“The Holiday”
It is Kate Winslet’s birthday today. She is 36 years old. She has been nominated for six Academy Awards and won one for “The Reader”. She is this generation’s Meryl Streep. And she is just lovely. I like her movies. She makes a lot of period pieces. But I really like the movie “The Holiday”.
Kate plays Iris, a writer who lives outside of London and is in love with a guy from work. He strings her along because she is a good editor and cheerleader. Then one day at an office party his engagement is announced. Iris decides to get out of town.
Iris: Really? I'm *so* aware of it.
Cameron Diaz, who is not one of my favorites, does her usual overacting here. Iris and Kate only share screen time for a few minutes, so it is bearable. She plays Amanda. Amanda lives in LA, owns her own company and has a really bad breakup. So she decides to trade houses and take a real vacation.
Iris and Amanda find each other online and soon are jetting off to their new locations.
Not long after they are in the other’s country they are meeting the locals. Iris meets a neighbor who happens to be a old Hollywood screenwriter with stories to tell. Eli Wallach plays Arthur Abbot who teaches Iris about gumption.
Iris: What? Why I'm bothering you with all these questions?
Arthur Abbott: I'm wondering why a beautiful girl like you would go to a strangers' house for their Christmas Vacation, and on top of that spend Saturday night with an old cock-up like me.
Iris: Well, I just wanted to get away from all the people I see all the time!... Well, not all the people... one person. I wanted to get away from one... guy.
[she sobs]
Iris: An ex-boyfriend who just got engaged and forgot to tell me.
Arthur Abbott: So, he's a schmuck.
Iris: As a matter of fact, he is... a huge schmuck. How did you know?
Arthur Abbott: He let you go. This is not a hard one to figure out. Iris, in the movies we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason you are behaving like the best friend.
Iris: You're so right. You're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for god's sake! Arthur, I've been going to a therapist for three years, and she's never explained anything to me that well. That was brilliant. Brutal, but brilliant.
Then Iris meets Miles, played very low key by Jack Black. He is a composer and his actress girlfriend goes on location when there is no location. Soon he is confiding to Iris.
Miles: Exactly, and on top of that there's the old standby, I can't believe a girl like that would actually be with a guy like me.
Back in the cottage outside of London, Amanda meets Graham. He is played by Jude Law, who is Iris’ brother and they meet cute when he shows up in the middle of the night. He is a little drunk and looking for a place to crash. He isn’t quite prepared for a her brash American nature.
Amanda: You know Graham, I just broke up with someone and considering you just showed up and you're insanely good-looking and probably won't remember me anyway... I'm thinking we should have sex... If you want.
Graham: Is that a trick question?
As with any romantic comedy, everyone falls in love and overcome the little hurdles that aren’t really hurdles. No one talks too much about the geography of long distance relationships.
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