The Holiday Reviews

[Highly rated reviewer]

Don't be a sad and lonely man without feelings or romance...be strong enough to watch this.

An enjoyable film about love and romance, along the lines of 4 Weddings and a Funeral or Love Actually. Some touching moments and quite funny in places. Well acted and well written.

Shame that some have termed it a 'chick flick' or 'girl movie', particularly as many romances and love stories and even relationships in the real world, involve men too.

Only for Readers of Heat Magazine!

My husband insisted we had to see this as soon as it came out in the cinema...what I do for the sake of my marriage! It was so ridiculous that it had me squirming around in my seat. Every character is a cliche right out of grade Z Mills and Boon type schlock. We have Jude Law as dedicated home-loving Daady of two little girls. Cameron Diaz as a high powered film trailer executive--can you really get your mind around that?!! Kate Winslet as the poor thing devastated by a love rat played by Rfus Sewell...and then there's Jack Black...JACK BLACK?!!! What the heck is he doing in this? He looks sweatily uncomforatble throughout..he looks like he was sewn into his trendy duds and that his only comfort was one big motha paycheck at the end of the ordeal. To give you an example of the assinine plot; Jude Law, a total stranger, turns up on the isolated rural doorstep of Cameron Diaz's character at about 1 in the morning, and about 5 minutes later, they're sleeping together, and involved in a totally 'real' relationship...oh please! Kate Winslet's character is utterly tiresome, and the uber-cutesy realtionship she strikes up with the elderly super-star director neighbour is nauseating. The entire mess is so contrived and awful...I guess if will fulfil some people's needs!

OK

I like a good rom-com, despite being male, but was a bit disappointed with this one. I know you generally have to suspend disbelief when watching films of the genre, but it's asking rather a lot when the girls live in caricatures of houses - snow-covered cottage & sun-drenched mansion - and the UK scenes are rather cringeworthy with some suspect non-UK dialogue for the English characters. The film seemed to improve a bit as it went along, and its well-over-2-hours length didn't bother me which I suppose says something. For me the LA scenes were the most convincing, but I would have liked to see more of the Jack Black character which was not developed to anything like the extent of the Jude Law one. Recommendation is simple, as follows:

If you're a girl - rent it, you'll love it.

If you're a bloke - rent it if you fancy Cameron and/or Kate, otherwise avoid.

Already on my 2007 Christmas list!

This film is wonderful! I am quite partial to a good old romantic comedy and knew 'him indoors' wouldn't be dragged to see it. Even I could see from the ad that it looked particularly twee and cheesy so I grabbed my girlie mates and we went just before Christmas. The film was brilliant! I love Cameron Diaz and Jude Law has now knocked Ben Affleck off my number one spot since watching him in Closer and now in this. He is such a perfect gentleman! Kate Winslet portrayed the feeling of unrequited love brilliantly and we could all relate to her (casting my mind back to when Chris Hobson ripped up my Valentines card at school!) We have all been there! A lovely sentimental film along the lines of Love Actually and Bridget Jones. Girls, go see it!

Eye Candy!

Watched this as a free preview and thought it was well worth the money!

I think Cameron & Kate are great, and Jude Law (he could almost be forgiven for his cheating ways after seeing how hot he looked in this movie!)

It did go on for a long time, but I only noticed that after the film had finished. I would deffo recommend. A real nice movie for Christmas

A trip to forget.

If you like heart warming, intelligent, romantic comedies, then avoid this film.

It lacks any of the wit or sparkle of say, Notting Hill or As Good As It Gets, and unlike those films its hard to root for these cardboard cut out characters.

There are constant references to old movies, snappy dialogue, Cary Grant, the sort of films that aren't made any more, and judging by The Holiday they really can't make them like they used to.

On top of that it is sooo long. If it was an hour shorter it may have been acceptable, but its epic length left me hating every second of this lazy, flabby, manipulative 'comedy'.

All of the actors have done infinitely better work, especially a extremely subdued Jack Black, rent School of Rock, There's Something About Mary, or Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind instead.

As for The Holiday, watch the trailer, look at the poster, it tells you all you need to know, there is nothing at all to be gained from watching the film.

Be warned.

[Highly rated reviewer]

What they need is a holiday in Cambodia

Ten reasons to loathe The Holiday;

1:Cameron Diaz , or rather her character Amanda , I am presuming here that Miss Diaz is nothing like her goofy hyperactive immature character. However Miss Diaz must take some of the blame I feel because Amanda rather that being endearing is so annoying that you want to go at her with cheese graters and vicious sharp instruments revolving at 40,000RPM.That would also help resolve the tacked on issue of her not being able to cry and would thus save us her protracted relationship with ……

2: Jude Law. So insufferably smug he makes that guy with the square head off “Dragons Den” look like Emo Phillips. He talks throughout the entire film like he’s trying to melt a nugget of tarmac in his mouth and is too causally handsome by far and his character Graham is wetter than A Worcester groundskeepers socks. .And yes that is me being jealous .

3: Iris (Kate Winslett) idyllic chocolate box cottage in Surry . I know this is a fluffy romantic comedy type thing but that cottage is more fairytale than lovers tale.

4: Snow at Christmas in England …c’mon …if it had been twanging it down or just horribly murky and misty or even sunny and crisp that would have been acceptable , but it’s Nancy Meyers so we are back to that fairy tale.

5:Jack Black : Horrendously miscast and looking half the time ,so embarrassed I kept expecting him to flash that devilish grin and slink out of frame apologising . His character Miles is likable enough and does know a good score when he hears one but Black is not a romantic lead ..unless it’s a twisted Farrelly brothers caper or something similar.

6: Why are the characters in these films always middle class professional s with jobs in film , the media , publishing etc? Why couldn’t Graham have been a welder or a plumber (Then you’d have had to rename him Steve or Mick but so what)Miles could have been the gardener or pool guy but Meyers isn’t interested in real people , just soft focus ciphers that exist in her world.

7: The Iris / Arthur (Eli Wallach) thing .Why is it there.? What is the point? It slows the film up and serves no purpose other than to show us how sweet Iris is but that could have achieved far easier and more importantly quicker by having her chat to the postman or the gardener . Then I twigged that Arthur represents Meyers old school mentality and love of 50,s film making .Arthur , an old time Hollywood script writer is her being venerated on screen. The appalling egotism of it.

8:Even taking into account the superfluous Iris /Arthur storyline the film is still too long .130 minutes for a romantic comedy .It, a least 30 minutes too . 90 minutes maximum is all that’s needed for fluff like this.

9;I presume this was meant to be a romantic comedy .It’s romantic in that Mills & Boon completely trite and unrealistic way that most of these films are but that’s to be expected. However it’s just not funny . The script is lamer than a horse that’s just gone arse over fetlock at Beeches Brook .

10: How come the car that can’t take Amanda down the lane to Dingley Dell Cottage or whatever it’s called when she first arrives can manage to get down there to pick her up? Okay this is trivial but it’s the this sort of lack of attention to detail that grates with me.

Having got that out of my system I must profess I didn’t hate this film as much as I would. Kate Winslett is superb and under used . Jack Black is miscast but tries his best and Eli Wallach is great -though I maintain his character is surplus to requirements. The house swap premise is simple , believable but effective , it’s just the settings and some of the characters -notably at the English end of the plot that let it down. With a severe re-write and even more severe editing there could have been a half decent film here. Ohh and they’d have had to ditch Meyer too ,Basically , if the film had realised it was set in the 21st century and not the 1940/50,s of the last one it would have resonated with more truth and poignancy. Still one thing it did get spot on .The soundtrack to “The Mission” is a work of genius.

Cliche Rubbish

Crap Chick flick! I can enjoy bridget Jones & Four Weddings with the gals, but this was really crap, full of every cliche going. DON'T BOTHER TO WATCH THIS

[Highly rated reviewer]

sweeeeeeet

A transatlantic romance. Is it for the US market? Is it for the UK market? It's for the airhead market.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Oh wow.. we love this film....

This is a romantic comedy.. I'm sure it says so clearly on the tin...so if you don't like rom-coms then be warned and stay clear !. If you have the faintest heartbeat and do like them, then dive in with both feet. This is one of the lovelyest, warmest, most wonderfully uplifting, sentimental films you could imagine. A lesser film will sometimes try to woo you in with a more cliche'd syrupy schmaltz, this one creeps up on you and does it with guile - before you know it you'll be right in the thick of it - and as warm as fresh toast. One thing we did wonder about at first, the inclusion of Jack Black, and he does take a little getting used to, as you still see him as crazy 'Jack Black' - but he has no problems here joining in with the whole thing. All in all, if you like your movies sweet, then this is a caster sugar dusted, double Belgian chocolate dipped feast, and you should absolutely, positively, definately see it, right now, stop reading this and watch it... (are we being too subtle... you want us to provide the hankies for you... dont waste any more time...get up, go see it ).