Not enough of a good thing

Rating: 5/10 (2 December 2006)

The Holiday is a love story, as it turns out, about 'tinseltown' as Eli Wallach's character fondly remembers it. Yet another movie made for those in the industry...not to say that's necessarily a bad thing. But holiday season rom-com it isn't. While it is, at times enjoyable, it wastes most of its 2-plus hour run time.
Definitely less inspired than Myers's last two efforts, the Jude/Cameron story line is contrived and saccharine. The dog upstages both actors. Not that the actors weren't trying (kudos to Mr. Napkinhead)...the dialogue and plot feel like Lifetime Movie material. Though the Trailer bit was a fun idea, but the timing was often poor. And that awkward soundtrack edit during one of their romps. Awful.
Jack's role is very underplayed (I knew you had restraint in ya, Jack), making it marvelous, however the final edit hardly gives him the screen time to warrant the marketing of his match with Kate. She spends the majority of her shots with Eli Wallach or the shadow of Rufus Sewell, who the entire time exudes a pompous detachment, perhaps loathing that Jack Black got the lead, while he plays the 'bad' guy.
Kate's talent is hardly required for the role, but she does her best to flesh out the thin role, lighting up the little moments that make it worth 8 bucks. Still, the script mostly calls for her to just act weepy- not much for an Oscar worthy actress to dig her heels into. The moments that pair her with Jack are by far the highlight of this muddled long film. (Eli's aged screenwriter is, I'm sure, the real inspiration for the film. Myers's little pat on the back to herself. And her love of the word 'gumption'.) In all there are a handful of good -if not great- moments, but they are way too few and far between. If fact, I could probably edit the film down to a 10 second clip of Kate & Jack reacting to the idea that may this time, love won't be unrequited.
They needn't worry. They are the thing to love about this film.