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The Holiday
Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Cameron Diaz
Genre:
Romance/Comedy
Run Time: 138
min.
Release Date:
December 2006
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
Romantic comedies abound in
cinema. Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, French Kiss,
Bridget
Jones’ Diary, and The Whole Nine Yards are just a few of the more recent
ones in this genre. THE HOLIDAY certainly falls headlong into this
category, but does so with the addition of it taking place around the
Christmas season. Writer/director/producer Nancy Meyers is very familiar
in the RomCom arena. Her repertoire contains such gems as Private
Benjamin and Father of the Bride (we’ll forgivingly overlook the
Father
of the Bride II debacle for the moment).
What The Holiday has going for it is some good dialogue and even better
acting. Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black round out
the prime roles. The story starts with Amanda (Cameron Diaz, In Her
Shoes) as she ejects her live-in boyfriend from her home. She’s an
intense young woman who’s the CEO of her own upstart company that makes
movie trailers. Her lifestyle is getting the better of her and she
decides she needs a holiday.
Iris (Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland) is in love with one of her close
working colleagues and decides she needs a mental health getaway from
the constrained English countryside. But what to do. Ah! House swap!
Iris and Amanda fly across the Atlantic and take over each other’s
residences. Iris lands in L.A. to find a beautifully manicured house
with every possible accouterment, while Amanda drags herself up the
snow-laden driveway to a cramped but quaint English cottage. Initially
Amanda hates what she finds. The quiet life doesn’t suit her. But then
she runs into Iris’ brother Graham (Jude Law, Closer) and a one-night
stand turns into something Amanda never thought possible. Iris, in L.A.,
struggles with falling out of love with her ex-beau who is soon to be
married but won’t stop bothering her (he calls, sends emails, etc.). But
Iris develops a unique friendship with Miles (Jack Black), a sound mixer
for films, and she sees in him the same failings her own relationships
have.
Although very predictable, the powerhouse actors and actresses with the
superb dialogue made this flick enjoyable. The handsome Jude Law will
make young viewers swoon and the sexy Cameron Diaz will appeal to men
who still have an inkling of testosterone flowing through their veins.
Jack Black has toned down his hyperactivity and settled into a fine role
(although some may miss his outlandish behaviors of ol’). His “breast
graze” lines are funny and poignant, making us love him for his calmly
delivered antics this time.
Kate Winslet sheds her Titanic persona and goes back to what she knows:
being a regular English actress. Her simple demeanor was quite well
pulled off for someone who tends to have a more haughty acting history,
showing that she can ugly down a bit and act in ways we may have
forgotten.
All-in-all this is a pretty predictable romantic comedy but the script
is so strong and the acting so well done that it deserves plenty of
accolades.
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Image from The Holiday
DVD cost: $32.99
Purchase:
BestPrices.com
Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The interior sets for
Amanda's house were built on a sound stage and cost approximately $1
million, without exterior walls, a roof, plumbing, heating and
electricity.
Movie Quote: "I
hate my horrible life."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Holiday
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