Set in a luxurious locale and awash in generosity for its characters, even the mean ones, Last Holiday delivers the glamour and sentimentality associated with classic movies.
Last Holiday (2006)
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Reviews Counted:112
Fresh:61
Rotten:51
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: Although Queen Latifah's bountiful life-affirming spirit permeates the film, director Wayne Wang is unable to revive this remake with any real flair.
Theatrical Release:03-03-2006
Synopsis: Queen Latifah is absolutely delightful in Wayne Wang's romantic comedy, LAST HOLIDAY. Latifah stars as Georgia Byrd, a reserved plus-sized woman who lives a dreary, ordinary life in pre-Katrina New... Queen Latifah is absolutely delightful in Wayne Wang's romantic comedy, LAST HOLIDAY. Latifah stars as Georgia Byrd, a reserved plus-sized woman who lives a dreary, ordinary life in pre-Katrina New Orleans, where she dreams of an elegant existence filled with fancy food, stylish clothing, and high-society parties. But she spends most of her evenings eating frozen dinners all alone, often thinking about a shy coworker (LL Cool J) she has a crush on. When she is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness and given three weeks to live, she collects her savings and decides to go crazy, doing all those things she would never allow herself to do before. She heads for one of the world's ritziest hotels, the Grand Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, where she takes advantage of every luxury she can, from spa treatments to downhill ski runs to helicopter trips to designer shopping excursions. While her lavish appetite is admired by a gourmet chef (Gerard Depardieu, showing agile comic skill), she is deemed a potential threat by a corporate bigwig (a slick Timothy Hutton). She's also none too happy to find her too-smooth senator (Giancarlo Esposito) enjoying a lush vacation instead of serving his community. Latifah simply lights up the screen in a somewhat different version of the role played by Alec Guinness in Henry Cass's 1950 original. This version of LAST HOLIDAY has been updated with a playful pop soundtrack, Geoffrey Simpson's beautiful photography, William Arnold's bright and colorful production design, and an enjoyable, lighthearted pace from director Wang (DIM SUM, THE JOY LUCK CLUB, and MAID IN MANHATTAN). [More]
Starring: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu
Starring: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Nouri, Jane Adams
Director: Wayne Wang
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman
Producer: Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, Richard Vane, Laurence Mark, Jack Rapke
Composer: George Fenton
Producer: Peter S. Seaman, Jeffrey Price
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Last Holiday
[Latifah] makes you easily sympathize with her character, even as you're aware of the plot's utter contrivance.
Note to Queen Latifah: I have almost forgiven you for the inexcusable "Taxi" now.
...an admittedly inconsequential yet undeniably uplifting piece of work...
Queen Latifah has such an engaging on-screen persona that she’s able to make gem out of what would have otherwise been a lump of coal of a movie.
Last Holiday is the kind of film perfectly suited for those in the mood for something that doesn't require much more than a willingness to settle in for some warmhearted silliness. On that level, it's delicious.
While nowhere near the quality of the Alec Guinness/J.B. Priestley original, this isn't an outright travesty.
Latifah is warm and winning but her movie is predictable from beginning to end.
Last Holiday is one of those perfect fantasy movies that somehow works in spite of itself...sometimes pat, sometimes a feel great movie, even when occasionally it trips over its own skis.
Queen Latifah turns this less-than-regal dish into the cinematic equivalent of comfort food.
Last Holiday is another anemic female empowerment fable that never really sustains its clunky momentum... feels misplaced in its aimless adventurous skin.
If we are to live in a world of movies in which women are comically diagnosed with brain diseases and discover their moxie through base jumping in the Czech Republic, let us at least have Queen Latifah’s brass to add a bass note to the treacle.
Though the movie isn't the 'Holiday' from hell, it's not one you should be anxious to go off on.
...and while the terrific cast has managed to wrestle a less-than-average script to the ground, it's still rather rank.
Filmmaker Wayne Wang follows Maid in Manhattan and Because of Winn Dixie with another dollop of harmless entertainment.
Latifah is as charming and sassy as always. ... Someday, she'll find a script that can match her magnificent personality.
Latest News for Last Holiday
January 18, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: "Hitcher" Aims to Terrorize Moviegoers
After a busy MLK frame which concluded with the Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood lets the dust settle this weekend as only one new film enters wide release - the horror remake... More...
January 11, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Can Sony "Stomp" the "Museum?"
Can Ben Stiller and his living artifacts four-peat at the top of the North American box office, or will one of the new releases take the crown over the four-day Dr. Martin... More...
July 07, 2006:
Cast Your Vote in the Teen Choice Awards
Are you between the ages of 13 and 19? Do you like ... stuff? Then click right here and cast your votes for the 329th annual Teen Choice Awards, which is where you can tell the... More...
January 17, 2006:
Weinsteins "Hoodwink" Their Way to #1 at the Weekend Box Office
The Weinstein's "Hoodwinked" took on a trio of big studio rivals over the MLK holiday weekend, and early estimates for the four-day frame indicate that the little guy... More...
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