Holiday, The

Premiere Stephen Saito

The 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.

USA Today Claudia Puig

If 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.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

This melding of comedic minds is one of the better holiday gifts we've received, cinematically speaking.

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Despite this familiarity-wallow, The Holiday is likable. Really likable, in fact.

Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano

The 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.

Variety Justin Chang

A lavishly overstuffed gift basket of a movie.

The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt

It's formulaic but with a big heart.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

Much more silly than romantic.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Even 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.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

No matter how good-natured, The Holiday ends up a glutted farce.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

The dialogue has a perky synthetic sheen, and with the exception of Diaz, Meyers brings out the best in her actors.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

A harmlessly cheery confection.

Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey

Law shines like a sunbeam, warming the film with rakish charm and unexpected emotionalism.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Admitting that it's formulaic doesn't make it any less so, but it's enjoyable in a mushy, easily digested sort of way.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

Ms. 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.

Empire William Thomas

There is bound to be a large appreciative audience for this chick flick. But it might not be you.

Village Voice Scott Foundas

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.

Slate Dana Stevens

iIt's far less sickly than plenty of yuletide offerings, last year's "The Family Stone" being one shudder-worthy example.

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

Winslet 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."

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

The 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.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

For 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.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

A lark, with pretensions to be more.

Austin Chronicle Marrit Ingman

His (Law's) is the standout performance, probably because it's quiet and reflective and nuanced amidst the flurries of relationship talk.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

The Holiday is no vacation. Sloppy writing, an overindulgent editor, and poor casting have taken an intriguing premise and transformed it into an uneven mess.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

The Holiday is a 131-minute romantic comedy for those who, if they had their way, would still be watching "Love Actually."

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

The problem is that happy endings this strident and overextended begin to seem somewhat desperate.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Complaining 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.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

This 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."

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

In 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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Even 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.

Washington Post Ann Hornaday

This overproduced romantic comedy doesn't even qualify as fluff; it's flat, featureless plastic.