The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday
- 3.5/5 Cameras 🎥🎥🎥.5
- Directed by: Nancy Meyers
- Starring: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black
- Where to find it: Netflix
 |
| No Copyright Infringement Intended |
When you think of Christmas films, and in particular Christmas
romantic-comedies, your mind probably jumps straight to the infamous Love Actually,
and although the 2004 film is undoubtedly a classic, there is another holiday
rom-com that gets severely overlooked and is in my eyes far superior; 2006’s
The Holiday.
The Holiday is set in both sunny California and snowy
England, two very different locations to spend Christmas, and focuses on two love-torn
women from opposite sides of the Atlantic, Iris, and Amanda, played by Kate
Winslet and Cameron Diaz respectively. Recently heartbroken, the two women undertake
a very early 2000s style house swap to escape during the festive period, and obviously,
as this is a rom-com we’re talking about, find new, better men during their
stay.
Year after year the market gets oversaturated with festive
films, with the majority being nothing more than a cash grab from streaming
services. There was a time, however, where Christmas movies were truly enjoyable,
and The Holiday is a great example of that. One thing that sets this film apart
from others in its genre is the calibre of the actors involved and the
chemistry between them. Kate Winslet is as charming as ever as Iris, a
mild-mannered writer for The Daily Telegraph, hung up on her pretentious ex
Jasper (Rufus Sewell), who develops a close connection with composer Miles
Dumont (Jack Black) whilst spending her Christmas in the States. Pairing Kate
Winslet and Jack Black together was an ingenious move, with both actors making
the film feel warm, cozy, and basically everything you want in a Christmas film.
Elsewhere Iris’ friendship with legendary Hollywood screenwriter Arthur Abbott
(Eli Wallach) adds a completely different level of wholesome warmth to the
film, although I do feel at times this story gets a little side-lined. Trust me
when I say I would happily watch a whole 2-hour movie involving Eli telling
Iris about his time in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The Holiday doesn’t stop at one killer pairing, however, as
on the other side of the Atlantic in England, American movie trailer creator Amanda
(Cameron Diaz), falls for Iris’ brother Graham (Jude Law) after he visits his sisters’
cottage, unaware of her recent home swapping arrangements. Jude Law’s Graham adds
a splash of charisma to the film, whilst his relationship with Diaz’s Amanda
adds a more sexual nature to the festivities, although this doesn’t take away from the cozy feelings
this film conjures.
A large part of why people enjoy Christmas films is because
of how they look. Audiences want to sit down in front of the TV with a cup of
hot chocolate and see a Christmas they wish they could have, and with The
Holiday audiences are in for a treat. The films’ dual locations of California
and England offer a welcome duality of different perspectives of Christmas that
you don’t often get to see or consider in films. Iris’ (Kate Winslet) cottage in
England is homely, and exactly the kind of place you would expect to see in a
Christmas film, yet Amanda’s (Cameron Diaz) mansion in California offers a
different view of the festive period. Despite their differences, however, both
locales come across as idyllic and are as enticing as each other.
Much like other Christmas films, however, The Holiday isn’t perfect.
A lot of the dialog is cringeworthy and the overall plot is fairly predictable,
although it is worth noting that the film is more likely to leave you with a
smile on your face than others in the genre. Additionally, at 2 hours 16
minutes, The Holiday at times feels unnecessarily long, and a shorter run-time
would have made for a better overall film.
Yes, The Holiday is cringey and predictable, but isn’t every
Christmas movie? Isn’t that why we enjoy watching them? Although I will say
that The Holiday seems to capture the festive spirit in ways that others in the
genre fail, making it a film worth revisiting every December.
Comments
Post a Comment