10 Groundbreaking Films That Are Actually Terrible

You’ll probably already be familiar with the scornful feminist deconstruction of Love Actually that’s become prevalent over the last decade. It’s totally on the money.

The runaway success of Love Actually inspired so many other mediocre ensemble comedies - often also set around a Hallmark holiday - that listing them feels like padding the word count. Unfortunately, the women in this film get short shrift. Love Actually is a movie about men, and boys, and men acting like boys, who treat women as property that they deserve to own.

Almost none of the women in Love Actually have personality, agency or (let’s face it) dialogue. They’re there for men to perve over, pine over, angst over and, in the slapstick sense, fall over. You could replace 90% of the female characters with cartoon cardboard cutouts and not only would no one would notice, but you wouldn’t need to change the blocking.

There are two exceptions to that male-focused rule. There’s Emma Thompson’s gabby and fun Karen, positioned as a best friend and wife (not as a person, god no) who is punished for having both opinions and dialogue by being cheated on and humiliated. Meanwhile, Laura Linney’s office sad sack Sarah is inevitably c*ckblocked by her disabled brother for wanting something other than just to look after a man.

Love Actually was Richard Curtis’ directorial debut after establishing himself as the king of the sh*t-Brit-rom-com screenplay. Directors are supposed to reveal something about themselves with their movies… but not like this, Richard. Not like this.