But one of the risks of a writer directing his own script (like Robert Altman) is not knowing where to cut. For example, one storyline that should have been eliminated involves sweet-faced porn-movie stand-ins who fall in love on-the-job; their requisite nudity earns the R-rating which is a shame since this should be a feel-good, family-friendly romp. In the ensemble, Hugh Grant is dashingly debonair while Emma Thompson's poignant heartbreak is Supporting Oscar-caliber as is Liam Neeson's palpable compassion, but Billy Bob Thornton seems miscast as a lecherous, bullying American President. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Love Actually" is a sprawling, sentimental 7, as the warm, wistful, whimsical tales unfold and ultimately converge.