The Holiday [WS]

Director: Nancy Meyers Nancy Meyers

Overview

Nancy Meyers' romantic comedy Holiday stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as two women who exchange houses in order to get a new lease on life. After each suffers her fair share of romantic disappointments, Englishwoman Iris (Winslet) and L.A. woman Amanda (Diaz) meet on-line at a website devoted to helping people exchange houses for vacations. Each agrees to spend the Christmas holiday at the other's home. While each suffers from a minor case of culture shock, both women also end up becoming involved with a man. Iris makes the acquaintance of an upbeat everyman played by Jack Black, while Amanda spends time with a handsome Brit played by Jude Law. Both women must decide what to do with these new relationships as their pre-arranged house switch is scheduled to last less than two weeks.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/13/2007
UPC:	0043396173828
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:16:00
Sales rank:	4,926

Special Features

Foreign Exchange: The Making of The Holiday; Commentary With Nancy & Guests

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Cameron Diaz	Amanda
Kate Winslet	Iris
Jude Law	Graham
Jack Black	Miles
Eli Wallach	Arthur Abbott
Edward Burns	Ethan
Rufus Sewell	Jasper
Miffy Englefield	Sophie
Emma Pritchard	Olivia
Shannyn Sossamon	Maggie
Bill Macy	Ernie
Shelley Berman	Norman
Hans Zimmer	Composer
Odette Yustman	Kissing Couple
Susan Dizon	Newspaper Party Guest
Bundle Williams	Girl in Pub
Kenneth Danziger	Editor-in-Chief
Hope Riley	Smith-Alcott, Sarah
Suzanne Dizon	Newspaper Party Guest
Jay Simpson	Limo Driver
Sarah Flind	Market Clerk
Siobhan Pestano	Couple with Dog
Charles Dinsdale	Couple with Dog
Darlene Ann Harris	Arthur's Nurse
Marcell Brown	Airport Guard
Lynden Edwards	Graham's Friend
Ed Aristone	TSA Security Officer
Jon Prescott	Maggie's Boyfriend
Tim Bearden	WGA Member
Lydia Blanco	Marta
Justin Collins	Young Man at WGA
Marina Morgan	Graham's Friend
Sarah Parish	Actor
Kathryn Hahn	Actor
John Krasinski	Actor
Alex O'Loughlin	Kissing Couple
Patrick Cavanaugh	Young Man at WGA
Odette Annable	Kissing Couple
Terry Diab	Night Editor
Gilbert Esquivel	Gardener
Steven Bruns	Couple on Plane
Nikki Novak	Couple on Plane
Judith Drake	Woman on Plane
Pamela Dunlap	Woman on Plane
Hal Douglas	Voices

Technical Credits

Nancy Meyers

Nancy Meyers	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Bruce A. Block	Producer
Suzanne Farwell	Executive Producer
Bryce Brecheisen	Special Effects
Bill W. Benton	Sound Effects
Dennis Drummond	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Alexandre Cancado	Special Effects
Brad Brock	Sound Effects
Michael Broomberg	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

With The Holiday, director Nancy Meyers aspires to something more than your average chick flick. At least, that would seem to be her intention, since she's building a standard romantic comedy using nonstandard parts. Cameron Diaz is the only real genre veteran here, with Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black all relatively new to the experience. But instead of their outsider talents elevating the material, under Meyers, Winslet et al. fall quickly in line with genre norms. This leaves The Holiday -- a film about the desperate need for new scenery -- feeling all too familiar. Which isn't to say it's not a watchable piece of seasonal romantic fluff; just don't confuse it for more than that. Winslet, the most surprising inclusion in the cast, actually seems rather joyous, liberated from the serious demands of her more typical roles. Quite the opposite is the case for Black, who's usually the zaniest guy in the room, and seems a little subdued playing it straight. But the Tenacious D prankster does sneak in some of the improvisational scatting his fans love -- a much-needed, all-too-brief reminder of how going outside the box is supposed to feel. Too bad the Black-Winslet storyline gets the short shrift, given only a hasty romantic angle after she's already spent considerable time befriending an octogenarian screenwriter. Diaz' high-maintenance film editor gets more celluloid, even though she's harder to warm up to -- and not just because she's in an actual wintry environment. Law's charm makes that task a little easier, especially when a surprise revelation gives the impossibly handsome womanizer -- both onscreen and in real life -- some extra dimension. The Holiday may not be as different as its director envisioned, but the target audience should be happy enough in these familiar surroundings.