The best holiday in a long while

"Love Acutally" has officially been dislodged as THE holiday romantic comedy to watch.

Thanks to this little gem by Nancy Meyers:


"The Holiday" wasn't really on my list of must-see-movies, largely because I read 2 not-so-good reviews about it. The common reaction was it was too long for a rom-com. It went past the 2-hour mark, which isn't good in Hollywood. Another review called it a movie that's "Adorable as it's Predictable." Not a very nice catch line, and not a very encouraging sign.

But today - due to the intense prodding of a friend - I found myself at the theater watching it. Thank goodness I let myself be prodded. "The Holiday" is a fantastic romantic movie. The script by Nancy Meyers is brilliant! Beautiful! Heartfelt! Real!

Ok, enough...

It was peppered with universal truths about love and relationships, and the characters she created were so real, they could be sitting right beside us. (And they could've. Really.) My favorite bit was when Graham finally professed how he felt for Amanda, and launched into this wonderful monologue that spoke of so many realities. I found myself nodding the entire time.

Another fantastic thing about this film's writing was that it made me laugh. And it wasn't the "tee-hee" kind of laugh but the "guffaw, guffaw" variety. It's been a while since I last laughed at a film's script. (Most of the time, it's because of some slapstick scene, frustration or just plain bad acting.) So it's novel to find a film that has a cleverly funny script. I loved the parts when the "Hollywood Trailer Voice" would butt in and talk about Amanda's life.

The performances also helped. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet were acting like their usual romantic-neurotic selves, so no surprise there. They delivered the goods that they're used to delivering. Jack Black, despite showing a lot of sensitivity and emotion, still had a lot of "Jack Black" moments. (This made me feel like I was watching "Tenacious D" all over again.) Elli Wallach was wonderful, and he made me miss my Lolo Iking all of a sudden. But it was Jude Law who turned in the most sensitive performance, making him the most convincing of the lot.

His best bit would be the part when Amanda has a change of heart and decides to go back to Rosehill Cottage to tell Grant that she loves him. The emotional state she caught grant in was classic. Genius acting by Jude Law.

The film's ending - just like what the review said - is adorable but predictable. But then again, that's what love usually is like.