A bit boring but some very good acting

Rating: 4/10 (10 June 2007)

The Holiday was directed by Nancy Meyers (Father Of the Bride, Something's Gotta Give). She is the type that takes a love story and builds a 2hr movie around it. It worked with Something's Gotta Give, but The Holiday it did not. This movie dragged on longer a C-Span debate.
I know Meyers tries to make some sort of moral point about love in her films but I don't know what the point of this film was.
I found myself not laughing much while watching this, instead trying to figure out some of the terminology used during the Hannika scenes. Sorry but I don't know these words and don't find them funny.
There are highlights here. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet are adorable. Jude Law was very sweet in this film, showing a nice side to him.
As for Jack Black - well I don't know what to say. Here's a guy getting beautiful women and I just don't buy it. I find his 1 liners not to be so funny.
The movie is basically about Diaz and Winslet switching homes for Christmas. Diaz, a focused over-worked business owner travels to the UK to spend her Christmas away from all men. Instead, within 1 day of being there she meets Jude Law. They are a convincing together.
Winslet travels to Diaz's home in LA CA. She is very charming with her English accent. She struggles at times to make a connection with Jack Black, and this is where I feel Nancy Meyers really tried to hard to make them connect. I was not, and still am not convinced that these 2 would even be interested in each other.
There is a character in the film played by Shelley Berman. I'm not sure why this character is in the film. He seems to be obsessed with new Hollywood and stuck in the past. I'm not saying he played his role badly, but instead played a bad role. I usually find old men in films to be easy to connect with - instead I was bored to death.
Near the end of the film one of the last scenes is Winslet taking Berman to an award show honoring him. This scene is totally unnecessary and I'm just not sure what the thought process was here with this.
This is not a love story movie, not a really heart felt movie.
I think the film would have been much more of a success if this was about Diaz and Law falling in love. Their story does have a connection and you can feel it.
This film is about 2:10mins too long.
I give it a thumbs down.