Let me first say that I dislike the idea of sublime Kate Winslet being even fictionally linked romantically with Jack (Nacho Libre) Black in a movie. And I don't like Jude Law as a person (but he is still very pretty) and I've never really liked Cameron Diaz.
So despite the fact that I actually only like one out of four of the main actors in The Holiday, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It's certainly not the best movie of the year, but it was an enjoyable romantic comedy that seemed to have some fun with itself.
Iris (Kate Winslet) is still in love with her ex, Jasper (Rufus Sewell), and since they remained "friends" (aka he gets to have her adore him and she remains in constant agony when he says he "needs" her, yet gets engaged to someone else), she's unable to get over him. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) owns and operates an extremely successful business that takes crap movies and creates trailers that make them seem like blockbusters. She has also just kicked out her boyfriend who told her she was bad in bed, criticized her for not being able to cry, and cheated on her. When Amanda decides she needs to leave LA and spend the holidays away from herself, she logs on to HomeExchange.com and sees Iris's quaint cottage. The next day, Iris is off to LA and Amanda is off to England.
Naturally, love comes (literally) knocking on each of their vacation home doors. Miles (Jack Black) works with Amanda's ex and was sent to pick up a laptop. Graham (Jude Law) is Iris's dishy and drunken brother who appears, thinking that he'll crash on his sister's couch and, instead, ends up sleeping with Amanda. Iris's love story takes time to develop (Miles is in a relationship, Iris is getting over Jasper, Miles's girlfriend cheats on him and then wants to talk it out, Jasper shows up and tells Iris he needs her, etc.) and while Amanda and Graham fall into bed, the deeper intricacies turn up later (Amanda thinks Graham has a lot of women calling him and he does... it just turns out that they're his incredibly adorable daughters and he's a single dad).
I note the four main characters, but really, there's another character in this movie that got absolutely no play in the previews, whose storyline was a complete surprise to me, and who really added a delightful element to the movie. Eli Wallach plays Arthur Abbott, an elderly man that Iris befriends and who used to write for Hollywood in its golden age. While Iris (and then Miles) come to delight in his stories, she convinces Arthur to accept the WGA's offer to host a Night with Arthur Abbott so they can honor his brilliant work and contributions to Hollywood.
I probably gave nothing away except maybe the single dad thing and Arthur's presence, but it's a romantic comedy. Let's have a show of hands as to who thinks everything won't turn out okay. They don't explain all the details, but not only do you feel warm and fuzzy at Christmas, you're fairly certain the joy will extend throughout the year and everyone will end up happily ever after. Sure, Miles & Amanda live in LA while Graham and Iris live in England, but everyone in this bunch seems to have a job where they could conceiveably relocate anywhere and still manage okay (trailer editor, film score composer, journalist, book editor). It's rather convenient.
So instead of joining the madness of the malls right now, treat someone to this sweet little bit of Christmas fluff that will leave you with a smile. Merry Christmas.
So despite the fact that I actually only like one out of four of the main actors in The Holiday, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. It's certainly not the best movie of the year, but it was an enjoyable romantic comedy that seemed to have some fun with itself.
Iris (Kate Winslet) is still in love with her ex, Jasper (Rufus Sewell), and since they remained "friends" (aka he gets to have her adore him and she remains in constant agony when he says he "needs" her, yet gets engaged to someone else), she's unable to get over him. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) owns and operates an extremely successful business that takes crap movies and creates trailers that make them seem like blockbusters. She has also just kicked out her boyfriend who told her she was bad in bed, criticized her for not being able to cry, and cheated on her. When Amanda decides she needs to leave LA and spend the holidays away from herself, she logs on to HomeExchange.com and sees Iris's quaint cottage. The next day, Iris is off to LA and Amanda is off to England.
Naturally, love comes (literally) knocking on each of their vacation home doors. Miles (Jack Black) works with Amanda's ex and was sent to pick up a laptop. Graham (Jude Law) is Iris's dishy and drunken brother who appears, thinking that he'll crash on his sister's couch and, instead, ends up sleeping with Amanda. Iris's love story takes time to develop (Miles is in a relationship, Iris is getting over Jasper, Miles's girlfriend cheats on him and then wants to talk it out, Jasper shows up and tells Iris he needs her, etc.) and while Amanda and Graham fall into bed, the deeper intricacies turn up later (Amanda thinks Graham has a lot of women calling him and he does... it just turns out that they're his incredibly adorable daughters and he's a single dad).
I note the four main characters, but really, there's another character in this movie that got absolutely no play in the previews, whose storyline was a complete surprise to me, and who really added a delightful element to the movie. Eli Wallach plays Arthur Abbott, an elderly man that Iris befriends and who used to write for Hollywood in its golden age. While Iris (and then Miles) come to delight in his stories, she convinces Arthur to accept the WGA's offer to host a Night with Arthur Abbott so they can honor his brilliant work and contributions to Hollywood.
I probably gave nothing away except maybe the single dad thing and Arthur's presence, but it's a romantic comedy. Let's have a show of hands as to who thinks everything won't turn out okay. They don't explain all the details, but not only do you feel warm and fuzzy at Christmas, you're fairly certain the joy will extend throughout the year and everyone will end up happily ever after. Sure, Miles & Amanda live in LA while Graham and Iris live in England, but everyone in this bunch seems to have a job where they could conceiveably relocate anywhere and still manage okay (trailer editor, film score composer, journalist, book editor). It's rather convenient.
So instead of joining the madness of the malls right now, treat someone to this sweet little bit of Christmas fluff that will leave you with a smile. Merry Christmas.
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