Next Flick

I was really looking forward to watching The Holiday (2006), a quiet film billed as adult and sophisticated, starring Jack Black, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet. The premise is that two young women experience disappointment and disillusionment in love, go on the Internet to seek escape, and end up agreeing to exchange abodes for two weeks during the Christmas season. Diaz is a high-powered type-A personality who makes successful film previews, while one must assume that Winslet is a highly effective editor at a publishing company, as her character has so little else to offer in the way of either personality or skills. She is, in fact, rather reminiscent of her character in Titanic, that oppressed rebel awaiting the right man to crack her out of her semi-self-imposed societal prison. Diaz remains rhythm-free, which continues to be amusing, sort of.

Jude Law plays the dashing and very sexy brother to Winslet's character. It is he who sweeps Diaz off her feet, breaking her out of her ice princess prison. Jack Black, on the other hand, was much more effective as a romantic interest opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal (2001). One suspects he was misdirected here. Such an assumption, of course, does detract from the actor's credit as well. Too bad.

I wanted to like this film. I certainly like the cast, which is why I selected the film in the first place. Unfortunately, Black's character in particular left me worse than cold. I ended up wishing that the filmmaker had simply let Eli Wallach stand as more than man enough to fulfill this foolish girl's emotional needs. He certainly held his own, even stealing a couple of scenes, in my humble opinion. Unfortunately, the commercial need to pair off all the young 'uns left me wishing I'd saved myself the trouble of watching.

Narratively, I suppose one might laud the film for having everyone settle for the modest country abode instead of the lavish L.A. mansion, if only the choice weren't so unpatriotic. Ah well...