A real winter charmer!

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2006)

Unbelievably, The Holiday is the only great romantic comedy this year since The Last Holiday, which came out almost a year ago. I did not think one could top it, The Break-Up was not a technical romcom, though it was good. When I saw the trailer for The Holiday, then the poster, and then found out who wrote and directed this movie was the excellent Nancy Meyers, I just knew, never had any doubt, I was going to love this movie. The reviews did worry me and one of my most trusted critics, Richard Roeper did not enjoy it, but I do not always follow the critics so my expectations were still quite high. The cast also had me hooked, I love Kate Winslet, but having Jack Black in a romantic comedy looking prim and proper and not acting silly and wild, was very intriguing, I wanted just to know how he felt in this role. One of my favorite, very favorite movies ever is Something's Gotta Give, so you can see were my high expectations came from, I am a huge fan of Meyers because she writes and directs such great romantic comedies.
The Holiday did not let me down one bit. When I was reading or listening to some of the reviews for the movie, the negative ones in particular talked about how formulaic the movie is. While watching, I have to agree it is a formulaic movie, and some instances are not very original which did have me worried, because most movies that are formulaic can't overcome that and end up being stuck in a "just another romcom, like the rest of them" zone, or they were just okay movies, and I didn't want a just okay movie. Now to give it credit, the film is not all formulaic, but when it is, boy is it ever. Now you're asking yourself, if it is formulaic, why are you giving it such a great grade. It is because of the cast and the way in which the movie was presented, both are such great strengths in the movie. The acting is not anything Oscar worthy but it so full of life, love and joy that you cannot help but be won over by these wonderful characters.
This by far has to be my favorite role for Jack Black, or second favorite comparing to him in School of Rock. He is not his wacky self, or him being wild and spastic, which his hardcore fans may not love, so go see Tenacious D if you are looking for the typical Jack, but here we have a completely different person. He is relaxed, he is full of joy and heart and he is just cool. He also has never looked better in a movie, very put together and looks very nice besides the stunningly beautiful and extra talented Kate Winslet who is just so relaxed and effortless in her role, you just love her automatically. Cameron Diaz, I am not the biggest fan of her in real life, but she is very good in this movie, in the beginning she is really awkward and bad, but she grows on you through out and you get a hold of her character and you end up knowing her like a friend. Jude Law is the typical woman's man, and he just stands there and looks good but his story, which well if you've seen it then you know it is really quite a turn, and not so generic or clichéd and I really, really admired it because it got to me.
The movie is also really, really excellently shot in both the U.K and L.A. It shows both of them really well, and England looks like a dream during Christmas time, also the house they used or cottage which is Kate's is very nice, and cozy. That is why I loved this movie, two separate stories with their own similarities, but entirely different because of the characters, who bring these heartfelt stories to life. This is a very girlie romcom and I am surprised I liked it so much, for the reason that I am a guy and I am not into the mushy romcoms that often. Though I have to admit this gets to you, it makes you cheer, it makes you laugh aloud and it makes you cry, it just makes you feel damn happy at the end, it has such a great and cheerful ending. It is sappy and it is somewhat formulaic, but it works so incredibly well and I really cherished this movie. This is the movie of the holiday season along with The Pursuit of Happiness & Charlotte's Web. It will make your holiday I swear, you must run out and see it.
Bottom Line: Cheerful, sappy, funny, and extremely charming, the Holiday is a winter charmer.
Review by Jordan Appugliesi, written for film site www.boxofficefanatic.com