After 12 years, Nancy Meyers’ frothy escapist film remains the golden Christmas rom-com benchmark that others attempt to emulate.
In recent years, Christmas-themed love stories have increasingly proliferated on the small screen, mostly from the likes of Hallmark and Lifetime during November and December. With streaming giant Netflix now throwing their Santa hat into the ring with a slew of romantic comedy offerings such as The Holiday Calendarand A Christmas Prince, the question of why this type of predictable, cookie-cutter story is so popular with viewers naturally arises.
One has to look no further than 2006’s The Holiday to understand why this genre has grown exponentially over the last few years.
The Holiday Rom-Com Blueprint On Steroids
While no critical darling or box office juggernaut, the Nancy Meyers-directed Christmas treat has maintained a legacy of sorts and has earned a place in many viewers’ December movie rotation as a result. This feel-good love story, however, doesn’t receive the credit it is due as the gold standard of Christmas-themed romantic comedies, that has undoubtedly inspired countless tales that have attempted to emulate it. The film can best be thought of as the unofficial blueprint for the perfectly packaged Christmas romance…only on steroids.
This tale of two women who serendipitously find love after exchanging homes from opposite ends of the globe over the holidays has all the trappings of any Christmas rom-com worth its salt. We have a career-focused urbanite from L.A. (Cameron Diaz), with a character arc in which she becomes more acquainted with her feelings and quickly finds love in an idyllic, quaint town in England.
The audience is also presented with the overarching message of leaving practicality and logic at the door in the name of love, as we witness both Kate Winslet’s Iris and Diaz’s Amanda overcome the improbability of their transatlantic romances by the time we reach the film’s storybook conclusion. Additionally, no rom-com classic would be complete without heartwarming, albeit slightly saccharine subplots revolving around adorably precocious children finding a new mother in their single father’s love interest, as well as an unlikely friendship thawing an old man’s mildly bitter, cynical heart.
A Classic Story In A Premium Package
These well-worn, but classic story elements are gift-wrapped in a luxe package; as unlike your typical Hallmark rom-com, The Holiday is adorned with an $85 million production budget as well as an A-list ensemble of actors. The beautiful aesthetics of the contrasting L.A. and English settings generated from the lavish budget set the film apart from the rest, as the snow-blanketed English cottage that Cameron Diaz’s Amanda occupies looks as if it were plucked from a timeless Christmas card.
Coupled with a sweepingly grand score from Hans Zimmer, the man responsible for the soundtracks of acclaimed dramatic epics Gladiator and The Dark Knight, yields a sugary sweet Christmas epic that can best be conceived as the deluxe version of the standard Holiday offerings on TV.
Beyond the premium packaging and the endearingly sweet ingredients, The Holiday at its core taps into the concept of wish fulfillment, which is the essence of what makes Christmas rom-coms so massively appealing during this time of year. While on a secular level the Christmas holiday season can mean a multitude of things to different people, for many it has become a time to become more acquainted with who you are and determine how you can live your life differently and prosper in the future.
The idea harkens all the way back to Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, as we experience a career-obsessed man see the error of his ways and change for the better. Witnessing relatable characters make drastic changes in their lives and flourishing in the year to come as a result is uplifting and inspiring for many viewers aspiring to do the same.
Nancy Meyers: The Maestro Of Wish Fulfillment
The Holiday particularly soars as an exercise in wish fulfillment largely thanks to writer and director Nancy Meyers’ flair for crafting fantastically idealized worlds. The lives depicted in her other projects, such as The Parent Trap and It’s Complicated, offer glimpses at genial individuals surrounded by luxuries in their immaculate, storybook homes, with nary a sign of any of the darker issues that plague human existence. What’s more, each of Meyers’ protagonists have funded their extravagant lives by way of a whimsical, creatively-driven career. You won’t find any lawyers or accountants here, but rather unconventional and dare I say fun professions, such as a wedding columnist, a movie trailer maker, or a bakery owner.
Meyers’ unique brand of story is the perfect match with a Christmas-themed romance, as none have captured the frothy escapism quite on the level she has. The Holiday is expertly crafted wish fulfillment of the highest level, exhibiting the very best of what can be gleaned from such an unabashedly feel-good genre. The film isn’t likely to change the beliefs of Christmas rom-com maligners, but for fans of the genre this confectionary delight is not to be missed.
Do you agree or disagree about what is driving the current Christmas rom-com craze? What other titles do you think were influential in the genre’s popularity? Discuss in the comments!
Originally Published at Film Inquiry 12/18/2018
https://www.filminquiry.com/the-holiday-2006-review/
