The Holiday Synopsis: Two women, one from America and one from Britain, swap homes at Christmastime after bad breakups with their boyfriends.
In London, Iris (Kate Winslet) is told a colleague she’s been in love with for three years is engaged to another. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) lives in Los Angeles with her unfaithful boyfriend. On an impulse, the women decide to swap homes on a house exchange website over the Christmas holiday to try to mend their hearts and forget the men who broke them. In L.A., Iris meets Miles (Jack Black), a film composer and friend of Amanda’s ex, while Amanda begins a complicated romance with Iris’s brother Graham (Jude Law) while in Surrey.
Like most romantic comedies, the plot itself is fantastical and requires an extension of belief, but if you’re willing to do that, and why wouldn’t you be, you’ll find The Holiday charming and romantic. Of the five main characters, each has experienced love differently.
Arthur (Eli Wallach) married the love of his life and remained married for 40+ years until his wife’s passing. Graham is a widower with two little girls, Miles is in a relationship with an aspiring actress who is clearly out of his league (and he knows it), Iris has been suffering from unrequited love from a colleague who continues to take advantage of her affection, and Amanda is a woman who has difficulty opening herself up to love because of her parent’s divorce. I have to imagine at least one of these scenarios could be relatable to anyone watching, and I felt for all of them on a different level.
“Say a man and a woman both need something to sleep in and both go to the same men’s pajama department. The man says to the salesman, “I just need bottoms,” and the woman says, “I just need a top.” They look at each other and that’s the ‘meet cute.’” – Arthur
While it feels like The Holiday focuses a bit more on the intense love story between Graham and Amanda, I prefer Iris’s self-discovery story. Her friendship with Arthur and a budding romance with Miles felt more believable to me (and yes, I will always love the ‘schlubby guy’ getting the beautiful girl in any rom-com). That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Cameron Diaz and Jude Law’s story. Their chemistry was instant and only improved once Graham’s children were thrown into the mix. I’m thrilled he wasn’t written as a cad who the blonde American beauty must tame.
I still feel like the score Miles wrote for Iris was one of The Holiday‘s best parts, along with his singing of various film scores in the video store, which I found stupidly charming. I’m also a sucker anytime a man cries when he sees the love of his life (I’m looking at you, Jude Law).
“Iris, if you were a melodyā¦ I used only the good notes.” – Miles
The Holiday is one of my favorite romantic movies to watch this time of year; although I couldn’t tell if it was because it was so late when I watched it or what, but it does feel a bit ‘long’ at times compared to other rom-coms.
“You’re supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god’s sake!” – Words to live by. Thank you Nancy Meyers!
Also, Diaz reminds me of a young Ellen Barkin in this movie. Just sayin’.
Watched: 10/21/2018
Notable Song: Just for Now by Imogen Heap
