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88The Holiday is the type of welcome diversion that only Meyers still seems to specialize -- a romantic comedy where Barbara Stanwyck and Rosalind Russell would have been just as natural as Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet and where the one liners fly like confetti.
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75This melding of comedic minds is one of the better holiday gifts we've received, cinematically speaking.
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75If you're willing to embrace a bit of corniness for the sake of some incisive humor, a few poignant moments and enjoyable scenarios, make time for The Holiday.
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75Despite this familiarity-wallow, The Holiday is likable. Really likable, in fact.
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70It's formulaic but with a big heart.
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70The alluring surfaces of other people's lives can be deceiving, though generally not in a Nancy Meyers comedy, where the thin veneer of fantasy cloaks ... more fantasy.
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70A lavishly overstuffed gift basket of a movie.
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67The dialogue has a perky synthetic sheen, and with the exception of Diaz, Meyers brings out the best in her actors.
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67Much more silly than romantic.
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67Even though almost everything about it feels forced and its casting chemistry hardly sizzles, its heart is in the right place, it has its quota of funny and touching moments, and it's ultimately fairly enjoyable.
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67No matter how good-natured, The Holiday ends up a glutted farce.
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63A harmlessly cheery confection.
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63Law shines like a sunbeam, warming the film with rakish charm and unexpected emotionalism.
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63Admitting that it's formulaic doesn't make it any less so, but it's enjoyable in a mushy, easily digested sort of way.
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60There is bound to be a large appreciative audience for this chick flick. But it might not be you.
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Meyers can write a good zinger, and she has a knack for casting actors who not only look good in bed, but are talented enough to rise above the material and, in some cases, nearly transform it (save Diaz). But make no mistake: We're a long way here from Ben Hecht and Preston Sturges.
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60Ms. Meyers, whose ambitions are telegraphed by her film's title, which directly invokes George Cukor's lovely 1938 romp "Holiday," has created a cumbersome vehicle by saddling Iris with a flamboyantly glamorous Los Angeles double, Amanda. As played by Cameron Diaz with oodles of charm and not an ounce of persuasion, Amanda doesn't as much mirror Iris's love troubles as throw them into wincing relief.
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60iIt's far less sickly than plenty of yuletide offerings, last year's "The Family Stone" being one shudder-worthy example.
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50The Holiday is a 131-minute romantic comedy for those who, if they had their way, would still be watching "Love Actually."
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50Complaining about the gooey and generic The Holiday is as useless as railing against fruitcake - this is a slick, throwaway chick flick designed to provide nothing more than mindless diversion between bouts of shopping.
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50This is familiar territory for writer-director Nancy Meyers, Hollywood's queen of the chick flick. Her latest has charming moments and a hopeful message for despondent singles, but it lacks the emotional resonance of Meyers' "Something's Gotta Give" and the zaniness of "What Women Want."
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50A lark, with pretensions to be more.
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50The Holiday is no vacation. Sloppy writing, an overindulgent editor, and poor casting have taken an intriguing premise and transformed it into an uneven mess.
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50For some (okay, me), The Holiday, like the holidays, will require some girding up, and is best met halfway with a self-immunizing smile. Otherwise, the good cheer may ring false; worse, it might even seem to sell love cheap, and lovers short.
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50His (Law's) is the standout performance, probably because it's quiet and reflective and nuanced amidst the flurries of relationship talk.
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50The Holiday drags on for more than two hours, long enough for even the most ardent suitor to lose interest. The premise, so delectable at the start, quickly begins to feel tired and oversold.
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50Winslet is an actress, Diaz is not. The screenplay by Nancy Meyers, who directed, has dialogue that is not near the snap level of, say, Nicole Holofcener's comparable "Friends With Money."
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50The problem is that happy endings this strident and overextended begin to seem somewhat desperate.
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40In what was clearly designed to be a chick flick, the on-screen chicks work hard at being endearing, while Jude Law, as Amanda's more than conversational partner, charms everyone effortlessly and gets the best lines.
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25Even with a wild card like Black desperately retooling his lines, there's nothing authentic or personal about The Holiday--it's as chilling as heart-warmers get.
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20This overproduced romantic comedy doesn't even qualify as fluff; it's flat, featureless plastic.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 15 out of 21
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Mixed: 2 out of 21
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Negative: 4 out of 21
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AmandaS.10This movie was a true love story. it appealed to a real audience and it touched me in place that most others fail to reach.
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ReidF.7
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BronaghH.9I liked this movie a lot. It made me laugh and also clap my hands. Very good movie indeed.