There are only two films that I rewatch every Xmas... EVERY XMAS.

1) Die Hard. (Perfect action movie.)
2) The Holiday.

Here's why:

- Eli Wallach as Arthur Abbot. This character is phenomenal and has so much reality written into him. His relationship with Kate Winslet is just beautiful. And his praise of 'gumption' is something we all should reiterate. The women of the 1930s screwball comedies are the women that 2020s aspire to - independent, capable, equal... with gumption to spare! (Depsite the huge roles Eli had in his lifetime, when he passed away I thought of this character.)

- The homes. Both of them are basically sets but my goodness. The perfect English cottage and the perfect LA villa.

- The unveiling of the Jude Law character is well done. There's a development there for the viewer to latch on to.

It's not without its faults by any means.

- The casting of Jack Black hovers on the wrong side of the line just a touch.
- I've toyed with editing the Kate Winslet story into a mini movie of its own and ditching the Cameron Diaz one.

But I'm always happy to rewatch and it always leaves me uplifted. And there's no denying it is a proper Nancy Meyers film.

I saw this at the cinema back in 2006 and my date that night hated it. She was wrong. Excellent film with a great cast, great soundtrack and a great amount of heart & gumption.


8.5/10