Holiday Home Exchange Movie
Swiss Chocolate of Romantic Comedies
Do you like chocolate? Do you know that moment, even before you put it in your mouth? You can imagine that taste. You can feel that rich sweetness on your tongue, the smoothness going around your mouth . . .
The Holiday is a romantic comedy. You know what that means. And if you don't like romantic comedies, don't go and see it. If you do, you will know what to expect. The mushy feelings creeping up on you. All those 'If Only . . .' emotions telling you there is a lovely place somewhere in which people fall in love and everything works out kinda perfect. If only for a while . . . say, for the holiday period over Christmas and New Year . . . or for the 138 minutes which this film lasts.
Two Women on the Verge of Emotional Breakdown do holiday house swap. They escape lovelorn predicaments and find 'unexpected' love on their opposite sides of the Atlantic. Cue picturesque English country house just the way Americans imagine it (with sheep out the back). Cue enormous L.A. mansion with swimming pool (just the way Brits imagine it).
Cameron Diaz is Amanda, owner of a movie-trailers editing firm. Since she's played the same comedy character several times, there are few surprises; but an excellent script, written directly for her and the other three leading stars, projects it rather better than average. Kate Winslet as Iris, a successful writer on The Telegraph, is more nuanced: an actor with considerable range, we cannot but help admire the way she does 'pathetic girl' rather beautifully in a role that she could manage with one hand counting the ways to have fun and get paid simultaneously.
Formulaic it is (wonderful women with scoundrelly fellas eventually get The Real Men They Deserve - meeting puppy dogs, children, and falling snowflakes on the way of course). But, well-done within a narrow genre, it still stands out. No-brainers like this tend to have dumb scripts and dumber acting, but The Holiday contains warm, natural dialogue and heartfelt chemistry. If this was the 40's, you'd want Jude Law and Cameron Diaz to get married off-screen afterwards. Charismatic and entertaining, unless you find Diaz, Law or Winslet personally irritating (some people do), they are a joy to watch, filling their parts with love and light. Excellent production values keep the rather trite story flowing. Everything is picture-perfect, long lenses flattering the features of the already handsome stars, filters and soft-focuses carefully delineating the mood.
There is an overall honesty to the performances. "You look like my Barbie!" delights a four-year-old excitedly to Diaz. Ironic? But said with so much affection it is self-deprecating rather than cutting. Jack Black struggles to get out of his music-and-silly-faces typecasting but just manages to look the part for an intellectual Iris who is not attracted to skin-deep. Jude Law, on the other hand, could be an advert for men's skin cream, and too rounded a character to be mere pin-up material.
With more Christmas songs than you can shake a piece of tinsel at, The Holiday is a warm, snuggly romance to lose yourself in before coming firmly back down to planet earth. It might be shallow, but it's seasonal entertainment - and a Swiss chocolate of romantic comedies.
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Enjoyable escapism
I think this film deserves a better rating than the current 6.9 on IMDb. I to expected it to be just like other rom com's but it was much better than i expected and very enjoyable.
The story starts with Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) fed up with their love lives; Amanda's boyfriend has been cheating on her and the man Iris loves has just got engaged to someone else. They both decide to switch houses for Christmas for an escape from their complicated lives; so Iris jets off to Amanda's place in sunny L.A and Amanda goes to Iris' quaint cottage in snowy Surrey, England (if only it really did snow at Christmas!) Amanda soon meets Iris' handsome brother Graham (Brilliantly played by Jude Law) and Iris meets musician Miles (Jack Black) and you can guess the rest...
The acting is strong and well handled. At first i found Cameron Diaz hugely annoying but as it went on i warmed to her character; she and Jude had lots of chemistry and their relationship was handled well and Graham's secret was a good twist.
I thought Jack Black was great in this different role, he and Kate also had chemistry and he was totally believable. I wish their storyline had been a bit longer though as they spent way more time on Cameron and Jude's part.
Kate Winslet as usual was funny and touching as Iris and maybe one of the best parts of the film was her relationship with the old man (Eli Wallach) they both seemed to have a connection and it was nice to hear his stories of when he was a writer in the good old Hollywood days when he knew Cary Grant and co! If you want beautiful scenery, escapism from the millions of horror and action films out there and good characterisation, than this is for you. It's not as soppy as other rom/com's and it's easy to identify with the characters, it's also very festive and my dad even liked it and he hates romantic films!
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Really entertaining and sometimes sweet!
There are some romantic comedies that I don't like, but The Holiday is an exception. I found it sweet and very entertaining at times. The four stars, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black are very talented actors, and their performances take centre stage here. Kate Winslet was lovely as Iris, but I was really delighted with Cameron Diaz as Amanda, especially when she is seen wearing stilettos in the snow. At my first viewing the whole cinema were like "How does she do that?" I also thought their exchange on the phone was hilarious too. As the men, I really liked Jack Black as Miles, a perfect blend of subtlety and spirit. Jude Law, an actor who isn't always my cup of tea, does very well indeed, as Diaz's new friend Graham. This tells the story of two women who swap homes and make lifelong friends, or something along the lines of that. My sister has this on DVD and absolutely loves it. I have only two quibbles with this movie, the script is a little weak and frothy at times, and there are some places where the story is underdeveloped. Still a beautiful-looking and hugely enjoyable film. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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Almost Like Old Times
Well yes, a 2006 romantic comedy that delivers what it promises. Mostly due to the disarming likability of the four leads plus Eli Wallach. Not for cynics, naturally, but very few things are and what the hell I laughed I was moved and I surprised myself all the way through. I came out of the theater smiling from ear to ear. Listen, that's not small feast in a world that seems too self conscious to be cute, even smartly cute like in this case. Kate Winslet can't help but being truthful so, there you go, you identify with her Rufus Sewell situation rooting for her - and I'm a guy! Cameron Diaz is, how can I put it? Yes adorable. A scatterbrain with a brain. Jude Law is another than I don't remember when was the last time he was this charming and Jack Black manages to keep it real and I was taken for a ride, going along, falling happily in Nancy Meyer's lovely trap. Well done!
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A good date movie that is entertaining and sweet
(Synopsis) Two beautiful women, Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) and Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) both find themselves at the end of failed relationships just before Christmas. Amanda decides to take a two week vacation and surfs the internet. She meets Iris online, and they agree to swap their homes for the holidays. Amanda lives in Los Angles and Iris lives in the countryside of Surrey, England. Even though they now have a change of scenery and want no contact with men, they are both still depressed and lonely. But things are about to change when Iris' brother Graham (Jude Law) drops by Iris' house and meets Amanda. On the other side of the world, Iris meets Miles (Jack Black) a film composer. Romance is in the air and sparks are about to fly.
(My Comment) If you want to see a romantic comedy with real chemistry, especially between Cameron Diaz and Jude Law this is one chick flick you must see. This movie is a good date movie that is actually entertaining and sweet. You are actually seeing two love stories instead of one. There is a great subplot of the friendship between Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach's character that will touch your heart. Actually, I enjoyed that part of the movie the best. Overall, the movie was enjoyable to watch with touching and funny scenes throughout the movie. The ending is predictable, but what do you expect, it is a romantic comedy. You will leave the movie feeling good, and isn't that what movies are all about. (Columbia Pictures, Run time 2:18, Rated PG-13)(8/10)
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Found no fault at all
The Holiday (2006) is an out of the ballpark smash hit! I thought about it after seeing it and just seriously could find NO fault whatsoever. This is such a feel good, cute, romantic, and sweet film. And it's not one of those stupid run of the mill romance movies, it actually has depth and is well made. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz are two women recently out of relationships with men, and pretty fed up with life in general, so they decide to go on vacation. They switch houses, Cameron goes to stay in England in Kate's house, and Kate goes to Los Angeles to stay in Cameron's house. The plot in and of itself is interesting and draws you in to keep watching. The script is well written and original, with little sparks of comedy thrown in where needed. And then there are scenes where we get to know our characters, usually through deep conversations with them and other characters. There definitely are NOT cardboard cut out one dimensional characters here, they are characters with real life issues, true depth, and interesting backgrounds. The romance and chemistry between the couples is great! It's truly eclectic and comes so wonderfully natural. I also love the side plot between Kate Winslet and the older screenwriter next door neighbor, it's so undeniably cute and so sweet, it's just endearing, I actually cried during the scene where he is honored at that ceremony! 10/10 for The Holiday! It's so well deserved!
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The Holiday
Warning: Spoilers
The Holiday is about two women who each have recently had problems with the men in their lives. Amanda lives in California and Iris lives in England. Neither of these women have ever met before, but they both want to escape for the holidays, so they talk online and decide to swap houses and automobiles for two weeks, so in other words Amanda would be staying at Iris's house in England and Iris would be staying at Amanda's house in California. Once they both reach their destinations they are both pretty bitter about men, but each of them soon meets different men in their lives who mean a lot to them and may make their holiday something to remember. The Holiday has good direction, a good script, good performances by the entire cast and good original music. At first I wasn't really getting into this film and thought it would be a film that would probably appeal more to a woman than to me. Also the Amanda character played by Cameron Diaz annoyed me at first and I found her kind of artificial and ego centric. However as the film played on I found myself really liking this film. The characters grew on me and I found quite a bit to like about this movie. The chemistry between all the different characters works very well and their parts are all quite well written and the actors playing them each do a good job. I found that the film also developed and showed a lot about these characters which I enjoyed because the more I got to know about them the more I liked them and they were able to grow on me more. Each character in this film brings something unique to the table by being different and by really making this film more interesting than perhaps it sounds. The really rewarding thing about this film is how well the characters work with one another and that they are well written and well acted. This film is a romantic comedy and for the most part a lot of romantic comedies do not do a whole lot for me because I find them silly and more for the female viewer than the male viewer, but this movie offers a lot of humour, heart and is just generally a pleasant feel good film that I think both male and female viewers will enjoy. One of the better films of the year and one of the better romantic comedies of recent years as well.
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Funny, but some casting issues
This somewhat odd but distinctly likable film involves two women, one in L.A. and one in London, both unhappy in love, who switch homes to shake up their lives.
The movie is often funny and sometimes touching, with solid performances from all. Perhaps the biggest issue is the absence of chemistry between Kate Winslet and Jack Black, which gives the movie a false note that could have been avoided if it wasn't so determined to follow the standard romantic comedy path. Winslet has much better chemistry with Eli Wallach, wonderful as an aged scriptwriter.
One interesting thing to note is Jude Law, whose handsome, empathetic, nurturing, understanding character could best be described as lady porn, plays the sort of role usually played by a woman: the perfect person, wonderful in every way, whose main role in the story is to allow the main character to transition to a new phase in their life.
It's not a great movie, and I don't love the structure, which simply involves cutting back and forth between two unrelated stories, but it's a nice feel-good chick flick thing that is perfect for days you don't want your brain to work too hard.
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Beautiful!
One of the most heart-warming holiday movies ever!
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Love, improbably
Iris (Kate Winslett), attractive, if somewhat dowdy, young English journalist (she works for that citadel of fogeyism, the "Daily Telegraph"), on the rebound from an affair with the shiftless Jasper (Rufus Sewell), one of the paper's columnists, decides she needs a Christmas holiday. She goes on-line and has soon swapped her Christmas-card pretty, but cramped, Surrey cottage with a mansion in Bel – Air owned by Amanda (Cameron Dias), the ebullient head of a company that makes movie trailers, who has just thrown out her latest useless partner. The girls swap places and in no time Amanda is romancing Iris's dishy brother Graham (Jude Law). Meanwhile in Hollywood Iris is getting to know Miles (Jack Black), a workmate of Amanda's, and a 90 year old neighbour, Arthur (Eli Wallach) who happens to be one of Hollywood's forgotten great writers.
One can of course dismiss this sort of stuff as glossy fairy floss because basically, despite all the money and talent expended in making it, that is what it is - "Love, Improbable." This film is rather long for its genre, over two hours, and it does drag a bit, as if the scriptwriters couldn't decide how to end it. However it must be admitted that Kate Winslett and Jude Law are always interesting to watch on screen and Cameron Diaz has a nice line in parodying some of her earlier performances. Rufus Sewell shows he can out-act Hugh Grant any day (not hard I guess). Jack Black on the other hand seemed strangely out of place as Ms W's love interest – romantic comedy doesn't seem to be his forte, he's more of your gross-out guy. It was nice though to see Eli Wallach, a great Hollywood tough guy of old, who at 90 seems to have the market for nice old buffers sewn up, as the neighbour.
Perhaps I am setting my standard too high, but compared to "Four Weddings and a Funeral", "Notting Hill", "Bedrooms and Hallways" and even "Love, Actually", this was a pile of mush, far too sweet and sticky and nice. Good comedy needs a certain bite, a reality bite, a bit of astringency, whereas what we are given here is pure fairyland escapism. Writer/Director Nancy Myers has a record of light entertaining stuff ("The Parent Trap", "Father of the Bride") and she certainly is not trying to extend her range here.
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Charming and Delightful Homage to Love
Warning: Spoilers
In London, Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) write a wedding column in a newspaper and has an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell). Nearby Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged and will marry another colleague, and her life turns head over heels. In Los Angeles, the movie-trailers maker Amanda Woods (Cameron Dias) has just broken with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan (Edward Burns) and wants to forget him. Amanda access a house exchange website, and impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey for the holiday along the next two weeks. While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' widow brother and book editor Graham (Jude Law) and they fall in love for each other. Meanwhile Iris meet her next door neighbor, the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur (Eli Wallach), who helps her to retrieve her self-esteem, and the film composer Miles (Jack Black), and they fall in love for each other.
"The Holiday" is a charming and delightful homage to love, and also to the romantic movies of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Nancy Meyers is great in the romantic comedy genre, and this movie is not an exception. Kate Winslet and Cameron Dias are extremely charming and gorgeous in their roles, as well as Jude Law, but the excellent comedian Jack Black is miscast as romantic pair of Kate Winslet. In the end, this predictable film is a great entertainment. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Amor Não Tira Férias" ("The Love Does Not Take Vacation")
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A movie without overt sex, violence, gunfire, explosions or profanity...and I still really enjoyed it!
While this movie is not going to be a masterpiece and held up in the future as an example of "great" film making, it was, in my opinion, a well made, albeit predictable, movie.
I did appreciate the storyline was a bit of a formula, but it had enough in the sub plots to keep me interested all the way through.
I got what I expected and a little more from the lead characters, but was a little disappointed in the performance of Jack Black. I am a fan of Jack, but am seeing a lot of the same from him in his facial contortions. Even so the character was "lovable"! The real surprise for me was the whole "Arthur Abbott" (Eli Wallach) sub plot. It was delightful and saved the show from the malaise that plagues the romantic comedy, that being predictability.
I am not a romantic comedy type of guy, yet I was sucked into this movie well and truly.
As I left, I felt like I had been treated as a human being. I had not been assaulted by the violence, overt sexual references, gunfire and the explosions that seem to be everywhere. (Not that I don't like a good "shoot the baddies" or "indecent suggestive action" type of movie).
This was just good clean "fun"! And I would see it again (next year maybe!)
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Such a good movie
This is what it's all about. This is such a nice, heartwarming, emotional movie.
I absolutely love this movie. So much stuff to love about it. I serioualy cannot understand why it has such a low rating here on IMDb.
I overall, loved the message and the theme of this movie and probably even more importantly the execution of it and the way it was delivered. This movie is well made. It has great, complicated, 3-dimensional characters, who actually have a background and emotions, problems, feelings, insecutities, needs...etc. etc. etc. All this maeks them feel real and relatable and that results into us, the audience, to become invested and care, instead of counting down the minutes until the movie ends. This is such a basic concept in order for a movie to be succesful but ironically you rarely find it these days, especially in romantic comedies.
As far as the story goes there are a few very pleasant surprises. When I first watched this movie I knew nothing about it. I hadn't seen any trailers or knew who plays in it so (if you've seen it) you probably know what I'm referring to. But anyway, the movie has a beginning, middle and end. And the journey is very enjoyable to watch. It starts... ok with not much going on and you kinda know where it's going but then the story starts to unravel and it slowldy gets bigger and bigger and it gets better as you see more while more characters enter the story.
The cast is amazing as you'd expect from actors like Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black. Likeable and charming they all do a great job and they convey emotion so masterfully and with such heart.
The supporting characters were amazing as well. The supporting cast is very important as they make the world feel real, they can literally make or break such movies and the actors who portrayed them were great as well.
Like I said, overall, I loved the message and the theme of the movie. It's essentially a story about 4 (2?) troubled adults who are lonely. They seek to find love, find themselves and find happiness. Something which I think the entire world can identify and relate with. And what I liked about it is that the movie and the characters don't pretend like love is something stupid or cheesy or childish. They don't play it tough and strong, they don't deny or try to block off their feelings in order not to open up and be vulnerable (Just like the while of society does today unfortunately). They ARE vulnerable and open and in love. These people need love and affection in their lives and the journey through which they find it in this movie I thought was very charming and heartwarming.
This is a well thought out and put together movie with heart. Perfect for a cozy Christmas movie night if you ask me. Highly recommended if you like romantic comedies.
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The Holiday was one of the pretty charming romantic comedies I just watched with my mother
tavm 3 January 2019
Years after my mom got this movie on DVD as a present, we both finally just watched it right now. It's got Cameron Diaz in Los Angeles as a movie trailer cutter and Kate Winslet in England as a publishing associate. They both experience breakups and are looking for a change of scenery, so to speak so they communicate on the internet and then go to temporarily live in each other's residences for a couple of weeks. I'll stop there and just say that they as well as Jude Law, Jack Black, and Eli Wallach make this quite charming and there are also some funny scenes that make this go down quite easy. There's also a glorious movie star cameo at a Blockbuster Video sequence. So on that note, I recommend The Holiday.
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Fluffy Fun for a Winter Evening!
If you are expecting an epic cinematic masterpiece, then "The Holiday" is not for you. However, if you are looking for a light, entertaining movie, I would definitely recommend this film. While the previews were intriguing, I was thrilled to find that not every plot element was revealed before I even entered the theater. I completely enjoyed Kate Winslet as hopelessly devoted Iris. She was neurotic, a bit spineless, and absolutely winning. Although I do wish that her story had been developed more thoroughly. I felt a bit like her relationship was rushed through and the film spent a majority of the time focusing on Amanda (Diaz), Graham (Law), and their developing relationship. Despite the fact that I am not a huge Cameron Diaz or Jude Law fan, I was pleasantly surprised with their part of the story! Jack Black kept his character to an energetic hum rather than an explosion of crazy antics. You've just got to love that eyebrow! The scenery was beautiful! The supporting cast was hugely entertaining. I laughed out loud. The ending is fairly predictable. This is a romantic comedy after all. However, "The Holiday" is a great film for those of us who would like to suspend reality for a while and just enjoy. Go see it!
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Over expectations!
Today is just one of those days, when you get tired from work and just want to chill a little, with a beer in one hand and remote control in the other. It's been a month or two maybe, since this movie passed on our cinemas, but I was not able to see it on the big screen and here I am - at home playing it on the DVD player. I like Jack Black - this is the reason I got the movie. Like Cameron Diaz, Jude and Kate too, but of all those four, Jack is my favorite and what I was expecting to see was something more like "The School of Rock" (2003) or "Nacho Libre" (2006) - I wanted something funny to release the Friday work stress. Well... I got something else. "Different" is the actual word. I remember I saw the trailer few times months ago, but as I now remember it was little misleading. Jack Black plus Cameron Diaz should be equal to who-knows-what, similar maybe to "There's Something About Mary" (1998), I though to myself and that's exactly what I need this Friday night! Today is one week since I work for another company, some more stress as You may guess and I prepared for a little fun. First of all to say - it was not funny. There were some amusing moments, but this movie for me was not funny at all and not a bad one at all either! It just was not "comedy", no matter how some label it. Surprisingly for me, this is one of those movies who really could make You think of the world around You and the way we live our lives. This is like ordering a sausage with fries and getting a fine fillet au champignons instead or however some would like to compare it, because in this movie, we see Jack and Cameron in very serious situations. It's not all credit for Jack and Cameron, of course - Jude and Kate did great too, as well as the director and writer did. I almost cried in few moments. It is a long movie - my player stopped at credits at 2h and few minutes, time now is 2:40am but I wanted to write this anyway. As my girlfriend sleeps next to me and I was watching the movie, it really made me thinking and recalling different moments of my life with her. I do not know - maybe I am just too emotional, please tell me Your opinion. Anyway I totally recommend the movie to everyone, really. In brief: story is not bad at all, actor play at the end is great, music is great, great level of originality, make you recall of movies like "The Cable Guy" (1996) a little. Great work guys! Now all of You, go and see it!
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Nice~ very nice
This was a really good, light hearted movie, with GREAT characterization. There are points where the movie is a little slow, but not slow enough to loose your interest.
All of the characters are wonderfully developed especially Jude Laws-the under-story of Jude's character adds an extra dimension to his character and really makes you love him all the more.
Kate Winslet's character is another that was well worked out. She helps out this little old man . . . and the character development between her and this older gentleman is wonderful . . . it adds so much to her character, makes her more human, more real, someone very likable and someone you want to end up with a good ending.
Jack Black's character was sweet, not corny . . . and you end up liking him very much. He was not a goober like he usually is in his movies.
Over all, it was a wonderfully character driven movie, that was enjoyable and had you leaving the theater feeling good. I recommend it highly!
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Loved it
Warning: Spoilers
For the romantic fool in all of us. This is one of the good movies that shows that there are good guys out there is this world.
Jude Law makes a really good Graham. This is one of his first films that he plays a father in and he does it so well. He is fun loving and so sweet. The first scene that he is in with Cameron Diaz in which he kisses her eyes is so romantic. It makes all of us single girls just want to keep Jude on our couch and not let him get away. The kitchen scene is just a heart melting, gut wrenching, make your husband look out.
Jack Black is displaying a different role as Miles. This shows that he has a softer side and is willing to step out a traditional role that we are so used to seeing him in. He still does display the comedy that we are used to seeing but it is downplayed.
The music helps set the mood in this movie. It is all tamed down and helps to set the feeling of again I must say romance. It makes it so easy to watch and if you can find a guy that will sit down and watch this with you it will create feelings that may lead to something else.
Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet make this movie great. They both shine equally and neither tries to steal the limelight. This is one of the first roles that Kate has done as a comedy and it she does it very well.
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Why, Hollywood ,Why? Great Cast; Slick Production; Lifeless Script
Why do movies like this get made? Is there some sort of virus in Hollywood that disables the ability to differentiate between a well written script and a piece of drek so phony, so formulaic, so divorced from any human being's real life, that its mere existence insults intelligent filmgoers? Women and chick flick fans, arise and unite! Let's mount noisy protests outside movies like this. Let's demand that Hollywood hire people who can write.
"The Holiday"'s cast is top notch, except for the terminally mediocre Jack Black, whose entire film career is some sort of cosmic joke.
The very best thing about "The Holiday" is Eli Wallach's relatively large part as a great writer from Hollywood's Golden Era. Wallach is especially strong; being ninety years old does not diminish his charisma one whit.
It's ironic that a movie with such a disaster of a script features a character playing a classic Hollywood writer, who makes repeated reference to well-written chick flicks from yesteryear.
Jude Law is very winning here. He juggles his external beauty and inner complexity marvelously.
Miffy Englefield and Emma Pritchard are adorable as moppet sisters too cute to live.
Oh, but the script. It's drek. It's an insult. It's a random jumble of utterly bogus settings and complications that some cold heart in marketing stitched together, convinced that this would rake in some dough. You've got Christmas trees, poignant reunions, and tears that appear on cue.
You know, I saw "Apocalypto" this weekend as well, and, of the two, "Apocalypto" was the feel good movie, and "The Holiday" filled me with rage. One had some integrity; the other was an empty exercise in marketing.
How stupid do the folks who made this movie think women are? The answer is very grim.
Save your bucks; stay home, and watch one of the classic chick flick films this movie keeps talking about.
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Twice the rom-com
Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) is a pushover for her ex (Rufus Sewell) and she's blindsided by his engagement. Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is tired of her cheating boyfriend (Edward Burns) and leaves her LA life for a few weeks. They use a vacation website to chat up a home exchange. During their vacation, they each fall for their own local guys.
It's a double rom-com. Jack Black is trying to be a romantic lead. He and Winslet make an odd couple. She's absolutely charming. He's not himself, and Eli Wallach is better as the lead. Jude Law is a more conventional choice for a leading man. He and Diaz work well together.
It's an unabashed chick flick. It does exactly what you expect it to do. It just does it twice. It explains the running time of over 2 hours. It's kinda corny and kinda formulaic, but it has its heart in the right place.
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Surprisingly Good ChickFlick Even This Bloke Loved It
Well I have to confess I was dreading seeing this film, but actually I loved it.
The story is quite fantastical. But once you can go along with the ridiculous plot, it is very funny and totally charming. It's a bit like eating liquid chocolate, and somehow manages to last for 2 hours and 10 minutes without you feeling sick.
At the start of the film, the acting is very hammy, but this removes your desire for believability enough to carry the film. Cameron Diaz and Jude Law look absolutely lovely. Kate Winslett really pulls off her comedic role brilliantly. The are some beautiful touching moments about Hollywood history and a couple of famous faces appear in cameo roles. The English countryside is lovely. Lots of laughter and tears in the audience.
The nutritional value of chocolate is limited. This film will uplift you though if nothing else. Excellent Christmas movie (from a bloke!).
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Best holiday romantic comedy yet.
I laughed. I cried. I awed. My jaw even dropped a couple of times. This movie surpassed all of my original expectations. At almost two and a half hours, I thought it might drag on, but I never felt like it was really that long. This movie is not only about heartbreak and heart ache, it's about finding yourself and appreciating the true things in life. I felt that Kate and Cameron did a wonderful job. Their characters come from two very different worlds yet they both seek the same thing...escape. They encounter so much more upon arriving at their destinations, and ultimately end up finding the completely unexpected. Jude is a star charmer as always, and Jack, well, he's Jack. Seeing this movie should be on everyone's holiday "to-do" lists, and I can guarantee it will be in my DVD collection once it is released. Nancy Meyers hit a home run with this one and it is sure to bring everyone a nice large dose of holiday spirit.
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Is Physical Assault Really Funny??
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this movie on a 14 hour plane ride from San Francisco to Hong Kong, and believe me, I can't imagine any other circumstances in which I would have sat through the entire thing immobile. I'm not a great fan of Romantic Comedies, which I find are rarely very romantic and even less frequently funny. Possibly I'm just too old and cynical. But there wasn't much choice as a combination of boredom and a very efficient Cathay Pacific stewardess, had tied me to my (coach class) seat. And I started about a third of the way into the movie, which I realized later was definitely the best place to start.
This is a movie about two young women Amanda (Cameron Diaz Рnot one of my favourite actresses) and Iris (Kate Winslett РI adore Kate Winslett so I'm almost prepared to forgive her this dire interlude), who swap houses on a whim one Christmas, to escape their various romantic entanglements. Of course they meet new men and fall in love, as one always does when swapping houses, in this case with Jude Law and Jack Black. And I can't even recall the name of their characters (Graeme and Thingy? Ben and Jerry?) Amanda, who owns her own film promotion company and is a skinny over achiever (portrayed as a bitch of course, because she is successful), trots off (first class) to the English countryside where she wrestles with every British clich̩ in the book, such as driving on the left and stumbling across snowy meadows to reach the quaint, idyllic but chilly Rose Hill Cottage. Iris, an under achieving journalist, wronged in love by a classic British cad, legs it (economy) to LA, where she finds herself living next to a curmudgeonly old screen writer who turns out to have a heart of gold Рno surprises there then. I came in where Iris arrives in LA and Amanda arrives in the UK.
Amanda falls for Iris' brother (Jude Law), widowed tragically and left with two sweet children. We never find out how he was widowed so young but I spent most of the movie hoping that it would turn out he had murdered his wife, and wishing he would do the same to Diaz. This would have cheered me up enormously, but I guess Cathay Pacific wouldn't have shown it on a long haul flight? (This script has definite possibilities as a horror movie. Isolated cottage, stranger knocking at the door at night, etc. In Surrey, no one can hear you scream…….) I have rarely seen a worse matched pair than Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. She is all sharp angles and a whiplash tongue, playing the crazy LA stereotype and he is wildly miscast as stoical Graeme (or Thingy?) Diaz here reminded me of a piece of barbed wire.
Meanwhile Iris is getting up close and friendly with Jack Black's character in LA, who has himself been wronged by some actress or other. I actually found Winslett and Black a much more convincing couple than Diaz and Law, although it looked briefly like she might get shacked up with the curmudgeonly old screen writer. Jack Black is actually very good here, playing it very straight, and his character won my sympathy even if I can't recall his name. I found myself warming to them both by the (very predictable) end. I could see why she found him appealing.
Then, as the film looped back to the start, I saw the first third. Oh dear………. Truly awful.
Diaz' character, Amanda, is just appalling. Can she seriously enjoy playing this kind of stuff? Or does it fill the time between surfing? Does anyone really find this offensive portrayal of modern, successful, young women entertaining? Is it me or is this just so unfunny?
At one point, Amanda actually physically assaults her ex lover, with two right hooks to the chin which knock him flat. This is presented as amusing entertainment. Just imagine if you can the reverse; a couple splitting up, so he decides to go out on a high note by punching his ex girlfriend to the ground. Would we still be expected to laugh? We have spent years trying to convince the world that men assaulting women is wrong, and here we have a woman assaulting a man presented as light entertainment. Is that really OK with everyone?
Yes I know this is just a popcorn movie, and I'm not the target audience – far too old and boring. But it matters, it's insidious. I don't want my teenagers watching this trash. And the worse part? It was written and directed by a woman. She should be ashamed of herself.
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A very sweet and charming film, I loved it!
My girlfriend and I just saw The Holiday this afternoon on it's opening day and I have to say that honestly, I really did like The Holiday. It was a nice breath of fresh air for an all together feel good movie for the season. I think because in one way or another we can relate to the characters and their love lives, because they each had different situations. Like Cameron couldn't commit, Jude had a hard time opening up to his real life, Kate couldn't get out of love with someone who wasn't treating her right, and Jack was falling in love with the wrong women. This movie was a very special treat for the holidays.
Iris and Amanda are two women who have just been horribly bashed around in relationships and need to get away for a while. Iris lives in Surrey, England, and Amanda lives in L.A. in the states, they look each other up on the internet for a house exchange to get away from their problems for a while and agree to do the arrangement. When both ladies arrive, they are excited and anxious about their new lifestyles and countries, they also both meet each other's brothers and while Grahm, Iris's brother, and Amanda hit it off immediately, it takes Jack's character and Iris a while to realize that it's time to move on from their unhealthy relationships, of course, it's difficult since they live on separate sides of the world from each other.
The Holiday may be a bit hokey and cheesy to watch, but for a girl's afternoon, I think this was a great film that was honest and anyone could use for those broken hearts. I would highly recommend The Holiday, it did actually have good acting, a wonderful story, and lovable characters that weren't too over bearing or annoying. Please, don't listen to the critics on this one, it was a very touching and lovely story and I hope it is an honest success at the box office this weekend.
9/10
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A Surprisingly Rich Romantic Comedy
THE HOLIDAY was one of the biggest surprises I've had at the movies in years. This fresh and funny comedy stars Cameron Diaz as Amanda, the owner of a company that makes movie trailers, who has just dumped her cheating boyfriend (Edward Burns)and decides she needs to get out of LA for awhile. She goes to a real estate website and chats with Iris (Kate Winslet), a lonely publishing employee who lives in England, who has just learned the man she's in love with is engaged. Amanda and Iris agree to exchange homes over the Christmas holiday. Iris arrives in LA and strikes up a friendship with Amanda's neighbor, a retired screenwriter (Eli Wallach) and Amanda's ex's best friend (Jack Black ). Amanda lands in London and finds herself in a whirlwind romance with Iris' bother (Jude Law), a sexy charmer with baggage. As silly and predictable as this film appears on the surface, it is just the opposite...cleverly written and performed with exuberance and sincerity. Diaz' performance is kind of all over the place and kind of hard to latch onto but Law has rarely been more appealing on screen and Jack Black shows solid leading man potential without losing that goofiness that we love about him, but it is the luminous performance of Kate Winslet that raises the bar on this one...Winslet's Iris is a delicious combination of vulnerability, sweetness, and silliness that makes this film well worth sitting through. Wallach is also a delight as the old gentleman brought out of his shell by Iris. A delight from start to finish.
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Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457939/reviews
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