Product Description: In Nancy Meyers' The Holiday, a romantic comedy from the director of Something's Gotta Give and What Women Want, two women trade homes only to find that a change of address can change their lives. Iris (Winslet) is in love with a man who is about to marry another woman. Across the globe, Amanda (Diaz), realizes the man she lives with has been unfaithful. Two women who have never met and live 6000 miles apart, find themselves in the exact same place. They meet online at a home exchange website and impulsively switch homes for the holiday. Iris moves into Amanda's L.A. house in sunny California as Amanda arrives in the snow covered English countryside. Shortly after arriving at their destinations, both women find the last thing either wants or expects: a new romance. Amanda is charmed by Iris' handsome brother Graham (Law) and Iris, with inspiration provided by legendary screenwriter Arthur (Wallach), mends her heart when she meets film composer Miles (Black).
Amazon.com: As a pleasant dose of holiday cheer, The Holiday is a lovable love story with all the Christmas trimmings. In the capable hands of writer-director Nancy Meyers (making her first romantic comedy since Something's Gotta Give), it all begins when two successful yet unhappy women connect through a home-swapping website, and decide to trade houses for the Christmas holiday in a mutual effort to forget their man troubles. Iris (Kate Winslet) is a London-based journalist who lives in a picture-postcard cottage in Surrey, and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) owns a movie-trailer production company (leading her to cutely imagine most of her life as a "coming attraction") and lives in a posh mansion in Beverly Hills. Iris is heartbroken from unrequited love with a cad of a colleague (Rufus Sewell), and Amanda has just broken up with her cheating boyfriend (Edward Burns), so their home-swapping offers mutual downtime to reassess their love lives. This being a Nancy Meyers movie (where everything is fabulously decorated and romantic wish-fulfillment is virtually guaranteed), Amanda hooks up with Iris's charming brother Graham (Jude Law), and Iris is unexpectedly smitten with Miles (Jack Black), a super-nice film composer on the downside of a failing relationship. --Jeff Shannon
Predictable but cute So the Holiday is a typical romantic comedy and the outcome is predictable but it is fun to watch and will keep your girlfriend snuggled up close. There are some claissic moments that everyone should enjoy. For the price on Amazon it's certainly worth owning.
cheerful movie Amanda in L.A. (Cameron Diaz) and Iris in Surrey (Kate Winslet) are both having man problems: Amanda's just broken up with her cheating boyfriend, and Iris's sort-of ex has just gotten engaged. They both decide a vacation is in order, and with the help of a house-swapping website, trade houses for two weeks.
The "comedy" part of "romantic comedy" comes in when the two women have to adjust to different lifestyles. I've never been to either England or California, but it rang pretty true to me, and didn't seem too exaggerated. The jet lag was definitely a realistic factor.
Amanda's first night at Iris's cottage, there's a knock at the door and she opens it to a very drunk, very good-looking man who turns out to be Iris's brother Graham (Jude Law). She decides a one-night stand with a perfect stranger would be a great way to get over her ex. Graham's drunk, but he's not an idiot, so he obliges. They're both a little more affected than they expected, and they reluctantly start a romance they know has no future.
Iris, meanwhile, answers the door to a couple: Miles (Jack Black), who's a friend of Amanda's ex, and his girlfriend. Iris and Miles get a romance, too, but it moves much more slowly, and is much more complicated. Iris's ex, Jasper, doesn't want to let her go despite the fact that he's marrying another woman--he calls and sends his manuscript for her to proofread, and tells her he can't do without her. The distance is helping, but keeping busy is better, and Iris manages that when she befriends one of Amanda's neighbors, an elderly screenwriter.
Unfortunately, more time was spent on Hollywood's idea of the prettier couple--Diaz and Law--despite the fact that their story was less complex. On the plus side, the movie was over two hours long (138 minutes), so neither story felt too rushed.
Iris and Miles's romance was more believable. They were both dealing with similar break-up issues, and because of the slower pace of their relationship, it was easier to see them becoming drawn to each other and appreciating each other's strengths. Iris's issues were extremely familiar, so that likely had something to do with why I was more drawn to her story.
Amanda and Graham's romance seemed to be more simple chemistry, and while both characters were likable and were dealing with issues that were solved by the relationship (Amanda keeps relationships on the surface, and Graham's got some emotional trauma and responsibility), it wasn't really clear that each was the specific person the other needed in their life.
I do have to say I appreciated the ending. Without spoiling it, I'll say that it was satisfying and hopeful without being too unbelievable.
If I tried, no doubt I could come up with a dozen or more quibbles, but it was such a cheerful movie that I'd rather not.
Great "Feel Good" Movie I can watch this movie over and over and over and, well, you get it. It's one of my favorite "feel good" movies, especially when it's been a rough week.
The Holiday DVD Great Christmas Holiday DVD for the times we live in! Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black are outstand in the picture! Truly a classic romantic comedy that's worth watching throughout the year, not just a Christmas!
Feel Good Movie I have watched this movie over and over and I never get tired of it. It's one of those "feel good" movies that you almost hate to see come to an end. The actors seem to fit their role to perfection. It isn't a movie that is going to make you roar with laughter but the light humor absolutely puts a smile on your face. Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Eli Wallach all do a wonderful job of entertaining you.
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