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Movie Review - The Holiday (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Nancy Meyers |
| Starring: |
Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for sexual content and some strong language) |
| Length: |
138 minutes |
| Genre: |
Romantic Comedy |
| Tagline: |
None. |
| Studio: |
Sony Pictures |
| Website: |
The Holiday |
| Release: |
December 8, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Two women (Diaz, Winslet) troubled with guy problems decide to swap homes in each other's countries. The initial
plan is to avoid men completely, but a film labeled a "romantic comedy" would bomb at the box office if that's
how things actually played out. Therefore, they each meet a local guy and relationships begin to develop. Will
distance and old loves present complications that can't be overcome? Or will everybody go home happy?
Home-swapping romantic shenanigans ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Love fades. Love's lost. It can be found. It often goes unrequited. And what about those who fall in love
alone?
What starts off looking like a story with a poignant message regarding love and its many facets, quickly
takes the exit ramp towards Romantic Comedy City. You've been there before. It's cute, it's sweet, it's funny,
it's predictable, and it's completely detached from reality. Wait, did I just describe the movie or one of its
co-stars, Cameron Diaz?
The Holiday, while not one I'd recommend for guys' night out, has a cast charming enough to make itself
palatable for couples, i.e. girls who really want to see it and the boyfriends/husbands who get dragged along.
The four leads are all quite likable, and each has his or her own laugh-inducing moments.
My main complaint is that too much time is spent on the Diaz/Law relationship at the neglect of Winslet
and Black. I wasn't angered with disbelief that the ever-adorable Winslet would fall for the ever-obese Black.
After all, he showcases enough humor and charm to plant the seeds of attraction. However, the relationship isn't
developed as fully as it should be. It feels rushed. I'm sure the filmmakers thought it was best to concentrate
on Jude Law and his ever-receding hairline before he goes completely bald (and loses much of his female fanbase,
proving that love is not always blind), but I would have preferred a little more balance.
More time was also spent on Winslet's relationship with some old, former scriptwriter dude. The story is sweet (and
induced approximately 48 "awws" at the screening I attended), but if you want me to believe that by movie's end
Black and Winslet are gonna be traversing bodies of water to further their relationship then you've gotta
give me a little more substance.
I'd also like to point out that I have enough respect for you ladies to believe that the majority of y'all wouldn't
be so naive and desperate as to immediately sleep with some drunk guy, using the rationale that he's insanely good
looking and you may never see him again. Listen up - people who look like Jude Law can be just as disease-ridden as
people who look like Prison Break's T-Bag. It's just a thought, and pretty good one at that.
Anyway, ladies, bring the Kleenex. Fellas, concede defeat and bring your lady. There's really no way of getting
around this one, I'm afraid. I'd also recommend bringing a water bottle. That way you can give the ol' eye a good
spritz at the end of the movie to impress your woman. Add a fake sniffle or two and you're gold.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- This film has absolutely nothing to do with Queen Latifah's The Last Holiday.
- How in the world did this cost $85 million to make? Just to pay the cast? Sheesh. I don't care how sultry
Diaz is; she's not worth $20 million.
- Rufus Sewell creeps Johnny out. In this role he resembles Eric Bogosian just a little too much for anybody's own
good.
- Johnny is also disturbed by the shape of Jude Law's head.
- Jaguar's chief designer Ian Callum has revealed that Kate Winslet's Body is the inspiration for his latest
design.
- Man, that must be an easy way to get chicks.
- Be on the lookout for several cameos. The fake trailer with Lindsay Lohan and James Franco is hilarious. There's
also a quick, unexpected cameo when Black and Winslet are in the video store.
- Ed Burns has an incredibly thankless role.
- Cameron Diaz was in In Her Shoes with Toni Collette who is in The Dead
Girl with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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One "f" bomb and a couple of "s" missiles (huh?), and that's about it as far as profanity goes. I was surprised the
potty mouths were kept to such a minimum. There's no nudity, but there are enough sexual situations to make this
one not-so-suitable for the youngsters. Nothing too graphic, but parents might not be in the mood to explain to
the kiddies that having sex with a drunk guy in a foreign country immediately upon meeting him isn't exactly a
decision rife with wisdom.
Your kids would be bored anyway. Leave 'em at home.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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Don't worry; the movie's not as bad as the trailer scares you it'll be. I just re-watched the trailer and it
doesn't really showcase the movie's strong points. Another problem with the trailer is it spoils one of the funnier
moments in the film, especially with the way the joke is edited. However, if you actually liked the trailer then
you'll most likely propose to the film after it's over.
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THE GIST
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The Holiday doesn't break any new ground in the romantic comedy realm, but its cast is charming enough to
make this one a date movie that most of you will be able to stomach. The main problem is that it's over two hours
long! The fairer sex may not mind this, but some guys might start to get a little fidgety. You gals definitely owe
us for that.
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