The Holiday DVD > Reviews > ***XMAS REVIEW*** A FESTIVE BREAK

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	funny, sweet, romantic, an interesting premise
Disadvantages:	mixed bag of performances, perhaps too cheesy at times?

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When I first saw the trailers for "The Holiday" prior to its cinema release in 2006, I actually had just read a book called "Lifeswap" by Jane Green, about two women on either side of the Atlantic who swapped houses and lives - I thought this film was an adaptation of that book. After reading a couple of reviews of it at the time, I quickly realised it wasn't, but the premise of it was similar enough to intrigue me further, as well as the fact that it had a fairly impressive cast. However, it wasn't until October of this that I finally got around to watching it.

This, like "Home Alone" is another film which isn't strictly a Christmas movie, but has clearly been marketed with that in mind. First of all, it is set over the Christmas period, and has "feel good" and "cheesy" stamped all over it. You know it all has to work out in the end - this is Hollywood after all, how often do you get an unhappy ending? - but it is the events that unfold and the progression of the characters that keeps you watching all the same.

Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) couldn't be more different - one is an English journalist suffering from the affliction of a long-term unrequited crush and the other a fiercely independent Hollywood career women - but both feel something is missing from their lives and have an urge to escape. Luckily they meet one another online and, desperate for an instant life makeover, agree to houseswap immediately.

For Iris, transported to the California sunshine and an amazing house, complete with swimming pool, this is a dream come true. She befriends an old widower named Arthur - a movie veteran - which is a sweet subplot (which embarrassingly brought tears to my eyes at one stage) and also gets to know Miles (Jack Black) which is meant to be one of the romantic plots, but the climax of this seems to be more than a little delayed.

On the other hand, Amanda finds herself totally out of her depth in a tiny cottage in freezing England and realises she doesn't really like being alone. Or in England for that matter. Luckily, she meets Iris's brother Graham (Jude Law) almost immediately and jumps into bed with him - immediately. Quite a contrast to the Iris-and-Miles slow-burner going on 6000 miles away. Cue tons of misunderstandings as they question their feelings for each other, and Amanda wonders what secret Graham is keeping from her.

Its all an interesting enough concept and in theory a bit different from the norm. But when it comes down to it, it is essentially just standard chick-flick fare. Good thing I LOVE chick-flicks then! :)

With such quality actors as Winslet, Black, Diaz and Law, I was certainly expecting much from this film - and Winslet and Black certainly delivered. Both likeable and sweet and REAL, it was easy to empathise with both of their slightly unfortunate situations - and I found myself actually WANTING them together, although when I saw the trailer I thought Jack Black would clearly be punching above his own weight by even attempting to go after someone like Winslet. It wasn't QUITE so easy to sympathise with Diaz's character - as someone said in a review on here, she totally overacts. It's actually a bit embarrassing to watch; her reactions to everything seem completely over-the-top and while Diaz is perhaps not the most talented of actresses at the best of time, I certainly would have expected more from her. It was actually quite hard to LIKE her character much, and considering generally one of her strengths IS her innate likeability, this was more than a little unsettling. Jude Law was okay, and I suppose there was SOME chemistry between him and Diaz, but not as much as Winslet and Black (who had far less screentime together) possessed. Apparently, the film was actually written with all four lead actors in mind - isn't it amazing that writer/director Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give", "What Women Want") actually managed to get them all signed on the dotted line?

"The Holiday" is one of those films that has been panned by quite a few critics (check out the Rotten Tomatoes site if you don't know what I mean) but is just what the doctor ordered at Christmas time. It's perfect to evoke that warm and fuzzy feeling that Christmas films tend to give you. Or give ME anyway.

If you like films set at Christmas, chick flicks and/or cheese, then "The Holiday" is a must-see this Crimbo!!!

***A SELECTION (BOX) OF QUOTES...***

Amanda: You know Graham, I just broke up with someone and considering you just showed up and you're insanely good-looking and probably won't remember me anyway... I'm thinking we should have sex... If you want.
Graham: Is that a trick question?

Arthur Abbott: Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake! Arthur, I've been going to a therapist for three years, and she's never explained things to me that well. That was brilliant. Brutal, but brilliant.

Iris: And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone?

Amanda: Sex makes everything more complicated. Even not having it because the not having it makes it complicated.

***PRICE GUIDE***

£5.98 from amazon.co.uk (used an new from £5.15)
£5.99 from play.com (currently part of 3 for £15 offer)