Georgia is a lovable character we can't help but root for.
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
One wishes director Wayne Wang, who depends far too much on madcap action to keep his movie moving, had as much confidence in Latifah herself.
It may not be much -- it's a remake of a 1950 Alec Guinness film -- but it is as bright as a Christmas bauble.
In its corny, cartoonish way, it even suggests a generosity of spirit that's faithful to the 1950 original.
An awful lot makes no sense in Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman's script, starting with its basic premise.
Instead of deft comedy with a depth charge of feeling, we have now a contraption festooned with cute sparkles and tiny heart grabs.
Last Holiday remake returns to the era of the original 56 years ago, when films made all sorts of leaps to sell their concepts.
The film's larger arc and plot twists leave quite a bit to be desired. But Wang's overall delicate touch makes Last Holiday tolerable.
A sweetly comic film that gives Queen Latifah her most satisfying role to date.
Last Holiday is not a movie that will tax anyone's brain cells. But as diversions go, it is pleasant, a nice escape from winter's doldrums.
The movie, which is directed by Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club, Smoke) leads to a predictable but smile-worthy conclusion.
This is a movie with lots of great cuisine, and precious little flava.
Latifah's carpe diem spirit sustains the picture, even when the script is carpe dumb.
Last Holiday isn't much more than a fantasy, but it's a sweet one, and it's far more worthy of attention than such hideous garbage as Rumor Has It . . . .
The real radiance in this sumptuous, likable fantasy-fulfillment comedy comes from Queen Latifah.
A mild, fangless, forgettable thing that entertains some and offends little, barring one obnoxious subcontinental stereotype and a cloying urge to make everybody chipper at the end.
The pace drags, the stunt double work is obvious and the slapstick, especially a ski-hill scene, is contrived and extended.
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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