of memorable moments, most notably a heartbreaking performance by Thompson, who plays Karen.
The logline reads: “Love is all around – and so is heartbreak – as multiple couples navigate romance, family, weddings and airports at Christmastime.”
Debuting in cinemas just three years later, the 2006 film The Holiday also boasts a stacked cast including Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.
Universal
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Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, the film stars Winslet and Diaz as Iris and Amanda, respectively. During the Christmas period, the two women from opposite sides of the Atlantic arrange a home exchange, finding love in the process.
The synopsis reads: “Newly single LA hotshot Amanda and heartbroken London journalist Iris impulsively swap houses for two weeks over Christmas to escape their romantic woes.”
The move to Netflix will surely be a popular one for UK fans of Love Actually, which recently ranked second in a BBFC survey of 2,000 people that aimed to uncover the nation’s festive favourites.
Columbia Pictures
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Home Alone was crowned the UK’s favourite Christmas film, coming top of the list with 20 per cent of the vote. Starring Macaulay Culkin in the lead role as Kevin McCallister, the 1990 film was recently added to Channel 4’s streaming service, meaning UK viewers can catch it for free with ads.
Coming in second place was Love Actually, which garnered nine per cent of the vote, followed by It’s a Wonderful Life and then Elf.
“With Home Alone crowned the UK’s favourite Christmas film, our latest research reveals that heartwarming, family-friendly stories continue to sit at the heart of the nation’s Christmas viewing traditions,” said David Austin, Chief Executive of the BBFC.
Love Actually and The Holiday are now streaming on Netflix.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
