I have finally got around to watching and reviewing The Holiday’ (2006). This has been one of the films that has always been on the cusp of being reviewed in the past two years of doing these Christmas reviews. But every time I came upon it, close to clicking the play button something kept putting me off. And that was the poster. You take one look at this poster, and you know exactly what kind of film you are going to get, and I don’t tend to like those kinds of films. And I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but come, just look at that poster. But I overcame that trepidation this year and finally got it watched. Needless to say, that I judged it pretty spot on. The film follows two recently heartbroken women, Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), who decide to swap homes for the holidays in an attempt to put their guy issues aside for a moment. But when they arrive in L.A. and Surrey respectively, they find that true love both of them have been missing.
This film delivered pretty much everything I expected of it. Sickly sentimentality that is so on the nose and predictable that you can pretty much guess where it is going at every turn. The very classic boy meets girl, they hit it off, they hit a snag that pulls them apart, they are reunited when they realise, they love each other by the end of the film is very much present, for both Iris and Amanda so if you like that you get it twice. It is so cliché rom-com, which I knew it would be from that damn poster. It even has the classic character having a revelation before chasing after the other character while the sappy music plays over the top. This would usually take place in an airport, but instead, they break the mould by having the character do this before they reach the airport. How ground-breaking. And I don’t think it does a great overall job in either department, the rom or the com. It manages to capture romance decently well between Cameron Diaz and Jude Laws characters because they get the majority of the focus, but it falls flat for the Kate Winslet and Jack Black characters because we barely see them together. It all feels rushed and forced for them. And in terms of comedy, I think I properly laughed once, and even then, I don’t remember particularly why. Now, I am one of those people who is entertained by Jack Back being himself, so he was fun, but he didn’t have anything particularly hilarious to do in the runtime. So, it is utterly predictable, half of the romance arc doesn’t work, and it isn’t funny. Not great for a rom-com and leads to a film that isn’t all that good.
This film does have a saving grace though, and that is the cast. I have already mentioned Jack Black who is doing his thing. It is much more understated than usual, but it is still very much what you would expect from him. I know some people aren’t a fan of him, but he works for me. Cameron Diaz and Jude Law are also pretty decent in the film, and they play off each other very well. Now, I am straight, but I would be lying if I said that Jude Law especially isn’t extremely charming in the film. You can totally see why Diaz’s character would be smitten with him. And Kate Winslet is obviously great. Her character is pretty cliché, but she manages to give it depth beyond the writing. It also very much helps that she has the most interesting narrative through-line, and I don’t mean her relationship with Jack Black. This is her friendship with Amanda’s next-door neighbour, Arthur (Eli Wallach), an older film writer who is putting off an invitation from the American Screenwriters Association due to his failing health and belief that it is more of a pity party for him. The relationship between Iris and Arthur is easily the most compelling and engaging throughout the film, and it is helped by two great actors playing really well off each other. If the film was just this, I would be much more on board. But the best bit of the film is where Jack Black’s character first meets Kate Winslet, and he is listening to the ‘Love Theme’ from Cinema Paradiso (1988) which is one of my favourite pieces of film music of all time. And it is the best moment in the film because it made me think of Cinema Paradiso, a much better film.
This film is so unbelievably cliché that it just becomes quite boring. It isn’t so boring that I caught myself checking the time a ton or anything like that, but it did drag. And it doesn’t help that the film is 2 hours and 15 minutes long, which is far too long. I also didn’t have time to mention Hans Zimmer’s equally bland and dull score which feels like an almost perfect representation of the film on the whole. And yet, everyone I have spoken to about this film since I saw it seems to really like it. And, in a way, I see why. Yes, it is cliché and predictable, but in that way, it feels like comfort food. If you are into these kinds of rom coms, I am sure you will love it. But I can’t recommend it beyond that.
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