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Last Holiday
Paramount Pictures


8.0

based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some sexual reference

Starring Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Alicia Witt, Gérard Depardieu, Jane Adams, and Emeril Lagasse

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a small life tucked inside big dreams. When this shy cookware salesperson for a New Orleans retail outlet learns her days are numbered, she throws caution to the wind and embarks on a dream holiday vacation to a grand resort in Europe. (Paramount)

GENRE(S):	Adventure \| Comedy \| Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Jeffrey Price Peter S. Seaman J.B. Priestley
DIRECTED BY:	Wayne Wang
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: May 2, 2006 Theatrical: January 13, 2006
RUNNING TIME:	108 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

LA Weekly Scott Foundas

Queen Latifah gives a spectacular performance in this hugely enjoyable wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A movie that takes advantage of the great good nature and warmth of Queen Latifah, and uses it to transform a creaky old formula into a comedy that is just plain lovable.

Chicago Tribune Jessica Reaves

We may know exactly where we're going, but the journey is so much fun, all but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

It's too bad there's so little of LL Cool J as the secret object of Georgia's fantasies. He'd make a funny, nimble, sexy romantic lead with just a bit more screen time.

Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach

Latifah's performance and the film's gentle heart should prove enough to win over even the most churlish.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

Director Wayne Wang and his screenwriters sometimes ape ''Pretty Woman." But Latifah's obvious forebear is Pearl Bailey, who was just as regal and straight-up.

Village Voice Matt Singer

The most surprisingly satisfying Hollywood comedy in ages.

TV Guide Ken Fox

There are a number of excruciating moments that are almost too silly to mention.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

Last Holiday floats along on the broad shoulders of one of our most able dramatic comedians. Without her, it would sag like a punctured souffle.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Predictable but enjoyable comedy, which succeeds largely on the charm of its star.

USA Today Claudia Puig

The movie clichés are bearable mainly because the cast rises above the formulaic material. There are also some bona fide laughs to be had once the setting switches to a luxurious resort in the Czech Republic.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

The movie is content to be a kind of middling expression of human decency: It's never either terribly funny or terribly dramatic, but Latifah's quiet solidity and common sense root it in ways that larger, louder pictures never achieve.

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Queen Latifah finally gets a vehicle that gives her formidable talents and expansive spirit plenty of blooming room.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Watching Last Holiday, I kept waiting for the moment I could decree the movie truly terrible, the instant I could comfortably put my pen and notebook away and give it up for lost. But that moment never came, partly because I never fail to take pleasure in Latifah, and partly because I couldn't shake the eerie feeling that the movie I was watching was something of a ghost from another time.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

This harmless bit of fluff lacks the element of surprise but is not without random charming moments supplied by its incandescent star.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Queen Latifah's energy may be winning and her self-reliance message righteous, but Last Holiday grossly overextends her credit

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

A chaste and tepid remake of a 1950 British comedy.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

A thoroughly mediocre dramedy.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

Once again, Queen Latifah survives some remarkably clumsy filmmaking. More than survives; she manages to prevail.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Director Wayne Wang stumbles through the awkward script without finding its shape or its tone, steering it toward maturity while the script falls back into slapstick sports gags and adolescent social politics.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

For a film ostensibly about how life means nothing without adventure and unpredictability, Last Holiday all feels as preordained as the film-ending Emeril cameo.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

I can tell you in two words why to see this movie, which is otherwise an unspecial Cinderella farce...and those two words are: Queen Latifah.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Likable as she is, Latifah can't overcome a tortured mistaken-identity plot, buffoonery on the ski slopes, and enough saccharine dialogue to induce shock.

Variety Joe Leydon

Most successful when it is engaging, not uproarious. Glossy amusement is an updated remake of a well-regarded 1950 Brit comedy-drama starring Alec Guinness, improbably retrofitted as a star vehicle for Queen Latifah.

Empire Anna Smith

Money can buy you happiness in this inferior remake - although its makeover storyline may please fans of "The Princess Diaries" et al.

Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson

If you really want to live life to the fullest, step one is to avoid wasting an hour and a half of your life in a theater showing Last Holiday.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

As witless as it is formulaic.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Reid F. gave it a7:
Queen Latifah may not be the best actress in Hollywood, but she could be the most fun to watch. She lights up this remake of the old Alec Guinness classic with charm and poise.

Tony B. gave it a5:
One of our most likable and ingratiating actresses, Queen Latifah gives a wonderful performance in this all too predictable comedy-drama. The supporting cast is fine, the cinematography gorgeous, the editing crisp, and there is no faulting the production design. It's the story that is only mediocre.

Diane G. gave it a9:
I throught the movie last holiday was a good movie.

Erin D. gave it a9:
A sweet Rom Com with lots of food and couture.

Charlie N. gave it a7:
Dopey at times, but Queen Latifah is loveable and it has a good heart.

Susan M. gave it an8:
I went in with low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this movie, there are so many funny and touching moments and Queen Latifah really shines!

Pat G. gave it a6:
Well, it's true that the story is predictable and sometimes a little lame, but Queen Latifah rocks. Her beautiful face and charming personality are a joy to behold--and she can act. If you like her, it is worth your two hours and the ticket price.

Last Holiday Paramount Pictures

Last Holiday
Paramount Pictures