Ode to Movies: The Holiday

Ignoring the unfinished 2022 reflections document on my computer, it’s Christmas Eve, I’m in the middle of a Christmas movie marathon, and I’m trying to pack for my trip. The other night I watched my favorite movie of the season, The Holiday. Let me start by saying: thank you, Nancy Meyers.

It’s been a cool minute since I’ve done an Ode to TV Shows piece (or any piece—look, it was a rough year!), and as I watched, I couldn’t get my mind off of all the reasons I love love love this film. I truly think it’s one of the best Christmas movies out there, sorry to Love, Actually. It is cozy personified, smart, warm, and funny. And the score is magical, to say the least.

Starting off with a voiceover by the lovesick, hopeless romantic Iris, we get a quick glimpse at the three other main characters before settling on her. I love this narration so much. It oozes longing, but it’s still insightful. You can tell this is someone who loves love, despite how unlucky she is with it. We all know about love, many of us read romance novels like our lives depend on it, some of us are even lucky enough to be in love. Iris is the perfect initial focus for this film because despite everything (Jasper being a fuckwad), she still believes in it, and that is the most important aspect of the movie, in my opinion. Each character has felt or is feeling (or will feel) some kind of loss of what they perceived as love, and they have to figure out how to trust themselves again.

Also just the writing of this scene is so good over Hans Zimmer’s genius score. 

And then we get to badass Hollywood gal Amanda and her trash man Ethan. Amanda is what a I would jokingly refer to as a “girlboss,” and she’s kind of what you might consider the archetype for the protagonist of a Hallmark movie (or maybe the evil girlfriend of the love interest of a Hallmark movie). The good thing about her, though, is that she knows she needs some kind of change in her life. Ethan may suck ass, but he had a point that she wasn’t focusing enough on herself, just her work. Slowing down doesn’t have to mean giving up your ambition, which she has to learn (and this is what Ethan was overlooking; he just wanted her to pay attention to him and coddle his ego).

Cue the house swap.

Iris and Amanda couldn’t be more different on the surface (character-wise; two slim, white, blonde women are a dime a dozen), but they do exhibit a level of self-sabotage in their personal lives, and they need to pull a little bit from each other to balance out.

Iris, who is constantly alone in her home life, immediately takes on a more “Amanda/LA” persona. She befriends Miles and Arthur and through them, widens her worldview. Sort of. It is Hollywood after all. She sees so much more than the mundane routine she’d subjected herself to in England. She loosens up, she laughs more, and she adds a little color to her personality. And she gains a confidence she never would have found if she hadn’t taken the leap to visit LA. Gumption. And she finally is able to stick up for herself, in general and to Jasper, who’s kept her on the hook for so long just to diminish her spark. I love her arc. I love watching her blossom!

Iris and Miles are such a great “friends to lovers” storyline because they truly do hit it off as people. They get along so well and bring out such good things in each other: gumption and passion and warmth. Cast Jack Black in more rom coms I AM BEGGING.

Amanda on the other hand, is a little too LA for the village life Iris lends her, and she has a difficult time adjusting. Enter Graham, the world’s best and most sensitive man with his pretty blue eyes and cheeky side. Who else could bring Amanda down from her high horse and help her pump the brakes? His polar opposite perspective and life is like throwing an ice cube into a cup of hot tea to bring it to the perfect temperature. 

Amanda and Graham are the “star-crossed” lovers, having that immediate connection. They can’t stop coming back to each other, even when logistically, their relationship is all but doomed. They have such good chemistry, and their love story has that cinematic sparkle that is just so Amanda.

Miles and Graham are the perfect foils to Iris and Amanda, and I love that both their arcs take on different romance tropes. It keeps the story fresh and never loses heart. Nancy, you killed it.

I love this movie because it takes my two sides, being a book person and a movie person, and melds them together. Iris’s voiceovers are so true to her romantic side. It’s like reading the inner monologue of the protagonists of my favorite romance novels. And, as the film progresses, her voiceovers become sparse and then disappear altogether—because she is living the life she kept dreaming about, even if it wasn’t exactly as she thought it might be. She’s too busy out and about to be so in her head about the “horrible life” she had in the opening scenes.

Amanda has a bold, movie-guy narration reminding her of her shortcomings, which is very Hollywood of her. I think it’s also a tenet of the cinematic, dramatic love story she and Graham have. At first it pokes fun at her shortcomings, like a joke, which is kind of how she sees her life. Eventually, it, like Iris’s voiceovers, fades out when she begins living too. But that star power is still a part of her, so it goes from a parody showcasing her flaws to being a sort of conscience that reminds her that she has grown and matured.

I truly can’t talk about the score of this film enough. Hans Zimmer is one of my favorite composers (obviously), and I’ve been listening to the score since October. It feels like a warm hug while simultaneously being a sweeping epic, full of longing and coziness but still has a power that spans oceans. I know the Pride and Prejudice (2005, dir. Joe Wright) score is my favorite score, but damn!!!!!!!! This one is just so good. It really completes the film, and proves every point Miles makes about movie scores.

The Holiday is one for the ages for me. It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. I will watch any time of the year. Probably will put it on again tonight, actually.

Merry Christmas, y’all!

And Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa and whatever other holidays are going on this time of year. I think Hanukkah might be winding down by the time this one goes live, but the sentiment stands! Bump my holiday playlist for good vibes to close out 2022.