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:

Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cameron Diaz	...	Amanda
Kate Winslet	...	Iris
Jude Law	...	Graham
Jack Black	...	Miles
Eli Wallach	...	Arthur
Edward Burns	...	Ethan
Rufus Sewell	...	Jasper
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:

kiss | american in the uk | woman | jewish character | composer | 

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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 [Germany]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Holiday

Filming Locations:

1883 Orlando Road, San Marino, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,778,913, 10 December 2006

Gross USA:

$63,224,849, 28 January 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$205,135,324

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, 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

The house used for Arthur Abbot's (Eli Wallach's) house belonged to Phyllis Diller at the time of shooting, and is located in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, California.

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Goofs

When Amanda is having lunch with Graham, the position of her hair on the left side (our right) changes between in front of her ear and tucked behind, between each question she asks/answers.

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Quotes

Hannah: My god, I've just noticed how pathetic you are.
Iris: Really? I'm *so* aware of it.

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Connections

Referenced in Love: The Table Read (2016)

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Soundtracks

Raider's March
(1981)
Written by John Williams

User Reviews

Good to pass a rainy day

Although this isn't my typical pick on movies I'd love to see, I have to say I enjoyed screening this one. The run time is a bit long, and the movie gets a bit soft in the middle, but considering you're actually watching two love stories (as opposed to one), I guess the run time is justified. It still seemed a bit forced to get the story told in a descent amount of time (still over two hours). The performances were moderate to good, with exception of Jude Law as Graham, who was wonderful.

If you're tired of holiday films that are so stacked with so much Christmas cheer that it makes you sick, this is the perfect alternative. Light enough for some serious laughs, and with enough drama to keep it interesting to audiences, this one's a good date movie. Leave the kids with a sitter. There are a few adult themes that could be uncomfortable to try to explain to a younger one.