Last Holiday

I saw this film with my mom, and we both loved every minute of it. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone loved it, because it was one of the only movies that everyone clapped at the end. Although it was often silly and predictable, it was absolutely hysterical and had a lot of heart.

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah), a worker at a supermarket, is a normal, shy and reserved person. She's afraid to talk to the guy she loves (Sean, played by LL Cool J), and she never does anything exciting. Within the first 15 minutes, you see her cook a wonderful looking meal which she cooked along with the show "Emeril", in which she takes a picture of and gives to her neighbor. She in turn eats a Lean Cuisine. These greatly affect the establishment of her character, so I give props to the writers.

She later hits her head and learns that she has a terminal disease and is going to die in 3 weeks. She is very sad at first, and goes back to her normal life for a day or two, when she finally looks at her possibilities book (a book with all the things she wish she would have eaten, vacations she wanted to go on, and fake pictures of her marrying Sean), and decides to go to the "Grandhotel Pupp" and live up her last three weeks.

Once at the hotel, she sees the senator of Louisianna (who was supposed to attend her church service) and Congressman Kragen, the owner of the chain of shops that she works at. She also meets the hotel staff, ranging from a mean housekeeper to a kind chef she had wanted to meet. That is where the humor really starts.

She completely splurges, getting the nicest room in the hotel and getting orders of everything in the restaurant, making everyone think she is a very important person. She also manages to get many different spa treatments and do many exciting things including snowboarding and base jumping.

You get all the humor of a typical Queen Latifah movie, with a lot of heart that will make you love the movie even more. The drama isn't really extremely big, but it really makes you enjoy the movie more. The best part of the movie, in my opinion, is when Georgia says "Next time... we will laugh more, we'll love more; we just won't be so afraid.". It makes you appreciate life and enjoy the movie. You will laugh, you may even cry, but you will leave the theater with a smile on your face.

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) is a shy reserved sales clerk, and an amateur chef. She has feelings for co-worker Sean Matthews (LL Cool J). When a CAT scan reveals a terminal illness, she cashes in everything to live it up in Europe at the Grandhotel Pupp where chef Didier (Gérard Depardieu) serves.

Queen Latifah exudes charisma and warmth which enlivens this old feel-good formula. It's fun, it's charming, and it's cliché. Timothy Hutton does a sleazy retail magnate. LL Cool J is very personable and sexy. Gérard Depardieu actually has fun acting opposite the Queen. In the end, any positivity comes from her beautiful personality. And that's what makes this such a delight.

Last Holiday is a feelgood movie. You know from the start there will be cheesy moments and a happy ending but it doesn't matter as you don't watch such a movie for surprises, nor to be intrigued. Those movies are made to make you feel good and that's exactly what it did. There is the right amount of joyful and sadful moments, so you will feel both emotions while watching Last Holiday. And it's not even spoiling that I tell you there is a happy end as there always is a happy end. That's why it's a feelgood movie. The cast was enjoyable to watch, especially Queen Latifah playing the main character. As for the comedy factor I had a couple good laughs, mostly in the well found repliques from Queen Latifah. Every now and a while everybody needs a movie like this one, something easy and pleasant to watch.

I had no idea I would enjoy myself so much! Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a shy, quiet, insecure frump, with a secret passion for cooking and for her co-worker, Sean (the most endearing character that L.L. Cool J. has ever played!). After hitting her head and suffering a concussion, Georgia has a cat-scan that reveals several brain tumors. With less than a month to live, Georgia takes all the money she has and treats herself to the European vacation of a lifetime. She flies first class, stays in the Presidential suite, eats the finest food, and lives like she was dying. "Last Holiday" is pure fantasy and pure fun, and it never takes death too seriously. Gerard Depardieu plays the delightful world-famous Chef Didier who equates Georgia's appetite for food with an exquisite appetite for life. "The meaning of life," he tells her, "is butter." So go treat yourself to this fun little film, get a large popcorn, and don't skip on the butter.

It is her film. not surprising. not only for splendid performance but for the good script, the perfect team job and, sure, for the life lesson, with all its paragraphs . a film about life, new beginning, joy and the way to transform the others. a comedy, off course. but little more than one of good emotions, recomfortant story. because it is a film of chemistry. between Depardieu and Latifah, between the role and Latifah. and one of beautiful virtues is the status of old fashion film. that film who, after long time of expectation, you discover. so, that is all.