The Holiday (2006)

Genre

Comedy | Romance

Director

Nancy Meyers

Country

USA

Cast

Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Bill Macy, Shelley Berman, Kathryn Hahn, John Krasinski, Jon Prescott, Dustin Hoffman

Storyline

Both having awful relationships with men, Londoner Iris (Kate Winslet) and Los Angeleno Amanda (Cameron Diaz) swap homes in each other's country, where they each meet a local guy.

Opinion

Can I go back in time and watch "Love Actually" for the first time again, instead of "The Holiday"? It sure isn't the best romantic comedy ever made, but it's definitely better than this Christmas romantic comedy wannabe.

Leaving a lot to be desired, the plot has to be the weakest ever, it is utterly predictable - so predictable I knew what would have happened since the very beginning -, stupid and unbalanced. Why? Because the story is supposed to be about two women, but we mainly follow Cameron Diaz and Jude Law's storyline. Kate Winslet's storyline is just in support of the other one. And it's so upsetting, because Winslet's was so much more interesting.

As if that wasn't enough, the film also features dreadful, contrived dialogue, and bland, unlikable characters that are so thin you can see through them.

But those are not even the film's biggest problems. That role belongs to the film's inability to be what it is supposed to be, a romantic comedy. It completely lack romance and it sure isn't funny as a comedy is supposed to be. Actually, the film's attempts at humour are nothing but tremendously annoying. The only funny thing is that some scenes were funnier in the trailer.

At last but not least the cast, the only reason I decided to watch this film. I was really expecting something better from such actors - I'm talking about Kate Winslet and Jude Law of course -, and they were a huge disappointment. But I guess I should be blaming the terrible script. And the same goes with Jack Black, he has never been so unfunny. I have nothing to say about Cameron Diaz. She just can't act, and I'll never get tired of saying it.

5 comments :

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  2. I have the some of the same issues you do with this one. My wife loves this one, but I find Nancy Meyers' movies damn near insufferable. The superior storyline here is the Winslet, Black (who I actually really love here!), Wallach side, and it just never fully gets there, instead spending its time in that bullshit country cottage with two of the most beautiful people alive. Ugh. Give me charming Jack Black all day. That's the better movie.

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    1. I feel sorry for you. No, actually I feel sorry for you wife. Anyway, I'll never understand why they decided to focus on that boring love story.

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  3. This is actually a rom com which has been recommended to me time and time again by so many people. But you really seem to have disliked it! I'm someone who really likes good dialogue in my movies though, so I still am on the fence about trying this one out.

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    1. If you like good dialogue you should probably avoid this one.

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