Love it but it could have been better

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2011)

I first saw this in the theatre, and loved it. Then I watched it at home and watched all the extra features. This is when I started to realize all the places it could have been made better.
There are several story lines that could have been dropped and several expanded with the deleted scenes, but I won't go into that here.
But the particular sequence that I thought could have been better was when Emma Thompson is called to the school because of her son's story about - flatulence! It was very funny, but could have been so much better. Instead of going along with the principal, she should have burst out laughing and pretended to be hugely relieved that she had been called in to admire his work instead of to censure him. Then she should have openly taken him out to lunch to reward him.
Then there is the Colin Firth segment - also very enjoyable. But how much better it might have been if the homely overweight sister had been his housekeeper, with whom he fell in love. And the scene where he meets the wrong sister (now played by the gorgeous actress) would be played exactly the same way - with him recoiling in horror. This would make love really blind, and take the sting out of the fat jokes.
Nevertheless, it's one of my favourite holiday classics.