Review of The Holiday (2006) by Curtiss. — 03 Jun 2007

I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a good chick-flick. And this is a good one. Not great. But very good. (To give you some idea of scale, 1982's AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, 1983's TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and 1942's CASABLANCA are ~great~ chick-flicks--great movies.

) Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black star in THE HOLIDAY. The movie is about two women who trade houses, (one in L.A. and one in England), and get romantically involved with men they meet there.

A guy who looks like Jack Black gives most normal guys false movie-hope that they could ever date a girl who looks like Kate Winslet... But, Jack is funny. He writes movie music--and no one seems to notice that movie soundtracks to romantic comedies are not written by women.

Ever. But women do direct beautiful movies on occasion. (Nora Ephron, for example.) At 136 minutes, director Nancy Meyers' film is not too long. It's just that I wish the emotional payoff at the end were a whole lot stronger.

Of course, there is the Hollywood-obligatory (and always premature) fornication. Actually, love stories on film are traditionally a protracted exercise in longing. Usually, once the two declare their love for each other and kiss, the credits roll.

I would like to have seen more scenes of the the relationship between Jack and Kate. The film includes impossibly beautiful shots of the English countryside. If you want to redecorate your house and make it look like happiness incarnate, this is the film to see.

Making one of the men a book editor and the other man a film-score composer and one of the women a film-trailer producer adds to the movie-romance homage. There is even a great scene in a Blockbuster movie store where Jack is commenting on movies, (tangentially reprising his role for a moment from HIGH FIDELITY).

The camera briefly shows us that one of the stars from one of the classic movies Jack is praising is in the store next to them, and this person overhears him. This is a beautiful romance feel-good movie with a lot of class, kindness and beauty.

While not an emotional powerhouse, I do recommend it. My rating: 8.2 out of 10. C The most important truths: "...the Word (Jesus) was God..." "...the Word (Jesus) became flesh..." >>John 1:1;14.

"He who believes in the Son (Jesus) *has* everlasting life; and He who does not believe the Son (Jesus) shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." >>John 3:36. For by *grace* you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the *gift* of God, *not* of works, lest anyone should boast.

>>Ephesians 2:8,9. Believe in Jesus: that He is God, that He suffered and died on the cross for all of your sins: past, present and future; that He was buried, that He physically rose from death on the third day--and you will be immediately forgiven, saved forever, and go to Heaven the minute you die.

*** Please check out my blog site, which is frequently updated: http://believersworldview.blogstream.