Christmas Films--#4

How do I love this film? Let me count the ways…

I’m talking about The Holiday [2006] by Nancy Meyers.

My husband actually makes fun of me for the number of times I seem to watch this film each year. He’ll be off playing a gig [he’s a singer] and he’ll come home and there I’ll be—watching The Holiday.

So what’s the deal? Why am I so drawn to this film? Why is everybody? Because the film was not a darling of the critics—they pretty much panned it or were indifferent to it. But audiences loved it. It made over $200 million worldwide.

What didn’t the critics like? Well, the most common complaint was that it was predictable.

Duh.

It’s a romantic comedy—of course it’s predictable. From the minute you see the poster for the film and note the cast, you pretty much know who’s going to end up with who. IT’S A ROMANTIC COMEDY. The fun of a film like this is watching how these people come together. And it’s about combining the sweet with the hilarious.

This is the kind of film that doesn’t win awards—comedies like this are often undervalued. But they’re beloved by moviegoers, so as a writer, you have to ask yourself who you want to please, don’t you?

What is great about the film is how well it taps into our fantasies. Two women—both with the same problem of picking the wrong guy to fall in love with—exchange homes for two weeks over Christmas. One’s just outside London and one’s in LA, and we get to follow both women into their new world and their chance to meet some new [better] men.

Here’s the trailer to whet your appetite: https://www.imdb.com/video/vi680395033?ref_=tt_pv_vi_aiv_3

This is the kind of thing we all might fantasize about doing—leaving our regular lives and heading off into someone else’s house for a while… and hoping something will come of that that will change our life for the better. Do most of us do this? Of course not—but that’s what makes the movie fun … we wonder, if we had the guts, could jumping into the home exchange thing work out like that for us.

The other thing I think this film is tapping into is the fact that Christmas isn’t the happiest time for everyone. In 2006 when this film came out lots of things in my life weren’t going well—so I was the perfect candidate for it. And even today, when my life is pretty much a fairy tale it’s so perfect, I still relate to this film because it reminds me that good things CAN happen, that an unhappy Christmas this year can be replaced with a very HAPPY one next year … miracles can, indeed, happen.

And if you like romantic comedies, stay tuned for next week’s pick—for my money, the best romantic comedy Christmas film ever!

Copyright © Diane Lake

06Dec20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com