The Holiday (or, England and America are different, don't you know?)

As far as movies go, seeing The Holiday was a bit of a goodwill gesture. I love Kate, Cameron, Jude and Jack so I thought I would give it a go even thought it looked a little vapid.

I was pleasantly surprised. It is never going to be held up as a cinema classic but it is an interesting enough story, told well. The hyper-Englishness is laughable but ends up adding a certain joy to the film. I loved that Kate Winslet's cottage was so Ye-Olde-English-cottagy that it looked like it had been made from Emma Thompson's stools. Best of all, it was only 40 minutes outside London and Kate managed to do that commute (and the twenty minute walk to her door) every morning and evening.

Thankfully, director Nancy Meyers knows that Americans collect dvds, while the English collect books, otherwise the whole country swap thing would have been incredibly confusing. I loved that Cameron Diaz was a film trailer editor and that she was cutting trailers for films to be released on Christmas day just days before their release.

The Holiday is a lot of fun because of its cultural idiosyncrasies and its charming performances. It is forced and preachy but that is all part of its charm.

A worthy piece of holiday viewing.