Holiday With This.

Rating: 9/10 (4 March 2016)

The Holiday (2006): Dir: Nancy Meyers / Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach: Feel-good romantic comedy about escaping emotional stress and embracing new challenges and successes. Cameron Diaz plays a Hollywood producer who just ended a bad relationship. Kate Winslet learns at an office Christmas party that the guy she always fancied is engaged. Crushed, both women decide to swap houses for the holiday. Directed by Nancy Meyers who made a film of similar nature called Something's Gotta Give where two opposites end up sharing space. Here she goes beyond typical clichés and creates two subplots that contain surprise developments such as the fact that Law has two special girls in his life. Diaz and Winslet are perfectly matched and play off the humour well. Jude Law plays Winslet's brother whom romances Diaz thus arising certain questions. Jack Black turns up and strikes up a friendship with Winslet and shares his love for music and movie scores. Eli Wallach makes an appearance as an aged Hollywood screenwriter whom Winslet befriends. While some elements are predictable, such as its turn out, it is still entertaining with many funny moments. It is easily one of Nancy Meyers's best films in a long line of romantic comedies. It stresses the need to get away from stress and seek new opportunities. Score: 9 / 10