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Movies / On DVD / The Holiday
The Holiday

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The Holiday (2006)

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Reviews Counted:130

Fresh:60

Rotten:70

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: The Holiday, while sweet and somewhat touching, lacks any surprises and eventually overstays its welcome.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for sexual content and some strong language

Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:08-12-2006

Synopsis: Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), the owner of a prospering advertising firm that creates movie trailers, lives in Southern California. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) writes the popular wedding column for... Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz), the owner of a prospering advertising firm that creates movie trailers, lives in Southern California. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) writes the popular wedding column for London's Daily Telegraph and resides in a charming cottage in the English countryside. Though Iris and Amanda live 6,000 miles apart, they are in exactly the same place: Just before Christmas, Iris and Amanda decide to take a needed break from the men in their lives (played by Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell) — and neither is much in the mood for a nostalgic chorus of "Auld Lang Syne." Amanda, wanting to get out of town for the holidays, stumbles onto an internet site that specializes in home exchanges, and finds Iris' English cottage to be the perfect antidote to her troubles. On impulse, Amanda and Iris agree to crisscross continents and move into each other's homes for two weeks. Iris lands in Los Angeles on a spectacularly clear day warmed by the gusts of the seasonal Santa Ana winds. Not long after she arrives at Amanda's Brentwood home, she is befriended by Arthur (Eli Wallach), a noted screenwriter from Hollywood's Golden Era, and Miles (Jack Black), a film composer who works with Amanda's ex-boyfriend. In England, where it is anything but balmy, Amanda is just settling into the cozy solitude of the snow-covered Rose Hill Cottage, when Iris' handsome brother Graham (Jude Law) comes knocking at the cottage door. In an unexpected turn of events, both women discover that the best trips are the ones where you leave your baggage behind. Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures Present in association with Relativity Media, A Waverly Films Production, The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell. The film is written and directed by Nancy Meyers. The producers are Nancy Meyers and Bruce A. Block and the executive producer is Suzanne Farwell. The director of photography is Dean Cundey ASC. The production designer is Jon Hutman. The film is edited by Joe Hutshing, A.C.E. The costume designer is Marlene Stewart. The music is by Hans Zimmer. The Holiday has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for Sexual Content and Some Strong Language. The Holiday will be released by Columbia Pictures on December 8, 2006. -- © Columbia Pictures [More]

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Rufus Sewell, Edward Burns, Shannyn Sossamon, John Krasinski

Director: Nancy Meyers

Director: Nancy Meyers
Screenwriter: Nancy Meyers
Producer: Nancy Meyers, Bruce A. Block
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Reviews for The Holiday

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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No amount of ironic gift wrapping can conceal the triteness within, in this double-plotted festive chick flick that is too long by half, and too cloyingly sweet to be healthy.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment 2 Comments
06/13/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Sweet, sentimental and sickly.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
01/02/07
David Edwards
David Edwards
Daily Mirror [UK]

A leisurely feelgood rom-com.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
12/30/06
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Holiday's redeeming feature (and it's a considerable one) is the 91-year-old Eli Wallach's astute and endearing performance.

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
12/30/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Observer [UK]

Watchable, but overly long and ultimately disappointing romcom, despite spirited performances and the occasional sparkly moment.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
12/30/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

This romantic comedy ends up feeling soggy, syrupy and so bloating it'll put you to sleep before the pudding's done.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment 1 Comment
12/30/06
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Exists in that fantasy Nancy Meyers universe in which a bunch of attractive, wealthy people talk cutely and smartly to each other and find love in all the right places

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/06/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

There is bound to be a large appreciative audience for this chick flick. But it might not be you.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
11/30/06
William Thomas
William Thomas
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Patronizing antimatter

Full Review Source: CinePassion | comment Comment
08/28/09
Fernando F. Croce
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion

Dialogue hits the floor like frozen eggnog in writer/director Nancy Meyers' protracted exercise in cliché-mining.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/23/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

My reaction to The Holiday was no different from my reaction to Meyers' other pieces. It's cute enough, the atmosphere is sufficiently romantic comedy-like, but somehow, for some reason, I just don't bond with it.

Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | comment 1 Comment
08/26/08
Heather Huntington
Heather Huntington
ReelzChannel.com

As a voracious consumer of chick media (I like alien shoot 'em ups too!), I tell you that the story arc is extremely surprising & delightful, and that you fellas can feel safe watching this as well.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
12/10/07
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
05/12/07
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

About as far removed from burning your bra as you can get. Too much of this chick flick feels like work, with the unfortunately long running time sandbagging it with a kind of cinematic jet lag.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
05/10/07
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

a warm, charming, extremely clever and often hilarious romantic comedy that will be a sure-fire date movie for any guy looking to please his significant other

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
03/13/07
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

Meyers gives it an honest shot, but she can't distract from a paint-by-numbers plot just by having us watch it dry.

Full Review Source: Reeler | comment 1 Comment
02/14/07
Michelle Orange
Michelle Orange
Reeler

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
02/03/07
Stephen Garrett
Stephen Garrett
Time Out New York

Because everyone is rich and in love, you can see the happy ending coming a mile away, but with a film like this, it's the journey that's important and not the destination.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/13/07
Uri Lessing
Uri Lessing
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
12/30/06
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/30/06
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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