The Holiday--A Movie Review

Movie: The Holiday
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach
Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Iris (Kate Winslet) needs to get away. Her job as a "wedding reporter" for the Daily Mail in London has made her a hopeless romantic and that includes still being in love with her old boyfriend Jasper (Rufus Sewell.) Forget that he cheated on her, she still loves the guy....and yet, when she receives news that Jasper is engaged, Iris knows that she has to try to rebuild a life on her own. So, she looks up switching houses with someone--and she decides on Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a movie trailer developer in LA.

Amanda needs to get away herself. Her boyfriend just cheated on her; she is feeling burned out by her job. So she heads on over to Surrey and Iris's quaint little home. However, while both women have sworn off romance, Christmas has a way of bringing it about. For Amanda, it is in the form of Iris's brother, Graham (Jude Law). For Iris, it is in the form of Amanda's friend, Miles (Jack Black). These two women are in for quite a vacation.

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I knew practically nothing about this film a few months ago. But on the recommendation of a good friend of mine, I gave it a try. I do not have an aversion to watching wintertime movies in the middle of August. Actually, it was like I was on vacation and I could use another one of those. Some moments watching this show, I felt like I was in snowy England, curling up beside the fire. Other times, I felt like I was in sunny LA, driving down Sunset Boulevard and talking to Eli Wallach. It was such fun.

The cast was of great enjoyment to me. Kate Winslet is the type of actress that I think the likes of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford would have been proud of; she is very serious about her craft and good at it. Cameron Diaz did very well and somehow, I was able to think of her as something other than A-Rod's girlfriend ;-) Jude Law....I have added him on my "Good Looking Guy" list. Yep. I will leave it at that. And Jack Black, well, he surprised me. For a girl who had only seen him in "Nacho Libre," this was a very welcome change! There were many scenes that brought a giddy smile to my face and you honestly root for the good in all of these characters to come out. And the addition of Eli Wallach as a writer from Hollywood's Golden Age is something this girl LOVED.

However, they are human people. There is some content. No violence exists in this film. Language is quite a bit of British "curse words" and I believe one "f" word. (I didn't hear it, but every movie review site says it is in there.) Sexual content does exist in regards to Amanda and Graham. They two are very willing to have a friends with benefits type of relationship...and it happens twice. I skipped the two scenes, so I can't tell you how long they were. Sorry. I don't watch that type of junk...that being said, there is more to their relationship than meets the eye. Iris and Miles, on the other hand, have zero issues. They have a sweet, almost vintage take to the relationship; it is something quite refreshing to see.

You probably are surprised that I have this movie on here. I am taking the approach to movies that I wish many people would do. I want several opinions about a movie before I go and watch it. I want to get numerous sources on content....and so I am not going to shirk from hiding some of what I view. I have many, many standards; there is MUCH I do not watch...but this was a cute movie. Minus one or two issues, I definitely say take a holiday with The Holiday.