The Holiday

                 Despite this movie being set at Christmas time, I wouldn’t call it a Christmas movie.  The holiday itself plays such a little part in what is going on.  Instead, the story is far more about relationships and finding yourself than anything to do with Christmas.

                Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) is heartbroken.  The man she has been in love with for years is engaged to another woman.  A fact announced at the company holiday party.

                To escape with her grief, Iris decides to put her house up for a temporary trade.  Someone will stay in her Surrey cottage while she stays in their home.  The woman she swaps homes with is Amanda.     

                Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is a movie trailer creator in Los Angeles.  She’s just broken up with her boyfriend who was cheating on her.  Spending the Christmas holiday in England seems like the exact type of break she needs.

                The problem is, Amanda is bored out of her mind in England.  Iris’ cottage is very out of the way, leaving Amanda with nothing to do.  She decides to return home.  Then she meets Graham.

                Graham Simpkins (Jude Law) is Iris’ brother.  He shows up drunk one night, not realizing Iris is away.  Amanda lets Graham into the cottage and they end up spending the night together.  The next morning, Graham walks away wanting more.

                Amanda is also intrigued with Graham.  She gets all the way to security at the airport, then decides to stay to get to know him.  As she does, she enjoys their time together, but she also finds some surprises and secrets along the way.

                In L.A., Iris is enjoying her freedom.  She befriends Amanda’s neighbor, Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach).  Arthur is an elderly man who was a screenwriter in the early days of Hollywood.  He recommends movies with strong women to Iris, sending her a message.

                Someone else Iris becomes friends with is Miles Dumont (Jack Black), a composer.  He’s dating an actress, so friends are all they are.  They remain just friends even after Miles finds out his girlfriend, Maggie (Shannyn Sossamon), has been cheating on him.  When Maggie reappears in Miles’ life, almost making him miss an important event for Arthur, Miles must figure out what he really wants.

                While there are some sad situations, for the most part, this movie is light and fun.  I particularly like Iris’ relationship with Arthur.

                It’s also great how Miles understands what Iris is going through with the man she loves, Jasper (Rufus Sewell).  He gets how hard it is for Iris to have Jasper lead her on, popping in and out of her life on a whim.  The difficulty with having Jasper appear just when she’s about to be over him and move on with her life.

                These two friendships, and being away from England, really help Iris become who she is meant to be.   

A Heart on the Mend/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

                 Amanda, in the meantime, is dealing with her inability to cry.  I don’t think it’s the actual inability to cry that is the problem, though.  The problem seems more Amanda doesn’t let herself feel enough to cry.  Something Graham does not struggle with at all, as he fully admits he is a “weeper”.  It is Graham’s ability to cry and express himself that helps Amanda open up in ways she never thought possible.

                Since this movie is only set around the Christmas holiday, I feel perfectly fine watching it any time of year.  This is good, because sometimes you need something light and fun to watch.  Something where everything turns out alright in the end.

                There are some questions as to how things will work out between everyone once the movie is over, though.  Not enough to hinder any enjoyment of it, but still some questions.  Although, with that ambiguity, there is a possible message, if you think about it.  That message is, no matter what the future holds, sometimes the most important thing is to be happy in the exact moment you are in.