Lacking Gumption

Rating: 5/10 (24 December 2006)

Greetings again from the darkness. Writer/Director Nancy Meyers has always written her stories from purely a female perspective and because of this, she has had a very successful box office career in film ("Something's Gotta Give", "Father of the Bride", "Baby Boom" "Private Benjamin"). What is always lacking in her stories is any type of balance between the genders. "The Holiday" lags behind even the other films listed because here we are not even shown women with "gumption" (an ongoing gag in the film).
The formula here is two women, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, who are both successful professionals, but a mess in their personal lives. Perfect strangers, they agree to a two week house switch (L.A. and England) to escape their own lives. Yada, Yada, Yada, they find themselves and the love of their lives. Who would have guessed? Meyers basically castrates the Jude Law character (Diaz' love interest). He is as close to a woman as any non-trans-gendered man can get. Then for some unknown reason she casts physical comedian Jack Black as Winslet's dream boat. Then she evidently directed him to "act like Jack Black on valium". He tries to be funny, but mostly he just looks like a lame Jack Black impersonator. Not much to say about Cameron Diaz other than she is just plain awful here. There has to be more to acting than flashing your blue eyes and flipping your silky blonde hair. Her scenes with Jude Law are excruciating to watch for any self-respecting MAN ... and should be the same way for any woman.
Kate Winslet was just phenomenal in this years' "Little Children". It showed she is as good as any actress working today. That makes her part in this even more painful; however, I will say her scenes with Eli Wallach are what keep the film from being a total flop. Winslet has this aura of goodness and she comes across very sincere. The great Eli Wallach has a sparkle in his eye and steals every scene he is in. What a pleasure to watch a true pro at his best.
Having just seen Almodovar's "Volver", it provided a terrific contrast between filmmakers who write about women. Almodovar has true insight into strong women and insecure women, while Meyers just writes about women as if they are characters in romance novels. Evidently that is the difference between art and box office power.