Last Holiday

Plot synopsis:
George Bird (Guinness), an ordinary, unassuming salesman of agricultural implements, visits a physician for a routine check-up and is told he has Lampington's Disease, a newly identified condition which allows him only a few weeks to live. He accepts the doctor’s advice to take his savings and enjoy himself in the little time left to him. A bachelor with no family or friends, Bird decides to spend his last days at an up-market residential hotel among its elite clientele.
Bird’s unassuming attitude generates a great deal of interest among the hotel's residents. He is seen as an enigma to be solved, with wild speculations offered as to his identity and possible noble lineage. The hotel's housekeeper (Walsh) guesses the truth, and Bird confides his secret to her. Bird quickly acquires friends and influence, falls in love (possibly for the first time in his life), sets wrongs to right, and is offered lucrative business opportunities. But these successes only serve to make him reflect on the irony that he will have no time to enjoy them.
During a strike by the hotel's staff, Bird comes into contact with Sir Trevor Lampington (Thesiger), the doctor after whom Lampington's disease was named. Lampington insists that Bird cannot possibly have the disease as he has no symptoms, and contacts the hospital to ask them to check. Just as the hospital discover their error Bird enters and it is confirmed that he indeed was given the wrong diagnosis. Overjoyed, he is ready to begin life afresh with his new sweetheart, friends and business opportunities. In a twist ending, however, he is killed in a car accident on the way back to the hotel, whilst taking a short-cut through the sleepy village of Fallow End. Meanwhile, the hotel guests, having learned the truth about Bird's identity and misdiagnosis, quickly begin to cast aspersions on him, but are interrupted with the news that he has died, which silences their gossip.

Tags: suicidal

Review:
Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a shy, quiet, insecure frump, with a secret passion for cooking and for her co-worker, Sean (the most endearing character that L.L. Cool J.
Georgia, the main character played by Queen Latifah, was living a very dull and boring life and suddenly, she realized that there was more to life than working all day and eating microwave dinners.
The scenery - and Queen Latifah's wardrobe - were breathtaking and most important, this movie was ENTERTAINING and these days, there are very few films that you can say that about.
Currently, we have our fair share of pointless actions films (absent of any plot and decent script) or films that are trying to take themselves too seriously or films that are too dark and downbeat or films which try to be funny but are not so it was a pleasure to go with my family recently to see Last Holiday.Queen Latifah comfortably heads a cast who delivered solid, believable performances across the board (and some new faces to me).
OK, the story was a bit contrived and some sequences were a bit far fetched (the snow board ride for instance) but it was a great deal of fun.The story, which looked at people's aspirations and dreams and the need to take every day as it comes, to enjoy life to the full (as we don't know what is round the corner) was played out with great passion and skill.
Although it was often silly and predictable, it was absolutely hysterical and had a lot of heart.Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah), a worker at a supermarket, is a normal, shy and reserved person.
She is very sad at first, and goes back to her normal life for a day or two, when she finally looks at her possibilities book (a book with all the things she wish she would have eaten, vacations she wanted to go on, and fake pictures of her marrying Sean), and decides to go to the "Grandhotel Pupp" and live up her last three weeks.Once at the hotel, she sees the senator of Louisianna (who was supposed to attend her church service) and Congressman Kragen, the owner of the chain of shops that she works at.
She also manages to get many different spa treatments and do many exciting things including snowboarding and base jumping.You get all the humor of a typical Queen Latifah movie, with a lot of heart that will make you love the movie even more.
Queen Latifah play Georgina Byrd, a New Orleans saleswoman who learns that she only has a few weeks to live, so she decides to use her remaining time to take a dream vacation to a European resort.
This version is more escapist humor but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie just not as effective as the original.What really makes Last Holiday something is Queen Latifah.
There were some other supporting characters that were funny like Susan Kellerman as Gunther.Despite the film's good nature and warm feelings, it was still too cheesy at times.
In the end, this warm, good spirited movie is worth checking out if you like Queen Latifah.
Queen Latifah (in her 25th film since debuting in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever") glows with warmth, dignity, gentle confidence and a fine comic sensibility as the central character, Georgia Byrd, a salesclerk in a New Orleans chain discount supermart, who learns she will soon die of a rare brain disease.She scares up all the cash she can in order to blow it on a luxury dream trip to a Swiss ski chalet, where she meets a variety of locals and some powerful folks from back home.
I actually ended up watching the DVD of this movies 3 times and I smiled throughout the film and laughed each time.
This is a good romantic comedy, a "feel good movie" (a remake of "Last Holiday" with Alec Guinness from Ealing Studios in 1950), highly recommended for those who want to see a movie about how you can crab every day of your life to make it a great experience.
With good performances from Queen Latifah, Timothy Hutton and an especially amusement cameo from Gerard Depardieu.
Just like the principal theme of this movie, itself, the thing that makes a romantic comedy good is not the destination, but the journey.
This movie has the typical beginnings of a typical Romantic Comedy but after the main Character learns that she is diagnosed with a terminal illness due to a (dog scan) Cat Scan she all of a sudden throws everything to wild abandon since she realizes she has just weeks top live; quits her job, tells all the jerks off, abandons her family and goes to a high profile resort community after she liquidates her retirement money to live it up like no one's business since she has been led to believe that every day might as well be her last.She makes genuine friends at the exclusive hotel where she has taken the executive suite and all the other guests think she is someone she is not including the politician from her region whom she meets and calls out.
Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a small life but has big dreams.
But Queen Latifah delivers such a good performance and I really like her, she makes the movie better.
If you listen closely you'll even discover what the "secret of life" is.Queen Latifah knows a good part when she sees one and her scenes with Gérard Depardieu had me smiling.
I don't know how they managed to pull a good actor like Gérard Depardieu into this.Well if you're a lonely housewife desperately looking for a predictable, corny love/comedy movie and you can't tell a good movie apart from a bad one than please, by all means, watch this.
I just picked up the movie on a hunch that it would be a feel good movie for a lazy Saturday night.It turned out much more than that - in fact really wonderful.Its well paced, with good laughs placed at right intervals and an inspiring story line which leaves you yearning to live life king size once again...........I loved the movie for the fact that it was a good watch - but loved it more because it helped me to feel good about life itself..........Folks who love only watching award winning movies & serious movies etc etc & like to feel superior because they do not share the same tastes as us poor mortals - go with an open mind, a smile & a big bag of popcorn - & u will love it !!!
At one point in the film someone calls Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) the "ultimate existentialist" for living the way she decides to start living.
In believe Queen Latifah can do no wrong she is not only the hilarious but beautiful, and this was not the best movie she has been in for sure.
"Last Holiday," a remake retrofitted for Queen Latifah ("Chicago," "Beauty Shop"), is one of those movies.
Queen Latifah explored some new territory in this film and I honestly believe she has come out of it a much better person.The story is simple, a fairly shy young women finds out she has around a month to live, it is only now that she truly starts to live.
This movie is all together a wonderful movie to watch...and is great for all ages in my eyes...honestly this is not my favorite selection of genre...but I just love this movie...there are so many hidden funny parts that you really don't notice until you've seen it a few times...this film can also bring up your spirit if you're feeling down...check it out....
Most people think Queen Latifah was the best thing about this movie, but quite frankly, she is the one major flaw..
Yet I've never met a black woman that acts like this stereotype.The movie itself was actually pretty decent, and I felt that most of the cast did a great job with the material which made it better.
In 'Last Holiday' Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a woman who has big dreams.
What I mean by that is that from the very start, when we see Queen Latifah and her romantic interest interact, I actually saw chemistry between them and thought they belonged together, and I hoped they would become an item --- versus so many romantic comedies I have seen where witty scripting seems more important than chemistry and a feeling of authenticity in the bond between the romantic partners.I came out of this movie feeling really satisfied, like I had a hearty meal versus mass produced Hollywood popcorn fluff.
It shows she has a solid relationship with God---which we all feel we have (or are achieving)~!We liked seeing a black woman in an international arena and left the movie charged--especially because it's the beginning of a new year--to try something totally different.
Answering with humor the old time classic question "what would you do if you had one month to live?", the movie takes you to a beautiful fun trip into the rich people's world, with Georgia Byrd a very adorable and believable character, that has many good life lessons to pass through, and many laughs to give with her originality..
Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah and LL Cool J is very fun, cute, and enjoyable.
When a CAT scan reveals a terminal illness, she cashes in everything to live it up in Europe at the Grandhotel Pupp where chef Didier (Gérard Depardieu) serves.Queen Latifah exudes charisma and warmth which enlivens this old feel-good formula.
I have always loved Queen Latifah and LL Cool J because of there music, but know I like them even more because they are so diverse.
Queen Latifah (I guess thats how you spell her name) did a good job playing a middle class women who needed more than a little push to go after her dreams.
In fact, I never did laugh but I enjoyed the message which is "Live life to the fullest." I personally can relate to that.A few things did get on my nerves such as when Queen Latifah's character was hit in the head by LL Cool J.
If you like Queen Latifah than you will enjoy this film.
That opinion may change a little after viewing her latest effort, "Last Holiday," a cute comedy about a dying woman who goes on a spending spree during her last few weeks on Earth.Basically, it's a remake of the 1950 Alec Guinness film (he was better), as well as Jerry Lewis' "Hook, Line & Sinker" (1969) in which he runs up thousands of dollars in expenses following a terminal diagnosis.Latifah is Georgia Byrd, a quiet, single, New Orleans woman who works as a sales representative in the cookware department of a local department store.
An accidental bump on the head, though, causes her cautious world to come tumbling down as an MRI reveals that she has the fatal "Lamingham's Disease," a previously undiagnosed malady that gives her just three weeks to live.Faced with her own upcoming mortality, and the fact that she has salted away a considerable sum of cash, Georgia decides to take the trip of her dreams, the Grandhotel Pupp in Czechoslovakia.There, she somehow charms her way into the hearts of a U.S. senator (Giancarlo Espisito, "Derailed"), a congressman (Michael Nouri, "The Terminal"), a world famous chef (Gerard Depardieu), and the mistress of the department store's owner (Alicia Witt, "The Upside Of Anger").Only the sleazy mogul, Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton, Oscar-winner for "Ordinary People") sees through her, but she bungles through, excelling at snowboarding  even though she has never done it before  and bank-jumping off a huge dam.Finally, Sean (who somehow had enough cash on hand to do so) makes the Transatlantic journey to find his beloved, about the same time as her doctor, Gupta (Ranjit Chowdhry), discovers some important news.
Queen Latifah has the likable personality and you just want her to win, all of the actors did well, LL Cool J, Gerard Depardeu, Giancarlo Espisito, Timothy Hutton, even the supporting, supporting cast like the doctors, the bellman, and the hotel staff.Definitely a must see..
Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a woman on her "Last Holiday" in this 2006 film also starring Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, L.L. Cool J, Alicia Witt, and Giancarlo Esposito.
LAST HOLIDAY is a rather lame remake of an old Alec Guiness comedy that stars Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd, a department store employee who finds out she's dying and decides to travel to Europe and blow all her money, not knowing her fantasy man/fellow employee (LL Cool J)has been fantasizing about her as much as she's been thinking about him.
Queen Latifah works very hard at making her Plain Jane character funny and believable, but her performance comes off as forced and annoying.
It was a feel good movie about living and loving that was done fairly well..
Georgia Byrd is a retail salesclerk who, as she herself puts it, "has lived her whole life in a box." When she receives the devastating news that she has only three weeks left to live, she cashes in her bonds and IRA fund and checks into a $4,000/day suite in a grand hotel in the Czech Republic, determined to indulge in the kind of pampered living she'd shielded herself from all her life.Based on the 1950 film starring Alec Guinness in the lead role, "Last Holiday" provides a showcase for the talented Queen Latifah, who delivers what is probably her most subdued and fully-rounded performance to date.
She has so many talents it makes your head spin.There IS a plot to the movie and I wish more people would live their whole life like she did when she knew she was going to die.
Georgia is diagnosed with a terminal illness that puts a time limit on her life, so she decides to make the most of it by taking and spending her life's savings and enjoying her last few days on earth while she can.Queen Latifah is so convincing in this role, she makes you feel her pain and she makes you appreciate life for what it is.
What a waste of Latifah's talents, and that of LL Cool J and Gerard Depardieu, who played one of the film's best characters..
Although this story line has been done a million times, it was still a highly enjoyable movie with a nice message and a few really good laughs.
The cast was enjoyable to watch, especially Queen Latifah playing the main character.
Queen Latifah stars in this average comedy about a home ware saleswoman named Georgia who has just been diagnosed with Lampington's disease and been told she only has three weeks to live.Devastated with this knowledge, Georgia decides to cash in on her savings and with this money she goes on her "last holiday" to enjoy the "last" few weeks of her life.Last Holiday has its moments of enjoyment mixed in with a few clichés and humor.
Queen Latifah has done better.We all know what the outcome is going to be, in fact I knew the very moment I heard about this film.
On are usual trip to block buster i saw the film in the comedy section, knowing the quality of work Queen Latifah puts in her movies like bringing down the house and my all time favorite film Set it off.
Most of the movie was predictable even the end and most of the acting was good but i still have two problems with the film.
Go see this movie with an open mind and don't think of Queen Latifahs previous films.
Formulaic but enjoyable comedy in which Queen Latifah is cast against type as an introverted department store sales clerk who quits her job, takes her retirement money out of the bank and goes on a lavish spree at a posh European spa after being informed that she has only three weeks to live, with hilarious and touching consequences.I saw the original 1950 version starring Alec Guiness on TV many years ago and knowing the ending (which, admittedly, is pretty easy to guess) didn't diminish my enjoyment of the remake at all.
a movie that made me cry, feel good and just a great story line.
I was expecting this movie to be a predictable feel-good happy ending type...and it was, but without Queen Latifah to carry it, it would have flopped on it's face.
It's a great feel good story, that will leave you with a smile on your face after you are done watching it, and I thought this pretty well made and written as well, plus Queen Latifah is full of charm!.
LL Cool J also adds a lot of fun to the movie, and I thought Latifah's own personal notebook was kind of cute, plus the scenes with her and Gérard Depardieu were very charming.
This is a surprisingly very enjoyable film, that's really quite cute, with an enjoyable story and a wonderful performance from Queen Latifah, I highly recommend this one for a watch in theaters!.
Queen Latifah is wonderful here, she is the movie, and carries it with her charm, it also helps that she's great in Comedy, she also had excellent chemistry with LL Cool J and played a character we care about, I loved her!
There is no actual plot line and the ending seems really rushed, although i like Queen Latifah i thought this film was disastrous.
Last Holiday (2006): Dir: Wayne Wang / Cast: Queen Latifah, L.L. Cool J., Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardiau, Alicia Witt: Warm and delightful comedy about chances and living.
Queen Latifah plays a cook who learns that she has only three weeks to live.
This is a good movie, and I enjoyed Queen Latifah in her starring role as a doomed (well, sort of) character on a final fling.