The Holiday (2006)

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

Director:

Nancy Meyers

Writer:

Nancy Meyers

Stars:

Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Diaz	...	Amanda Woods
Kate Winslet	...	Iris Simpkins
Jude Law	...	Graham
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

Storyline

In London, Iris Simpkins writes a wedding column in a newspaper and nurtures an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom. Near Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged to marry another colleague, and her life turns upside down. In Los Angeles, the movie-trailers maker Amanda Woods has just split with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and wants to forget him. Through a house exchange website, Amanda impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey for the holidays. While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Iris meets her new next door neighbor the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur, who helps her retrieve her self-esteem, and the film composer Miles, with whom she falls in love.

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Plot Keywords:

love | film composer | house | composer | book | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [uk] United International Pictures [de]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

El descanso

Filming Locations:

1883 Orlando Road, San Marino, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,826,520 (UK) (8 December 2006)

Gross:

$63,224,849 (USA) (26 January 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Nancy Meyers states in the commentary that she bases elements in her movies off of real life events that she's experienced, for example the esophageal spasms that Cameron Diaz's character has, which is something Meyers use to experience herself.

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Goofs

When Amanada gets out of the car to run back to the house, the road they just drove down does not have any tire tracks.

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Quotes

Iris: I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life.

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Connections

References The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
(1958)
Written by Johnny Marks
Performed by Brenda Lee
Courtesy of Geffen Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Best holiday romantic comedy yet.

I laughed. I cried. I awed. My jaw even dropped a couple of times. This movie surpassed all of my original expectations. At almost two and a half hours, I thought it might drag on, but I never felt like it was really that long. This movie is not only about heartbreak and heart ache, it's about finding yourself and appreciating the true things in life. I felt that Kate and Cameron did a wonderful job. Their characters come from two very different worlds yet they both seek the same thing...escape. They encounter so much more upon arriving at their destinations, and ultimately end up finding the completely unexpected. Jude is a star charmer as always, and Jack, well, he's Jack. Seeing this movie should be on everyone's holiday "to-do" lists, and I can guarantee it will be in my DVD collection once it is released. Nancy Meyers hit a home run with this one and it is sure to bring everyone a nice large dose of holiday spirit.