Disappointing and Bland

Rating: 3/10 (16 December 2006)

The Holiday is a sad excuse for a romantic comedy, with very little romance and even less comedy.
The main plot of the movie revolves around Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz's characters switching homes for the holiday, allowing each to meet their obvious love interests. The predictable plot would be far less painful if the actresses were given something to work with in the script. Sadly, the dialog is clunky and without wit, and while Winslett struggles to rise above the material, Diaz flounders. By the middle of the movie, her scenes are painful to watch, and one can only hope that the scene switches back to Winslet's character, whose scenes with the elderly screenwriter are genuine and sweet.
The men exist only as romantic foils, and Jude Law plays this part well, managing to exude some charm and playing believably off of Diaz, despite their lack of chemistry. Jack Black, on the other hand, probably shouldn't have even bothered with this movie at all. His comedic lines are generally unfunny, and as a romantic partner, he is given essentially nothing to do. If you were hoping to see Jack Black branch out as a romantic lead, don't bother with The Holiday.
In the end, The Holiday doesn't earn the title of romantic comedy, and ends up being another piece of cliché chick flick fluff. Lovers of the genre would be better off renting Love Actually, French Kiss, or His Girl Friday for their holiday entertainment.