Two woman find love by exchanging houses

Rating: 3/10 (23 November 2006)

Of the three Meyers films, "What Women Want," "Something's Gotta Give," and "The Holiday," 'Holiday' is the least creative and fulfilling as a movie. If you like Cameron Diaz, it's great, but for people who don't find her particularly attractive or a good actress, it's tedious. She was cute, but not an interesting character and it was hard to have empathy for a rich, spoiled movie industry person who is so unhappy and silly. Jude Law was wasted in this film. He looks great but his character is shallow and there is too much talk throughout about how 'complicated' they and their lives are. Kate Winslet is wonderful in this film but is cast aside for Diaz and Law. Jack Black, although not a leading man, is given his first chance to be one and is quite acceptable. Ms. Meyers runs out of ideas when she steals a scene from her earlier and superior film, "Something's Gotta Give," where Diaz does a less funny crying scene while trying to write, which Diane Keaton did so expertly. While I could sit through that film with its compelling characters again, I could not watch this one a second time. Choice of songs, as ever, adds to the drama, and the ending is taken straight from the great film, "Holiday Inn." I surmise this was the reason for its title, "The Holiday."