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| The Holiday - 2006 |
Coming up next is 2006's "The Holiday". Here, two women from different continents trade lives in an effort to escape their normal existences and find something new in life.
The film's cast includes Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Sarah Parrish, Shannyn Sossamon, John Krasinski, Dustin Hoffman, Alex O'Loughlin, Odette Annable, and Bill Macy.
Iris Simpkins is a young woman from England who's been a bit unlucky in love.
She's been hopelessly in love with a man from work for years. He's been stringing her along, and she finds out that he's engaged at the office Christmas party. Needless to say, she's crushed and her whole world feels like it's caving in.
Over in California, Amanda Woods is a workaholic who has also got man trouble.
She's just broken up with her boyfriend Ethan after finding out he's been cheating on her with someone from his office.
Both ladies decide they need a chance. They get on a home exchange website and decide to swap lives for the holidays. They are both looking forward to a much needed change of pace.
And so, Iris heads to Los Angeles. Amanda's home absolutely wows her. She can't get over it. She looks in amazement at each room she sees.
Amanda, on the other hand, isn't exactly thrilled with the slower pace of life she finds at Iris's home in Surrey. Used to a faster pace, she quickly becomes bored.
That is until she meets Iris's dashing brother Graham, who is a widower with two adorable daughters.
Amanda and Graham really hit it off in a big way. They spend every moment possible together.
Graham's daughters love Amanda as well. They declare that she looks like a Barbie when she arrives for an impromptu get together. The girls take Amanda to their hearts right away. And the feeling is definitely mutual. (Shout out to Jude Law's "Mr. Napkin Head" performance.)
When the holiday is up, Amanda decides she can't leave...not just yet. She makes plans to stay in England through New Year's, which delights Graham, who has declared his love for her.
In California, Iris has met not one, but two men. The first is a guy who writes music for films. The second is a screenwriter from the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Little does she know how much of an effect these two guys will have on her.
Iris helps next-door neighbor Arthur get into shape for an upcoming event that will see him as the guest of honor. He also helps her with some of the challenges she's facing in her own life. His advice is "brutal but brilliant". "Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and
we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a
leading lady, but for some reason, you're behaving like the best friend," he tells her.
Miles helps Iris get out of the funk she's been in over the engagement of her ex. They have a lot of fun together. Iris even helps him through his own break-up. Eventually, the two realize their feelings for one another and plan to meet up in England for New Year's.
Everyone celebrates New Year's at Graham's house. Iris and Amanda come face-to-face, and they all dance the night away.
Cast rundown:
Kate Winslet....................................Iris Simpkins
Cameron Diaz..................................Amanda Woods
Jude Law........................................Graham Simpkins
Jack Black.......................................Miles
Eli Wallach.......................................Arthur Abbott
Edward Burns...................................Ethan
Rufus Sewell....................................Jasper Bloom
Sarah Parrish...................................Hannah
Shannyn Sossamon..........................Maggie
John Krasinski..................................Ben
Dustin Hoffman................................Himself
Alex O'Loughlin................................Kissing Couple
Odette Annable................................Kissing Couple
Bill Macy.........................................Ernie
And that's it for The Holiday. The film was written with the four leads specifically in mind. Iris's English country cottage was built especially for the film. The production team needed a cottage near enough to London so they just had one built.
Dustin Hoffman has a cameo in the film. Iris and Miles are visiting a Blockbuster Video and Hoffman can be observed watching them. His cameo was completely unscheduled. He was driving by the Blockbuster Video and saw all of the cameras and crew. He decided to stop and see what was happening. Since he knew the director, they talked for a little bit and worked up his little scene.
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