IMDb > The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday
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The Holiday (2006) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 77 | slideshow) Videos (see all 22)
The Holiday (2006) -- Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
The Holiday (2006) -- Clip: Iris' Theme Song
The Holiday (2006) -- Interview: Jack Black "On Nancy Meyers Casting Him"
The Holiday (2006) -- Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.
The Holiday (2006) -- Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   44,623 votes
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Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Nancy Meyers (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Holiday on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 December 2006 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
1 win & 5 nominations more
User Reviews:
Swiss Chocolate of Romantic Comedies more (419 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Cameron Diaz ... Amanda

Kate Winslet ... Iris

Jude Law ... Graham

Jack Black ... Miles

Eli Wallach ... Arthur

Edward Burns ... Ethan

Rufus Sewell ... Jasper

Miffy Englefield ... Sophie
Emma Pritchard ... Olivia
Sarah Parish ... Hannah

Shannyn Sossamon ... Maggie
Bill Macy ... Ernie

Shelley Berman ... Norman

Kathryn Hahn ... Bristol

John Krasinski ... Ben
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language.
Runtime:
138 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
This film was written specifically with actors Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black in mind. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The levels of liquid in the glasses change from the shot's taken from behind Iris to the shot's taken behind Arthur when they are having dinner. more
Quotes:
Amanda: Sex makes everything more complicated. Even not having it, because the not having it... makes it complicated.
Graham: That's why it's better to have it... some say.
more
Movie Connections:
References The Glass House (2001) more
Soundtrack:
It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It's Spring) more

FAQ

How does it end?
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238 out of 309 people found the following review useful.
Swiss Chocolate of Romantic Comedies, 28 November 2006
7/10
Author: Chris Docker (eyeforfilm) from Scotland, United Kingdom

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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Favourite scene??? (Spoilers) leobourne
ending?! daksi02
Question for the Americans... Vivaldia
Iris considering suicide apanophobic
Drinking in the store Snookaroo87
Absolutely in love with this movie will_kori
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