The Holiday (2006)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Writer (WGA):

Nancy Meyers (written by)

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Two women troubled with guy-problems swap homes in each other's countries, where they each meet a local guy and fall in love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Editor | House | Book | Composer

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 11	7:00 PM	TBS
Sat. July 11	11:30 PM	TBS

Cast

Cameron Diaz	...	Amanda Woods
Kate Winslet	...	Iris Simpkins
Jude Law	...	Graham Simpkins
Jack Black	...	Miles
Eli Wallach	...	Arthur Abbott
Edward Burns	...	Ethan
Rufus Sewell	...	Jasper Bloom
Miffy Englefield	...	Sophie
Emma Pritchard	...	Olivia
Sarah Parish	...	Hannah
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Maggie
Bill Macy	...	Ernie
Shelley Berman	...	Norman
Kathryn Hahn	...	Bristol
John Krasinski	...	Ben

Also Known As:

Amours longue distance (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
El descanso (Mexico) (Peru) [es]
El descanso - El amor no se toma vacaciones (Argentina) [es]
Holiday (Poland) [pl]
L'amore non va in vacanza (Italy) [it]
Les vacances (Canada: French title) [fr]
Liebe braucht keine Ferien (Germany) [de]
O Amor Não Tira Férias (Brazil) [pt]
O Amor não Tira Férias (Portugal) [pt]
Puhkus (Estonia) [et]
Tatil (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
The Holiday (Greece) [el]
The Holiday (France) [fr]
Vacaciones (Spain) [es]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:MG6 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | Norway:A | Finland:K-7 | Australia:M | Brazil:10 | Hong Kong:IIA | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:13 | Germany:o.Al. | Portugal:M/12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42016) | France:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | Peru:PT | New Zealand:M | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Iris and Miles are browsing in the video store there is a cameo by Dustin Hoffman just after Jack Black performs the theme from The Graduate (1967) and in the next shot the movie cover right between Iris and Miles is Marathon Man (1976) both starring Hoffman.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Winslet and Black are in the video store, a shot behind Winslet is labelled as a rack with "Drama" but you can clearly see the films "13 Going On 30" and "10 Things I Hate About You" which are obviously not drama films.

Quotes:

Graham: Long distance relationships can work, you know.
Amanda: Really? I can't make one work when I live in the same house with someone.

Movie Connections:

References Elling (2001)

Soundtrack:

Are You Gonna Be My Girl

Good to pass a rainy day

Although this isn't my typical pick on movies I'd love to see, I have to say I enjoyed screening this one. The run time is a bit long, and the movie gets a bit soft in the middle, but considering you're actually watching two love stories (as opposed to one), I guess the run time is justified. It still seemed a bit forced to get the story told in a descent amount of time (still over two hours). The performances were moderate to good, with exception of Jude Law as Graham, who was wonderful.

If you're tired of holiday films that are so stacked with so much Christmas cheer that it makes you sick, this is the perfect alternative. Light enough for some serious laughs, and with enough drama to keep it interesting to audiences, this one's a good date movie. Leave the kids with a sitter. There are a few adult themes that could be uncomfortable to try to explain to a younger one.