John Higgins makes his case for the film that gets him into that festive spirit, Nancy Myers’ The Holiday.
The Christmas film. It is what defines your childhood and teens. The Sound of Music? The Great Escape? Any James Bond?
Back in the day, before Sky Premier and Sky Cinema in the UK, families would look forward to the autumn advert announcing the Christmas films, the highlight being the one that usually showed after the Queen’s Christmas Speech.
How does one define ‘The Christmas Film’? A movie set at Christmas – or one that conjures up the feeling of happiness and joy that one feels around that time?
In recent years, the expansion of TV services, such as Freeview in the UK, has enabled certain films to be screened several times (as part of a contract between the distributor and the network to fulfil a specific number of screenings)
As we approach Christmas 2016, there is probably one guarantee on UK TV – that Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday will be screened several times on ITV2 – and then once again on ITV1. I have to say that when it appears on TV – whether it is in the listings or whilst I am channel-hopping at the end of a long day of work, I do sneak a peek. I shouldn’t do – but such is the irritatingly addictive quality of this schmaltzy offering – as well as a scene stealing performance from the late Eli Wallach in his last role – that I cannot help but watch it. It certainly beats Love Actually, in my opinion.
The Holiday has some nice moments throughout on balance. By comparison, Richard Curtis’ Love Actually redeems itself on two scenes. The first is Rowan Atkinson’s gut-wrenchingly funny shop assistant at Selfridges, in a scene when a hapless office worker (Alan Rickman), desperately trying to buy a piece of jewellery for his mistress whilst his wife (Emma Thompson) is buying elsewhere, is delayed by Atkinson’s desire to fulfil Rickman’s desire to have the item ‘gift-wrapped’ The second is where Colin (Kris Marshall) despairing of the qualities of British girls, heads to Wisconsin, where he promptly meets three very attractive American girls and shares a bed with them.
The plot of The Holiday is basic. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), a column editor for The Daily Telegraph is in love with fellow worker Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell) who shows no sentiment when it is announced at a Christmas party that he is engaged to be married to another female co-worker. In LA, Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) throws her boyfriend, Ethan Ebbers (Edward Burns) out of the house due to infidelity. The two drown their sorrows by agreeing a house swap for two weeks over the Christmas Break. Cue major culture clash, as Iris arrives in Hollywood, LA, whilst Amanda arrives in Hollywood, England (the American perception of England a la Three Men and a Little Lady and Oxford Blues to name but two offerings - quaint houses, difficulty driving on the wrong side of the road etc.)
Relationships on both sides of the pond entwine, with Iris meeting Ethan’s friend Miles (Jack Black) involved with someone else, whilst Amanda meets Iris’ brother Graham (Jude Law). Iris also meets retired screenwriter Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach) who enchants her with tales of the old Hollywood…….
You don’t need a slide rule to predict how this is going to all turn out and it is a sweet as the best Christmas pudding served with a dollop of Brandy Sauce, yet there is an endearingly charming quality to The Holiday. Part of it is down to Wallach, but Law and Black actually downplay their usual performances and offset Winslet and Diaz who are OK in their respective roles.
It is a picture postcard Romantic Christmas Comedy with all the trimmings. I would certainly watch it with a glass of mulled wine and nibbles as well come the hour and day.
At this point, I offer a disclaimer – and it is this: I wouldn’t suggest that you watch this one first as a Christmas film.
On balance, I would always recommend It’s a Wonderful Life (and possibly Gremlins) as the definitive Christmas film to uplift your spirits (Capra’s film never fails to hit the heart as it should – a movie that will always give hope to anyone who feels they have lost out in life)
Repeat viewings of a film will always change your reaction and you know what is coming, but such is the predictability of some stories told on the big screen. Meyers is a master at this sort of thing (Baby Boom and Father of the Bride are two other films of hers that tap into the same mind-set of cinemagoers) and the film remains a movie that families with older children can enjoy.
