El descanso

Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) is a pushover for her ex (Rufus Sewell) and she's blindsided by his engagement. Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is tired of her cheating boyfriend (Edward Burns) and leaves her LA life for a few weeks. They use a vacation website to chat up a home exchange. During their vacation, they each fall for their own local guys.

It's a double rom-com. Jack Black is trying to be a romantic lead. He and Winslet make an odd couple. She's absolutely charming. He's not himself, and Eli Wallach is better as the lead. Jude Law is a more conventional choice for a leading man. He and Diaz work well together.

It's an unabashed chick flick. It does exactly what you expect it to do. It just does it twice. It explains the running time of over 2 hours. It's kinda corny and kinda formulaic, but it has its heart in the right place.

While this movie is not going to be a masterpiece and held up in the future as an example of "great" film making, it was, in my opinion, a well made, albeit predictable, movie.

I did appreciate the storyline was a bit of a formula, but it had enough in the sub plots to keep me interested all the way through.

I got what I expected and a little more from the lead characters, but was a little disappointed in the performance of Jack Black. I am a fan of Jack, but am seeing a lot of the same from him in his facial contortions. Even so the character was "lovable"! The real surprise for me was the whole "Arthur Abbott" (Eli Wallach) sub plot. It was delightful and saved the show from the malaise that plagues the romantic comedy, that being predictability.

I am not a romantic comedy type of guy, yet I was sucked into this movie well and truly.

As I left, I felt like I had been treated as a human being. I had not been assaulted by the violence, overt sexual references, gunfire and the explosions that seem to be everywhere. (Not that I don't like a good "shoot the baddies" or "indecent suggestive action" type of movie).

This was just good clean "fun"! And I would see it again (next year maybe!)

If you are expecting an epic cinematic masterpiece, then "The Holiday" is not for you. However, if you are looking for a light, entertaining movie, I would definitely recommend this film. While the previews were intriguing, I was thrilled to find that not every plot element was revealed before I even entered the theater. I completely enjoyed Kate Winslet as hopelessly devoted Iris. She was neurotic, a bit spineless, and absolutely winning. Although I do wish that her story had been developed more thoroughly. I felt a bit like her relationship was rushed through and the film spent a majority of the time focusing on Amanda (Diaz), Graham (Law), and their developing relationship. Despite the fact that I am not a huge Cameron Diaz or Jude Law fan, I was pleasantly surprised with their part of the story! Jack Black kept his character to an energetic hum rather than an explosion of crazy antics. You've just got to love that eyebrow! The scenery was beautiful! The supporting cast was hugely entertaining. I laughed out loud. The ending is fairly predictable. This is a romantic comedy after all. However, "The Holiday" is a great film for those of us who would like to suspend reality for a while and just enjoy. Go see it!

This somewhat odd but distinctly likable film involves two women, one in L.A. and one in London, both unhappy in love, who switch homes to shake up their lives.

The movie is often funny and sometimes touching, with solid performances from all. Perhaps the biggest issue is the absence of chemistry between Kate Winslet and Jack Black, which gives the movie a false note that could have been avoided if it wasn't so determined to follow the standard romantic comedy path. Winslet has much better chemistry with Eli Wallach, wonderful as an aged scriptwriter.

One interesting thing to note is Jude Law, whose handsome, empathetic, nurturing, understanding character could best be described as lady porn, plays the sort of role usually played by a woman: the perfect person, wonderful in every way, whose main role in the story is to allow the main character to transition to a new phase in their life.

It's not a great movie, and I don't love the structure, which simply involves cutting back and forth between two unrelated stories, but it's a nice feel-good chick flick thing that is perfect for days you don't want your brain to work too hard.

There are some romantic comedies that I don't like, but The Holiday is an exception. I found it sweet and very entertaining at times. The four stars, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black are very talented actors, and their performances take centre stage here. Kate Winslet was lovely as Iris, but I was really delighted with Cameron Diaz as Amanda, especially when she is seen wearing stilettos in the snow. At my first viewing the whole cinema were like "How does she do that?" I also thought their exchange on the phone was hilarious too. As the men, I really liked Jack Black as Miles, a perfect blend of subtlety and spirit. Jude Law, an actor who isn't always my cup of tea, does very well indeed, as Diaz's new friend Graham. This tells the story of two women who swap homes and make lifelong friends, or something along the lines of that. My sister has this on DVD and absolutely loves it. I have only two quibbles with this movie, the script is a little weak and frothy at times, and there are some places where the story is underdeveloped. Still a beautiful-looking and hugely enjoyable film. 8/10 Bethany Cox