Revisiting 'Love Actually' and what makes a good Christmas movie : It's Been a Minute It's been almost two decades since the star-studded romantic comedy premiered, but Love Actually is still a holiday staple that plays in both movie theaters and living rooms across the country. Since the film is here to stay, we feel it's about time to see how it holds up. Host Brittany Luse chats with NPR Weekend Edition's Ayesha Rascoe, who saw the film for the first time this year. They also break down what defines the Christmas movie genre – and its surprising overlap with horror.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.

'Love Actually' in 2022 – and the anatomy of a Christmas movie

'Love Actually' in 2022 – and the anatomy of a Christmas movie

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Caia Image/Getty Images; franckreporter/Getty Images; Maximum Film/Alamy Stock Photo; Jan Hakan Dahlstrom/Getty Images
A scene from &quot;Love Actually&quot; and images of people watching movies during this holiday season.
Caia Image/Getty Images; franckreporter/Getty Images; Maximum Film/Alamy Stock Photo; Jan Hakan Dahlstrom/Getty Images

It's been almost two decades since the star-studded romantic comedy premiered, but Love Actually is still a holiday staple that plays in both movie theaters and living rooms across the country. Since the film is here to stay, we feel it's about time to see how it holds up. Host Brittany Luse chats with NPR Weekend Edition's Ayesha Rascoe, who saw the film for the first time this year. They also break down what defines the Christmas movie genre – and its surprising overlap with horror.

You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at ibam@npr.org.

This episode of 'It's Been a Minute' was produced by Jessica Mendoza and Corey Antonio Rose. It was edited by Jessica Placzek. Our executive producer is Veralyn Williams, our VP of Programming is Yolanda Sangweni and our Senior VP of Programming is Anya Grundmann.