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The Holiday: a Film by Nancy Myers By Niki Shah, Managing Editor

December 8, 2006, the newest film written and directed by (Something's Gotta Give), was released. The film, starring , , , and , is about Amanda Woods (Diaz), an uptight, workaholic editor of movie trailers from Los Angeles, and Iris Simpkins (Winslet), a newspaper reporter from who has an unlucky love life. Amanda's boyfriend, Ethan, cheats on her, because he says she is a cold-hearted workaholic who hasn't cried since she was fifteen. Amanda decides that she desperately needs a vacation from her life. As she is looking on the Internet for hassle-free vacations, she sees a website for switching houses. She contacts Iris, and they immediately agree to switching houses for two weeks, starting the next day, and Amanda goes to Surrey and Iris goes to Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Iris quickly adapts to Amanda's sophisticated lifestyle, and she meets her neighbor, a ninety year old Oscar winner named Arthur Abbot. She also meets Miles (Black), Ethan's colleague who is sent to pick up his stuff from Amanda's house. They are immediate friends, and eventually become more. On Amanda's first day in Surrey, she meets Graham (Law), Iris's brother, and their relationship is not as, for lack of a better word, coy, as the relationship between Iris and Miles. They do not, however, talk much about their lives, and Amanda soon finds that Graham has a secret he is keeping from her. The Holiday is well-directed, well-written, and, for the most part, well-acted. Jude Law is convincing as a decent, ordinary guy, but Cameron Diaz is annoying as an ego-centric who feels too sorry for herself. As the movie wears on, however, one gets used to her mannerisms. Jack Black and Kate Winslet, however, are both amazing in this movie, and have a rare chemistry. When Cameron Diaz and Jude Law get together in this film, the audience feels nothing, but in the scenes in which Iris and Miles interact, you can't help but feel happy for them. Overall, this is a great movie with lots of holiday spirit. You'll definitely come out of the theatre laughing, happy, and full of holiday cheer.

1 of 1 6/27/2008 11:52 AM