The Holiday

Rating: 4/10 (26 January 2010)

From director Nancy Meyers (The Parent Trap, What Women Want), I knew the four big stars of the film, and knew it was a Christmassy film, so naturally I thought I'd give it a chance. Basically in London, England, newspaper writer Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) has found out the man she had a big crush on, Jasper Bloom (A Knight's Tale's Rufus Sewell) is marrying another woman and doesn't care about her at all. In Los Angeles, America, movie trailer maker Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) has broken up with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan (Edward Burns) and wants to forget him, and is unable to physically cry. Looking at a house exchange website, Amanda comes across Iris's house, and they agree to swap houses for two weeks, during the Christmas holiday, so Iris gets Amanda's luxury mansion, and Amanda gets Iris's adequate cottage in Surrey. In Surrey, Amanda quickly meets, sleeps with and falls in love with Iris's brother Graham (Jude Law), while in L.A. Iris meets her famous next door neighbour, legendary screen writer, 90-year-old Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach), and film composer Miles Dumont (Jack Black). Amanda has trouble adjusting to the small changes living with Graham, learning he has children from his deceased wife, while Iris is enjoying getting to know about the life of Arthur, and hanging out a little with Miles. There is the point when Amanda leaves thinking she is making the right decision, but when she finally physically cries (and movie trailer narrator Hal Douglas welcomes her back) she knows it isn't, and goes back to Graham. Iris also has Jasper coming to the house, and Miles having his girlfriend asking him back, but she manages to get an honour for Arthur, announces she does not love Jasper anymore, and after ending it with his girlfriend, Miles asks Iris for a date. Also starring Nicholas Downs as Peter, Miffy Englefield as Sophie, Sarah Parish as Hannah and A Knight's Tale's Shannyn Sossamon as Maggie, with appearances from James Franco, Lindsay Lohan and Dustin Hoffman. Diaz and Law make a pretty good couple, but Winslet and Black only have chemistry as friends and are hardly seen looking like their going to fall in love at all, a slightly disappointing romantic comedy, but worth a look I guess. Okay!