Love Actually Plotlines Ranked By Sadness

Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Sam and Joanna

They’re just li’l kiddos, and we don’t even get to see Joanna until the grand finale, but still we know by the way Sam talks about her that we’re going to be weeping about their tiny little love sooner rather than later. After having gone through a traumatic life experience (more on that later), Sam finds himself in the throes of excruciating, agonizing love with the new American girl at school. It tears him apart, that li’l perfect drama queen, to feel what he feels for her, and so he vows- with the help of his step-father (also more on that later)- to do whatever it takes to win her affections. He takes up drumming, hoping to impress her during her big number that will close out the school’s Christmas pageant.

And one, two, skip a few, it turns out, his efforts pay off. Kinda. At the end of her solo- Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”- she turns to him and points at HIM on the final “you”…..only to then point at countless other people in the audience on subsequent “you’s.” He’s heartbroken, convinced that she never really noticed him at all, and now there’s no hope, as she’s about to head back to America. That is until Daniel, utter king, reminds him that it’s not over til it’s over. The two rush to the airport where Sam outsmarts and is chased through all levels of security until he gets to Joanna at the gate….where she plants a kiss on his tiny adorable lovesick face. It’s an epic finale for an epic love that’s made all the more lovely by the sheer innocence of those involved. Ahhhh, to be young and chased through an airport again.