I've already talked about Love, Actually on my lists of favorite fictional love triangles and favorite fictional romantic gestures. It's a movie made up of loosely tied together stories about love of different kinds and a strong contender for my favorite romantic movie.
In this storyline, Daniel (Liam Neeson) is trying to cope with the recent death of his wife and adjust to raising his eleven-year-old stepson, Sam (Thomas Sangster), alone.
Sam is becoming isolated and distant, and after a while, Daniel begins to wonder if there's something wrong beyond grief for his mother and asks if there's anything he can do to help.
Daniel naturally reacts with some amused relief at the news that Sam's problems are normal, healthy growing pains, but when Sam makes it clear how serious he is, Daniel shifts gears right away to trying to help.
Now, this is where a normal fictional parent tells the young character that what he's feeling isn't real, that it doesn't matter, that it'll pass and he'll outgrow it by focusing on more important things.
Not Daniel. After Sam vehemently rejects his requisite first suggestions that he's a little young to be in love, or that there are other girls out there for him, Daniel answers simply,
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