Emma Clarendon names her five reasons for loving this classic and warm hearted film….
Kate Winslet portrays a character so grounded and relatable: it has to be said Kate Winslet has never been type cast – but I feel as though as Iris in the Holiday she is at her most grounded and likeable. The way in which she manages to capture her character’s heartbreak very early on in the film as well as showing her growing confidence is incredibly natural and heartfelt – highlighting key aspects of her character’s inner turmoil is well done and never overplayed. Every time I watch this film – I feel like it is me being portrayed on screen, so many of the aspects of Iris I can completely relate to. Particular scenes I enjoyed is the moment in which she realises she is stronger than she realises and confronting another character and the way in which she speaks to Miles in the aftermath of a discovery he makes – her monologues are the strongest in the film.
The way in which it highlights the struggles of being a single parent: another aspect of this film is the way in which it portrays Graham, a single parent trying to bring up two girls by himself while trying to make a life of his own. It all leads to one of my favourite scenes in the film in which Amanda meets his daughters for the first time – yes which is certainly corny in many ways but it is also surprisingly endearing as well. The speech he makes on having to be a father and a mother feels really well grounded and highlights the joys and pressure that it brings.
It was written by Nancy Meyers: having being involved with some of the most memorable romantic comedies such as ‘What Women Want’, ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ and ‘It’s Complicated’, it is no surprise that Nancy Meyers knows how to create romance on screen. The script throughout has an elegant charm about it, while the characters all integrate well together that won’t fail to put a smile on your face.
Jack Black makes for a lovely romantic lead: I have to say I wasn’t sure how Jack Black was going to play a romantic lead – particularly as he is so well known for his comedy films – but he is an absolute delight in this. There is a lovely sincerity to his character that really makes you root for his character to find happiness. Every line that he delivers (which could come across as being too corny to be true), he finds the emotion in it and manages to make it seem utterly believable. He also gets to deliver my favourite line in the film: “Iris if you were a melody…I used only the good notes”.
It shows two very different women undergoing two different journey’s to discover themselves; away from the romance, the two central characters Amanda and Iris undergo their very own journey’s to discover who they really are find a strength that they didn’t know they had. It is really powerful from this point of view, proving that we can all make positive changes for ourselves if we want to but – doesn’t get preachy on the audience at all.
By Emma Clarendon