On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 25/52 |
Les Winan |
Nothing groundbreaking, but charming all the same. Kate Winslet looks odd in modern dress...she really should do more comedy. |
| 85/200 |
Max Braden |
This movie rivals Under The Tuscan Sun as the ultimate chick vacation fantasy. Too perfect, but watchable. |
Have you ever wished you were anywhere but here? Of course you have. This is one of the universalities of our existence. There are always moments when the grass has to be greener elsewhere. Have you ever wondered what would happen if two currently unhappy but innately likable women suddenly switched lives for a couple of weeks? You need not do so. There are A-List Hollywood actresses willing to make such a move on your behalf.
How is this possible? Thank the Internet and praise Al Gore’s name. Sure, this communication technology allows you to read BOP and you should thank your lucky stars for that, but that’s not all it can do. We live in a day and age where it’s entirely possible for people living thousands of miles away from one another to have a friendly, possibly even intimate relationship. For this reason, we no longer blink at some of the more outlandish movie plots thrust upon us by the Hollywood studio system, hungry in its desperation to find the next mismatched buddy film combo. Keep this in mind while BOP describes the movie, The Holiday.
What do Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet have in common? They are both beloved by the Academy, receiving four Oscar nominations for their acting to date. No, wait, that’s just Winslet. But they are both rich, famous actresses whose every nipple slip is tracked carefully by paparazzi (and Photoshop experts). With all of their success in films, it’s hard to imagine either one wishing to have a better life; however, that’s the premise of The Holiday. The stars of Titanic and Shrek 2, two of the top five movies all-time in terms of box office, want a better life. Presumably, this one will involve ambrosia and angels playing harps (not Charlie’s Angels, of course. There was…unpleasantness). After all, it’s hard to imagine one better than either of them currently has. Well, maybe Diaz could date someone straighter than Justin Timberlake, but that’s about it. But I digress.
The point is that The Holiday has Winslet and Diaz play roles wherein they have been burned by love and desperately need a change. Winslet, a Brit, talks Diaz, an American, into switching houses with her over the Christmas season. Both of them have recently experienced painful break-ups and since Columbia Pictures believes women need men in their lives in order to be truly happy, each will find love while on vacation in a foreign land. Diaz gets the better of the deal as hunky young Jude Law romances her from pretty much the moment she reaches Winslet’s home in England. Simultaneously, Winslet has struck bottom and her self-esteem has been destroyed to the point that even funny fat-man Jack Black thinks he has a chance with her. And he’s right!
BOP is unclear on which is the bigger stretch here: that Diaz and Winslet would want better lives or that Winslet would ever give Jack Black the time of day if he hit on her. Nonetheless, that’s the premise here and the trailer looks adorable. The Holiday is poised to be one of the biggest hits on the end-of-year schedule and since Kate Winslet is in it, there is even a chance it winds up getting some awards consideration. After all, the Academy seems to pull up her IMDb page and vote for her in anything she’s in. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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