The Holiday

[DotTheEyes]

Watch the trailer...

If I owned a travel agency, I would show director Nancy Meyers' The Holiday to every prospective customer. Never before has the idea of vacating the day-to-day to experience another culture, meet new people, and see the never-before-seen been presented in such an appealing way on screen.

An unabashed romantic comedy, the film stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet as Amanda and Iris, successful woman who, despite living on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean, find themself in the same place: at the end of a volatile relationship and facing a holiday season spent alone. After meeting online, the pair decide to swap homes with Amanda inhabiting Iris' picturesque cottage in rural England and Iris Amanda's ultramodern mansion in sunny California until New Year's, hoping a change of scenery (and an escape from the men who infuriate them) is the antidote for their depressed gloom. While on holiday, both women find what neither hoped for: new love, with, for Amanda, Iris' dashing older brother Graham (Jude Law) and, for Iris, the offbeat Miles (Jack Black).

Each role seems tailor-made for the actor filling it and the result is across-the-board terrific performances, with the standouts being Jude Law and Kate Winslet, both of whom deliver award-caliber performances far more affecting than I expected. Also, watch for cameo appearances from Lindsay Lohan, Dustin Hoffman, and James Franco.

A literate feminist with a warm heart, but also a wry sense of humor, Nancy Meyers, who serves as director, producer, and screenwriter, is at the top of her game and this is without a doubt her best film thus far.

Overall, the weather outside might be frightful, but The Holiday's a delightful jaunt which'll warmly please even the most cynical of Scrooges.