Huang Lim / 23 December 2024 / Categories: Movie and TV Shows, Movie

The HolidayThe Movie

This year I came off Instagram. After 10 years or so posting, commenting, trying to build a network I gave up principally because I have two broadcast feeds I didn’t want to be disturbed by anymore and no matter how hard I tried I could not get rid of them. I don’t know how I subscribed to E! entertainment but they post so much, I am so sick of the notifications, I cannot switch them off so I gave up.

It’s the Holiday so I did take a cheeky peak at Instagram to be poked by E! to be asked if I’d watched “The Holiday” and yes

I watched the last third last night.

For anyone who hasn’t watched “The Holiday” (I don’t know how that would be possible if you reside in the western hemisphere (it’s the kind of feel good Christmas/Hannukah movie you can watch over and over again. Think It’s A Wonderful Life, Scrooge (the Alister Sims version) White Christmas, Shrek. It’s a comforting, easy to watch familiar movie, beautiful people, beautiful setting, good clothes and the ultimate cheesy love story happy ending even for the ultimate people pleasing drip of a female Iris played to Oscar worthy perfection by Kate Winslet.

The attraction for so many of us, I believe, whilst we watch publishing assistant Iris internalising her missteps as she is mistreated by a lathario in the office and makes the bold move of spending Christmas alone in a strangers home (a house swap) half way across the world in Los Angeles, we women, see ourselves being the same complete idiot in some form another.

The other female lead Amanda Woods played by as willowy as she is beautiful, Cameron Diaz, shows us ladies, the other side of our female failing, being successful in life. Amanda is a creator of Hollywood movie trailers, works 30 hours a day and after discovering her gorgeous beau played by Edward Burns has slept with someone else decides on spending Christmas alone, in Iris’s idyllic commuter belt cottage in England.

The best part of the movie for me is the chance meeting of Iris and decorated Hollywood screen writer Arthur Abbott played by Eli Wallach and the fresh way an unusual friendship forms from mutual desperation and brutal honesty. There’s something super real and touching. And no one can act feeling stupid better than Kate Winslet. When she slaps her own face I think it’s one of the funniest scenes I’ve ever watched.

I was about to say it’s the type of film Nancy Meyers would write, It’s Complicated and Something Gotta Give and then when I went to look who actually wrote it, surprise surprise it was Nancy Meyers.

Rufus Sewell plays a brilliant slippery love interest for Iris, Jasper who she finally deals with after “Gumption” training from Arther. Jack Black plays Miles a friend & movie trailer colleague of Amanda’s who like Iris is the people pleasing Hollywood creative, not the best looking, but definitely the most talented being walked all over by his drop dead actress girlfriend Maggie, and crying on Iris’s broad and super tolerant shoulders.

And not forgetting the love interest for Ms Diaz, the equally edible Jude Law playing delectable Graham, Iris’s brother who turns up unannounced to crash on Iris’s sofa after a skin full down the pub and encounters ball busting cannot cry Amanda in stead. A few twists and turns, there is a surprise I won’t spoil when Amanda jumps to the completely wrong conclusion.

There are some very cute scenes between them which reminded me of being on a movie set as a kid in 2001 Vanilla Sky starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. I wanted to meet the stars and remember noting how tall she was and how short he was especially when they had to kiss. And I wondered if Jude Law had to stand on a box to kiss Cameron too.

Regardless, it’s a Hollywood illusion in all its glory, a lovely film. It’s cheesy, with a side of mozzarella but hey Nancy Meyers is America’s answer to Richard Curtis. If you like Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings you’ll love the Holiday.

P.S. Anyone who can help removing a broadcast feed on Instagram, I’ve already read and tried from online instructions with no success.