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412 comments in total

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225 out of 292 people found the following comment useful :-
Swiss Chocolate of Romantic Comedies, 28 November 2006

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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164 out of 211 people found the following comment useful :-
Fluffy Fun for a Winter Evening!, 1 December 2006

Author: cheetara94

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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193 out of 285 people found the following comment useful :-
Best holiday romantic comedy yet., 8 December 2006

Author: anoble1-1 from United States

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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108 out of 156 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice~ very nice, 8 December 2006

Author: Redriter from United States

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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88 out of 131 people found the following comment useful :-
A good date movie that is entertaining and sweet, 8 December 2006

Author: Douglas Young (the-movie-guy) from Memphis, Tennessee

(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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92 out of 139 people found the following comment useful :-
The Holiday, 2 December 2006

Author: cultfilmfan from Canada

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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60 out of 76 people found the following comment useful :-
Almost Like Old Times, 10 February 2007

Author: carlostallman from Argentina

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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93 out of 153 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly Good ChickFlick Even This Bloke Loved It, 6 December 2006

Author: theresaman from London, United Kingdom

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 of 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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69 out of 117 people found the following comment useful :-
Good to pass a rainy day, 30 November 2006

Author: dleath from United States

Although this isn't my typical pick on movies I'd love to see, I have to say I enjoyed screening this one. The run time is a bit long, and the movie gets a bit soft in the middle, but considering you're actually watching two love stories (as opposed to one), I guess the run time is justified. It still seemed a bit forced to get the story told in a descent amount of time (still over two hours). The performances were moderate to good, with exception of Jude Law as Graham, who was wonderful.

If you're tired of holiday films that are so stacked with so much Christmas cheer that it makes you sick, this is the perfect alternative. Light enough for some serious laughs, and with enough drama to keep it interesting to audiences, this one's a good date movie. Leave the kids with a sitter. There are a few adult themes that could be uncomfortable to try to explain to a younger one.

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45 out of 71 people found the following comment useful :-
Love, improbably, 9 February 2007

Author: Philby-3 from Sydney, Australia

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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