Paradise Found

The other night I had the unmistakable urge to watch a corny Christmas movie — as one does, this time of year. Succumbing to the inevitable, I snuggled up on my couch with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn and turned on The Holiday. Now. I realize, for many (most?) of you, The Holiday is old news. It’s been around for ages, after all (a quick google search informed me it came out in 2006?! Where have I been the past, um, almost 20 years? OK.), you’ve seen it countless times and it’s likely on your list of holiday movie classics.

Certainly, that is the case for my husband, who — already having seen it on a handful of occasions — barely batted an eye as he played on his phone while I watched, completely enthralled, as the sparkling Christmas drama unfolded before me.

Not that it matters, but I did solve the mystery behind how I missed this film in the first place. For some unexplained reason, The Holiday and The Family Stone — another Christmas movie I haven’t seen — clocked in my head as the same movie. Don’t ask me why. And as I was sure I did not wish to see The Family Stone,* likewise I did not wish to see The Holiday, as I considered them synonymous. Turns out, they are not. You learn something every day.

Anyhow. Lots to unpack. Before we begin our journey, I do apologize to everyone who has seen this film a billion times and is over it. I am far from over it. In a nutshell, it basically blew my mind. In fact, I’d be willing to bet this will not be the only post to which I dedicate The Holiday, since I imagine I will be unable to fully explored the nuances of this spectacular cinematic experience in one shot.

First, indulge me for a moment while we talk about Jude Law. I promise, the entire commentary will not be dedicated to the absolute masterclass of romantic ideals that is Jude Law in The Holiday. Although it could be. Excuse me but how dare he have any right to look that dreamy and be so endearing like I cannot. I literally cannot get over it.

How did they invent a male lead who is simultaneously sincere, humble and adorable while still managing to be stupidly attractive and oh yeah the perfect dad too. They nailed it. And I know, it’s only a movie, it isn’t real life. But Jude makes you feel like it could be — it could be real — and that’s the true value he brings to the table, in my opinion. He’s so good you almost believe it.

Moving along, as promised. I really was impressed, despite myself, in Kate Winslet’s dramatic — albeit cliché — interpretation of unrequited love. And by impressed, I mean I’m furious with myself for not having watched this film sooner so I could have saved myself literal years of anguish had I simply taken a moment to internalize every single love lesson outlined in The Holiday and then proceeded not to make any of the unfortunate mistakes her character Iris made. Spoiler: that is definitively not how my life transpired. I mean, what’s past is past and we’re looking forward but man. Kate Winslet could have saved me a lot of time and tears. And that was 100% my error for not watching this movie when it first came out in 2006.

However. While it’s too late for me, it’s not to late for you. If you are a girl and haven’t already watched The Holiday, do it now. You can thank me later. If you are a guy and haven’t seen this classic film, also watch immediately — to learn what is absolutely irresistible to women (or men), obviously. Go do it.

If these simplistic and contrived categories do not apply to you, my recommendation is exactly the same: Set aside an evening to pop some popcorn and watch the only festive film you need to see this season. It does not make a difference who you are, this film is for everyone. If you’ve already seen it, watch it again. For reminders of what to do and not to do.

If you aren’t able to figure out which is which — lessons to internalize vs. ones to discard, sadly I cannot help you. I can only take you so far on this journey — what is worth recalling later is yours alone to decide.

On another note, it might be worth mentioning that this is the only role Rufus Sewell has played (that I’ve seen) where I wasn’t cajoled to take his side, simply because his characters — or how he portrays them — are typically so compelling. His role here is no exception, at least in terms of the compelling part — he plays Iris’s ex-boyfriend and ongoing love interest Jasper — I could see Iris’s dilemma, sure.

Yet at no point in this movie did I sympathize with his character, at all, which was unusual for me. I’m liable to fall for the whole insufferable-but-charming rouge schtick he tends to have going on, and I didn’t here. In The Holiday, I was actively rooting against him the whole time, which is honestly saying a lot because it’s Rufus Sewell. I mean. He had me at John Smith in The Man in the High Castle** (None of these examples are chronological, if you haven’t noticed. Sorry.) Sewell’s John Smith is actually the only character I remember from the series – and he is not even the man in the high castle. So.

How could he show up out of nowhere to surprise Iris in LA? When she specifically left — flew thousands of miles to put a literal ocean between them, in fact — to get away from him? The audacity! Worst of all, with nothing of significance to say, no genuine epiphanies — same old.

I was appalled on behalf of Kate (Iris) as well as every other human on Earth who has to deal with this particular cookie-cutter type who solely thinks of themselves and fails for an instant to consider the astronomical impact they have on everyone around them, every single individual in their orbit they encounter.

Anyway. I think that’s enough of unpacking The Holiday (and my inner psyche) for now. As we’ve barely scratched the surface on this brilliant classic, the story will surely continue.

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*No disrespect whatsoever to The Family Stone and its cast and creators — I have no idea if it’s a good film, it could be.

**Amazon Prime series based on the excellent novel by Phillip K. Dick.