The Holiday (2006)

I remember this film advertised and saying “pah, I will never see this. It’s so commercialized and cliched and boring!” while thinking “Goddammit no one in this stupid country wants to see romantic movies any more… must wait for DVD…”

When Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a movie trailer maker from L.A. and Iris (Kate Winslet) a journalist from London, both suffer man-related trouble close to Christmas, they decide they need an escape. Finding each other on a home exchange website, they agree to switch homes and cars for two weeks and enjoy Christmas away from their troubles. However, love doesn’t understand continental divides, and finds both Iris and Amanda when they least expect it.

Before you read on, ye of no romantic inclination, stop. Because this is a typical romance movie, and I will be gushing about how adorable so-and-so are and if you dislike the genre then just stop reading now. Got it? Awesome.

The Holiday is honestly one of my favourite romantic comedies of all time, and not only because I adore three of the four main actors. This is one of those rare films that – despite having cliched characters and overused plot points – has a character that I can without a doubt relate to on a scary level where I have made every single mistake that she has made with a guy. That being said, Iris is not ridiculous. She knows that what she’s doing is stupid and that she should move on but at the same time she is hopelessly in love with a man that (in her own words) cannot and will not love her back. I’ve been there.

On the other hand, Amanda is a workaholic. She owns a company, did everything for herself and finds it difficult to fall in love, even going as far as thinking that she can’t do it like normal people. She’s a different personality type but one that is easy to relate to if you’re NOT like Iris… I guess that was the idea, really, to have two very different very likable characters in one film.

The love interests, too, are cliche though incredibly endearing in both their own ways; Amanda meets Graham (Jude Law), Iris’ semi-respectable older brother who is a book editor, and Iris crosses paths with Miles (Jack Black), a colleague of Amanda’s ex boyfriend and a film composer. Now, personally, I dislike Jack Black. I have nothing against the man himself, just the films he’s in and the characters he plays. So when I saw that he was in this film I was a little iffy about wanting to see it. However, I can honestly say that he won me over completely in this movie. There are a few scenes in the movie that he ad libbed completely and they’re hilarious! Even Kate Winslet had a hard time keeping a straight face.

Jude Law’s character is also incredibly lovable. He’s a decent guy who just hasn’t found the right woman for himself. At least not in a long time. He’s the kind of man that I wish I would meet: clever, handsome, genuine and sweet. I hate using that word when it comes to people but he truly is a sweet guy. And of course being Jude Law he tends to win most people’s hearts, mine included to an extent. However, I have to say that in this film I was more a fan of Iris and Miles than I was of Amanda and Graham. That could easily be because Iris is and always will be ME though… but no matter. Whatever couple you choose, they’re both still wonderful to watch.

The script is another thing that I want to mention for this movie: it’s genuinely well done. It’s a heavily trampled genre filled with bad pick up lines and soppy music. But this script is one of the few I’ve seen in romance films (others include Life As We Know It and Love Actually) that actually follows a set plot that it promises from the beginning. And doesn’t fall into the trap of very bad pick up lines and soppy music. Ok maybe a little on the latter but it’s a romance movie ok?? Something’s gotta give!

Overall this film gets an 8/10 from me. I love the characters, I love the plot, I love the pairings, I love the way the script and genre were treated, I love that it has a soppy predictable ending, I love everything about it. It’s one of the few romantic movies that I watch over and over again to feel amazing. Yes, I feel a little sad at the end that I’m still single, but I can’t be forever, right? And this film makes you feel good to be alive. Truly. Also if you are a fan of Cameron, Kate, Jack or Jude, then you must watch this film. Must must must.

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