Movies from the Heart—The Holiday

I have this great filing system for my DVDs [which are getting close to 1,000] that my husband put together. It’s a drawer system that’s super organized and lets me pull out any DVD quickly. Oh, and I should mention he put my library of DVDs into a database as well, so I can search for a film by director, writer, composer… it’s amazing. And I have a special drawer set aside for Christmas movies because they’re my faves.

I know, I know—everything is available online now. But hey, when, I might want to watch The Holiday [2006] by Nancy Meyers, in December - when the urge for holiday movies is greater - Netflix or Amazon might not be showing it. Whereas now, in August, you can find it on streaming platforms!! So having my own access to films I love is something I really like.

And maybe now is a particularly good time to talk about The Holiday because we’re not in the middle of the Christmas season and can look at it more objectively to see why it works.

Take a look at the trailer for the film.

One of the things this film tapped into was the new practice of house-exchange that was just emerging. In fact, it was on the cutting edge. I didn’t start renting through these home-exchange services until a good four years after this movie came out.

Being able to spot trends—before others realize they’re trends—is an ability that writers need to cultivate. This film lets anyone who had not done a home exchange—which was almost everyone in 2006—live vicariously through the experience. And that’s what movies do—they let you virtually “live” lives and have experiences that you couldn’t have in real life.

But that was just the structure, the home exchange thing. What really makes the film work is the story. It’s about two women who are each having major problems with their love lives. So exchanging homes helps them—by accident—find new relationships.

And, of course, it’s a comedy, so it’s laced with a lot of humor.

This isn’t your normal Christmas movie. No one’s decorating a Christmas tree, no one’s singing carols, no one’s going to a Christmas pageant or play. And that’s one thing to remember if you decide to tackle the writing of a holiday movie for any holiday—it needs to be different, special. It needs to be a holiday film we haven’t seen before.

By using the home exchange format, Meyers was able to tell her story and make it right on trend. Now, this isn’t easy! You have to have the savvy to spot the trends and then incorporate them into your work. But if you can do that, it can make your script stand out as it will be so contemporary that it will speak to the agent who’s reading it.

Next week well look at a different kind of holiday film, called Last Holiday.

Copyright © Diane Lake

25Aug24

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com