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The Holiday

It’s very easy to get lost in the Love Actually, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Home Alones of the world during this time of year, but you’re making a very serious mistake if you sleep on Nancy Meyers’ 2006 masterpiece, The Holiday. Today we celebrate 10 years of being blessed with this extraordinary rom-com, and this is not an exaggeration: I got goosebumps just looking at stills from this film.
The Holiday introduces us to Amanda (Cameron Diaz), a very successful movie trailer director with a perfectly chopped lob, before we really even knew what a lob was. She’s the kind of gal that wears pajama sets, like a perfectly matching top and bottom. No ratty t-shirt and boxers for this gal, no way. After discovering her lameass boyfriend (Edward Burns) was cheating on her (how dare he), she takes her frustration out on her keyboard, looking for a home swap over the holidays to get away from men and all humans in general. Over instant message, she connects with Iris (Kate Winslet), a gal also hoping to avoid men, particularly the douche (Rufus Sewell) who broke her heart, and go on an adventure. They set up the arrangement all by themselves without the help of current luxuries such as Airbnb, and we’ve got a great premise on our hands.

That whole avoiding men thing? Yeah right. Amanda immediately meets Graham (Iris’ brother, played by Jude Law) and Iris meets Miles (Jack Black). Of course the presence of two young daughters and a current girlfriend, respectively, are simply adjustments that must be made in order to ensure our female stars a happy ending.
Of course, this film isn’t only about the ending. It’s about the journey. It’s about walking through the snow in very expensive high heels and learning the definition of “meet cute” from your adorable elderly neighbor (Eli Wallach). It’s about having brand new experiences, taking a chance on something new that might seem (and even be) utterly ridiculous, opening your eyes and bending your personality to the world around you. The Holiday finds Amanda and Iris finding their inner girl power confidence and an entire well of vulnerability at the same time — and embracing them both!

What it all boils down to is this: The Holiday is no ordinary rom-com. Yes, the usual tropes are there. But The Holiday made one very significant decision that led to the abundance of chemistry and emotion jumping off the screen. They cast the actors against type. Writer and director Nancy Meyers knew exactly what she was doing and wow did she (and all of us) benefit from it. While Diaz was no stranger to give-no-fucks kind of gals, Amanda gives a fuck. She gives lots of fucks. Winslet wasn’t strapped into a corset for the entirety of this film, which had to be an actual breath of fresh air for her. Jack Black toned down the goofball-status and toned up this sweet, endearing side that made many of us have a very real conversation with ourselves, asking, “Wait, do I have a total crush on that crazy dude from Orange County?” Yes. Yes you do. Oh, but then we get to The Young Pope himself, Jude Law. Goodbye playboy days, he’s a single dad with the most adorable little girls in this movie. Good luck to your ovaries on that one.
If you don’t think of The Holiday as a movie you need to watch on repeat at the holidays, perhaps that’s because you’ve already watched it several times throughout the year, no matter the season. I know I have. It combines the uniquely British feeling and setting at Christmastime of Love Actually with the raw emotions of heartbreak and crushes in the same way a classic rom-com like Bridget Jones’s Diary does. With a helping of Nancy Meyers’ signature plush aspiration — yes, the kitchens, but more importantly those automatic shades in the bedroom! — this film, with each and every watch, will warm your heart like it’s wrapped in one of Amanda’s chic cashmere turtleneck sweaters. While the focal point is not directly on the holidays, this is still a great time to watch it, because there’s truly no bad time for a viewing of The Holiday.
[Watch The Holiday on Amazon Video]