From Private Benjamin to She's Gotta Give and many more, Nancy Meyers has given cinema some of the most prolific and thoughtful rom-coms ever made. The Holiday continues what she does best and I really think this is her masterwork. Fueled by the casting Grand Slam of Kate Winslett, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black, the two-hour fifteen minute film hardly seems that long and while none of these performances are necessarily nomination-worthy, Kate Winslett continues to blow me away with her skills and this is a Jack Black performance like none other, a perfect hybrid of his dramatic and comedic sides.
The plot is simple - two heartbroken women who just went thru break-ups decide to swap houses for the holidays and then each land up falling in love with one of the locals. A subplot involving Eli Wallach as an elderly Beverly Hills movie mogul whom Winslett helps and befriends is a nice dynamic to drive home the holiday compassion so it's not just about two sets of lovers. The locations for the houses are beautiful and I love the scene where Winslett first tours her new diggs in Beverly Hills and discovers she scored majorly in the swap.
A great holiday film for any audience really but particularly I could see this as a perfect choice for a ladies night kind of get-together. A big box office hit but receiver of mixed reviews overall, this is one of those where I scratch my head and wonder if people realize just what a great film this is. 4.0 stars/5 (told ya there would be some shockers, wait til you see #3!)
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