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Review #378 of 365
Movie Review of The Holiday (2006) [PG-13] 136 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.00
Where Viewed: Colorado Cinemas Cherry Creek 8, Denver, CO
When 2nd Seen: 25 January 2007
Time: 12:25 p.m.
Film's Official Website Film's Official Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Nancy Meyers (Something's Gotta Give)
Written by: Nancy Meyers (Something's Gotta Give)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Cameron Diaz (In Her Shoes) • Kate Winslet (Flushed Away) • Jude Law (All the King's Men) • Jack Black (Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny) • Eli Wallach (The Hoax) • Edward Burns (A Sound of Thunder) • Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist) • Miffy Englefield (debut) • Emma Pritchard (debut) • Shannyn Sossamon (Undiscovered)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Soundtrack: Download now from 
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
NOTE: This is a spoiler review. If you would prefer not to read the non-spoiler review click here.
The Holiday, despite those nagging major flaws mentioned in the (non-spoiler review) stands out as one of the more underappreciated holiday season, romantic comedies of 2006. My first conclusion upon this second viewing was that the love story between Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Graham (Jude Law) is so perfectly enchanting as to be simply irresistible by any loving couple. I could watch their portion of the film, actually, come to think of it, if one edited Jack Black's character, Miles, completely out of the film altogether, I could watch not just their part but, truly, the whole film a zillion times and never get sick of it. But, in a spoiler, maybe, I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. Let's spoil away. So, without hinting and vague references, here's how things boil down:
Amanda, a fantastically successful, Hollywood film trailer editor, is in a disempowering relationship with Ethan (Edward Burns) a film composer, comes to her senses, wisely intuits that he's having an extra-relational affair with his secretary, and kicks him out.
Iris (Kate Winslet), an English newspaper wedding columnist, has been pining away overtly and not-so-overtly for the love of Jasper (Rufus Sewell) for three years. Three years she's now lost as she is slugged in the gut by her newspaper editor's grandiose announcement that Jasper will finally be wedding her main competition with whom he's also been romantically intimate.
So, the two swap homes to get away from their real lives. Iris gets the better house, but Amanda gets Iris's brother, Graham.
Graham, an English literary editor, is really the father of two children whom he adores whose mother passed away two years earlier. To make sense of his life, he nearly Bunburies once a month sending the girls to their grandparents while he develops an overly alcoholic second self frequenting pubs and kissing unfamiliar women.
When Graham and Amanda first meet the sparks start to fly almost immediately. She seduces him. He describes hers as the "most interesting girl" and the chemicals start to mix and flame up.
Poor Iris gets simultaneously the better of the deal with the gorgeous, suits-her-well house yet bombarded by the seedy but needy Miles (Jack Black), a film score composer, and a delightfully witty and charming former Hollywood screen writer who was at his heyday 50 years prior, Arthur Abott (Eli Wallach).
The plot wraps up at a Christmas party at Graham's home in England where the two surviving couples Graham and Amanda plus Iris and Miles gather with Graham's daughters.
Amanda, a fantastically successful, Hollywood film trailer editor, is in a disempowering relationship with Ethan (Edward Burns) a film composer, comes to her senses, wisely intuits that he's having an extra-relational affair with his secretary, and kicks him out.
Iris (Kate Winslet), an English newspaper wedding columnist, has been pining away overtly and not-so-overtly for the love of Jasper (Rufus Sewell) for three years. Three years she's now lost as she is slugged in the gut by her newspaper editor's grandiose announcement that Jasper will finally be wedding her main competition with whom he's also been romantically intimate.
So, the two swap homes to get away from their real lives. Iris gets the better house, but Amanda gets Iris's brother, Graham.
Graham, an English literary editor, is really the father of two children whom he adores whose mother passed away two years earlier. To make sense of his life, he nearly Bunburies once a month sending the girls to their grandparents while he develops an overly alcoholic second self frequenting pubs and kissing unfamiliar women.
When Graham and Amanda first meet the sparks start to fly almost immediately. She seduces him. He describes hers as the "most interesting girl" and the chemicals start to mix and flame up.
Poor Iris gets simultaneously the better of the deal with the gorgeous, suits-her-well house yet bombarded by the seedy but needy Miles (Jack Black), a film score composer, and a delightfully witty and charming former Hollywood screen writer who was at his heyday 50 years prior, Arthur Abott (Eli Wallach).
The plot wraps up at a Christmas party at Graham's home in England where the two surviving couples Graham and Amanda plus Iris and Miles gather with Graham's daughters.
"…there's a lot more of The Holiday to like than dislike…a St. Valentine's viewing at the cheap theatre to see it with a loved one would be money well-spent."
So, first and foremost, as much as the love story between Graham and Amanda possesses more pleasing chemistry, it is not the central story. That honor, rather goes the life of Iris. The narration by Iris begins the film with her notions on love and the love-less. She has profound observations on love in general, but the most memorable was her talk of unrequited love of which she has now endured three years and become an international expert. And, this is one of the curious things about Nancy Meyers's screenplay and direction. The story about Iris becomes so much more about the life that Iris has not and certainly never will have. No matter how incredible Miles is, he's certainly no Graham. And, the circumstances under which Iris and Miles interact never possess the chemistry and magic of love Amanda and Graham experience. While it is great that Iris finally cuts old Jasper loose, there's too much of her own self-doubt in Miles to make their relationship seem like her next logical step. True, part of Iris's story is the simple need for her to become the girl with gumption, the leading lady rather than the best friend of the leading lady in her own life, as put so elegantly by Arthur Abbott.
Nonetheless, I still maintain that the Amanda/Graham story alone stands as sufficiently worthy of inducing one to see the entire film. It's really cute.
Some other really good parts of the film:
I loved Eli Wallach's turn as Arthur Abbott. He was perfect. The chemistry, actually, between him and Kate Winslet vastly exceeded that between Kate Winslet and either of her supposed interests in the film. She looks her best when the two dress up to attend his the gala in his honor.
Hans Zimmer did his usually brilliant job getting the score down just right. It is catchy and fun, lively yet bittersweet, and were it not for Jack Black's atrociously bad humming and dah-dee-dahing of the Zimmer-composed music in the film, the potential of this one becoming a classic would be less up in the air
Cameron Diaz rocked. She looked incredible. Her character, who's had the inability to cry since her parents split at age 15, it vital, fun, lively, boisterous at times, sassy at others, creative, sensitive, empowered, sheepish, and loyal.
Jude Law does a performance as Mr. Napkin Head, during the film for his daughters, that honestly, had me laughing harder than anything else in the film. Likewise, Rufus Sewell's cad-like character has a couple great moments.
Upon further review, as they say, there's a lot more of The Holiday to like than dislike, and I'd even go so far as to say a St. Valentine's viewing at the cheap theatre to see it with a loved one would be money well-spent.
Nonetheless, I still maintain that the Amanda/Graham story alone stands as sufficiently worthy of inducing one to see the entire film. It's really cute.
Some other really good parts of the film:
I loved Eli Wallach's turn as Arthur Abbott. He was perfect. The chemistry, actually, between him and Kate Winslet vastly exceeded that between Kate Winslet and either of her supposed interests in the film. She looks her best when the two dress up to attend his the gala in his honor.
Hans Zimmer did his usually brilliant job getting the score down just right. It is catchy and fun, lively yet bittersweet, and were it not for Jack Black's atrociously bad humming and dah-dee-dahing of the Zimmer-composed music in the film, the potential of this one becoming a classic would be less up in the air
Cameron Diaz rocked. She looked incredible. Her character, who's had the inability to cry since her parents split at age 15, it vital, fun, lively, boisterous at times, sassy at others, creative, sensitive, empowered, sheepish, and loyal.
Jude Law does a performance as Mr. Napkin Head, during the film for his daughters, that honestly, had me laughing harder than anything else in the film. Likewise, Rufus Sewell's cad-like character has a couple great moments.
Upon further review, as they say, there's a lot more of The Holiday to like than dislike, and I'd even go so far as to say a St. Valentine's viewing at the cheap theatre to see it with a loved one would be money well-spent.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The Holiday (2006)
Cast Members
Cameron Diaz
• Kate Winslet • Jude LawJack Black
• Eli Wallach • Edward BurnsRufus Sewell
• Shannyn Sossamon Writer / Director
Nancy Meyers
Music Composer
Hans Zimmer
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The Holiday (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Writer / director Nancy Meyers, of What Women Want fame, serves up The Holiday this season. Unfortunately, it's only 80% of the brilliant comedy, date film it could have been. Two decisions put the kibosh on 100% success. First, Jack Black was cast opposite Kate Winslet with whom he has nearly no realistic physical nor emotional chemistry on screen. Second, the film is burdened by inside jokes, film references, and extraneous scenes that distract a seasoned film historian from the story and may bore everyone else. Jude Law and Cameron Diaz are definitely the bright spots of the film. Two intertwined stories about women who don't know what they want for certain out of their relationships needed to be 50-50 in effectiveness for the film to deliver. Instead, the Law-Diaz relationship overshadows and over-powers leaving a cup of hot cocoa with but 4 of 5 requisite mini-marshmallows bobbing on top.
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