Last Holiday plays like a hug. When a movie can do that, a strange transformation takes place.
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
If Last Holiday were a song, it'd be one of Earth, Wind and Fire's brassier anthems of uplift and self-realization.
We may know exactly where we're going, but the journey is so much fun, all but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain.
She's (Queen Latifa) the unexpected and hugely effective star of Last Holiday, a pleasant trifle made far better than it should be by her effortless charm and expansive spirit.
Whether performing a thrilling, impromptu church spiritual or making a grand entrance in a shimmering red chiffon gown, Queen Latifah fills every frame of the film with her uncorked generosity of spirit.
...A slight film, sometimes droll, sometimes whimsical, and usually sharp.
There may be a workable middle ground between the milieus of Robin Leach and Dr. Phil, but this film sure isn't it.
If you really want to live life to the fullest, step one is to avoid wasting an hour and a half of your life in a theater showing Last Holiday.
Queen Latifah's performance saves what might have been an otherwise ordinary romantic comedy from just being another toss-away effort.
The movie as a whole acquits itself with grace and charm that if not enough to overcome its flaws, is enough to make it mildly palatable.
The gifted and charming Latifah deserves a better role than the bunch of cliche's she's asked to propogate about the wonders of American consumerism in this fluffy and inconsequential remake of the far superior 1950 Alec Guinness comedy.
Latifah ensures that Last Holiday is often very charming and never less than pleasant.
This is the Queen Latifah performance I’ve been waiting for ever since she broke into movies.
One of the most likable performers in the business, Queen Latifah finally gets a vehicle that gives her formidable talents and expansive spirit plenty of blooming room.
Latest News for Last Holiday
January 18, 2007:
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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:
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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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