Next, is 2016's The Holiday, one of those wintry romcoms where the main characters are all loaded and live fabulous lives but we're meant to feel bad for them because they've been unlucky in love and might spend Christmas alone - cry me a river.
But, you know what? After eleven months of festive schmaltz and many, many cruddy films of this type, I discover this to be a vastly superior example of the genre. Much of this is down to capable direction and a witty script from Nancy Meyers but mostly due to the phenomenal Hollywood star power of its excellent cast. It's also pretty darn Christmassy and - whisper it - quite moving. Yes, it's ridiculously predictable but when it's done this well, one cannot really argue too much about a shamelessly uplifting ending or two.
This festive fable follows Kate Winslet's depressed British journalist and Cameron Diaz's fed-up L.A. film editor who decide to participate in a very last minute "house swap" right before Christmas, to get away from the messy problems of their respective love lives. Having effectively swapped lives, both women find love in unexpected places and - you guessed it - learn something about themselves and discover happiness on their own terms..
Diaz's hot mess yank Amanda crosses paths with dreamy Graham (Jude Law), a handsome single dad who’s also the brother of Winslet's character, Iris. Meanwhile, across the pond, Iris develops an unexpected but adorable relationship with Amanda's 90 year-old neighbour Arthur (Eli Wallach), an Oscar-winning screenwriter from Hollywood's golden age. I really enjoy that Meyers focuses on this lovely platonic relationship between a thirty-something woman and a nice old dude, as it feels genuinely sincere and not something you often see in films like this.
Of course, being a romcom, Iris needs a love interest her own age, so in waltzes Jack Black's composer Miles to charm her heart and teach her how to love again. Black's casting is inspired as he's not your typical hunky leading man but, as well as bringing the laughs - a scene where he sings songs from classic movies in his own inimitable style in the middle of Blockbuster is a standout - he can also be pretty damn charming as well.
The film is total gorgonzola but it's a treat to look at, all beautiful, snow-dusted English countryside cottages contrasted against seductive, sun-kissed California skylines.
This was, in my humble opinion, unfairly dismissed as a dumb chick flick, though it does feature some unnecessary plot contrivances. Both women talk to themselves a lot to add exposition, while Amanda is haunted by a weird, disembodied, omniscient movie trailer guy voice that pops up every now and then to spell out how she's feeling. It's funny once, but gets old real quick.
Still, a film with this much mega star power, pretty window-dressing and a cockle-warming festive score by Hans Zimmer can't fail to put a smile on your face, even if its 'get out of your car and run through the fields for love' climax has me shouting "Oh, bugger off!"
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