Holiday

Theatrical Release Date: 2006 12 08 (USA)

UPC: 043396173828

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Profanity, Sexual Situations]

Summary: 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. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

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

Holiday

Format: DVD

Release Date: 03/13/2007

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 136 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Derek Armstrong

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. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Bruce A. Block  Producer 
Nancy Meyers  Director 
Nancy Meyers  Producer 
Nancy Meyers  Screenwriter 
Hans Zimmer  Composer (Music Score) 
Suzanne Farwell  Executive Producer 
Jeff Blodgett  Executive Producer 
Cameron Diaz  Actor 
Kate Winslet  Actor 
Jude Law  Actor 
Jack Black  Actor 
Eli Wallach  Actor 
Edward Burns  Actor 
Rufus Sewell  Actor 
Miffy Englefield  Actor 
Emma Pritchard  Actor 
Sarah Parish  Actor 
Shannyn Sossamon  Actor 
Bill Macy  Actor 
Shelley Berman  Actor 
Kathryn Hahn  Actor 
John Krasinski  Actor 
Alex O'Loughlin  Actor 
Odette Yustman  Actor 
Bundle Williams  Actor 
Susan Dizon  Actor 
Terry Diab  Actor 
Kenneth Danziger  Actor 
Hope Riley  Actor 
Gilbert Esquivel  Actor 
Steven Bruns  Actor 
Nikki Novak  Actor 
Judith Drake  Actor 
Pamela Dunlap  Actor 
Hal Douglas  Actor 
Jay Simpson  Actor 
Siobhan Pestano  Actor 
Charles Dinsdale  Actor 
Sarah Flind  Actor 
Darlene Ann Harris  Actor 
Marcell Brown  Actor 
Marina Morgan  Actor 
Lynden Edwards  Actor 
Lydia Blanco  Actor 
Jon Prescott  Actor 
Patrick Cavanaugh  Actor 
Justin Collins  Actor 

Country: USA