*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
It's really no surprise that I loved this film. It's a romantic comedy, it's set during Christmas and features four of my favourite actors (Kate Winslet; Cameron Diaz; Jack Black and Jude Law).
The story begins with Iris (Kate Winslet) narrating and talking about different kinds of love, such as 'unrequited love', which she suffers from as she has feelings for her co-worker, Jaspar (Rufus Sewell), who she knows will never love her back and is devastated to learn that he is engaged. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, with Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a trailer editior, breaking up with her boyfriend after he confesses to cheating. This scene gives us an idea of Amanda's character and how easily annoyed she gets and she learn that she isn't one to mess with as she slaps her boyfriend, not once, but twice in annoyance. Most women would cry after ending a relationship but not Amanda. In fact, she can't cry and one of the funniest scenes is when she is trying to cry and the faces she pulls are hilarious. This leaves the two heartbroken during the festive season and they are both in need of a holiday, hence the title. The two come into contact online when Amanda tells Iris that she is interested in staying in England for the holiday season, away from any reminders of her ex-boyfriend. Iris is surprised, at first, but the two come up with the idea to swap houses for Christmas which, may sound like a bad idea in real life (the idea of a stranger in our homes? Don't be ridiculous) but in romcom-world, nothing bad happens so Amanda and Iris agree to swap homes without even meeting up first. This is probably one of the flaws in the film but I overlooked it as it was only a film and didn't really matter.
When Amanda temporarily moves into Iris' cottage, she is woken up in the middle of the night by a drunken man at the door. This man turns out to be Iris' brother, Graham, who is shocked to discover a new woman living in his sister's home. This is where their relationship begins after they sleep together. Their chemistry is undeniable and we can tell that they both have feelings for each other despite Amanda wanting a romance-free Christmas.
Iris, to her delight, is living in Amanda's home and she soon meets Miles (Jack Black), a score composer, who is a friend of Amanda's ex and turns up at her house wanting to pick up his stuff. This is where Iris and Miles' friendship begins with their love of iconic films and their scores. As much as I enjoyed watching Amanda and Graham's relationship unfold, I enjoyed watching the scenes with Iris and Miles a lot more. This film proves that a male and female can be friends without any romance or sex. They are supportive of one other (Miles goes through his own heartbreak in the middle of the film) and they befriend Amanda's neighbour, Arthur (played by the late iconic western actor, Eli Wallach), who is an retired screenplay writer and rejects the idea of a tribute show being made for him until Iris convinces him otherwise. The scene where Arthur attends his tribute show is one of the most touching scenes as I feel like it was, really, a tribute to the actor himself as he has starred in some of Hollywood's most iconic films (The Good, The Bad & The Ugly; The Godfather Part 2 and The Magnificent Seven).
This is directed and written by Nancy Meyers who previously directed Something's Gotta Give (a romcom starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton) and The Parent Trap (a comedy starring Lindsay Lohan). Meyers has a knack for creating entertaining romantic comedies and understands how to make a viewer connect with the characters. By having Iris narrate at the beginning of the film, we hear her inner thoughts and what she's truly feeling. This is similar to Amanda who, in random parts of the film, hears a narrator describing her life like it was a trailer for a film. This contributes to the humour.
The majority of the film is set before Christmas and could easily work as a stand-alone romcom without the festive association, however, in the final scene, we see all four of the characters celebrating together which will put viewers in the festive mood.
Overall, with an original story written by Meyers and also great directing, strong performances from all four of the lead actors, The Holiday is one of my favourite films to watch during the holiday season (pun not intended).
This is directed and written by Nancy Meyers who previously directed Something's Gotta Give (a romcom starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton) and The Parent Trap (a comedy starring Lindsay Lohan). Meyers has a knack for creating entertaining romantic comedies and understands how to make a viewer connect with the characters. By having Iris narrate at the beginning of the film, we hear her inner thoughts and what she's truly feeling. This is similar to Amanda who, in random parts of the film, hears a narrator describing her life like it was a trailer for a film. This contributes to the humour.
The majority of the film is set before Christmas and could easily work as a stand-alone romcom without the festive association, however, in the final scene, we see all four of the characters celebrating together which will put viewers in the festive mood.
Overall, with an original story written by Meyers and also great directing, strong performances from all four of the lead actors, The Holiday is one of my favourite films to watch during the holiday season (pun not intended).
7/10
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