The James Logan Courier

By Diamond Floyd, Courier Staff Writer

If you're in the mood for a "when two worlds collide" kind of movie, The Holiday is actually more like a "when the two people from the different worlds switch places" kind of movie. If you're into THAT, then this is the movie for you. It's not only cute, but we actually get to see Jack Black at his sweetest. The movie stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Rufus Sewell, Edward Burns, and Shannyn Sossamon.

Uptight and unable-to-cry movie trailor auditor Amanda (Diaz) breaks up wit her unfaithful boyfriend, finds Iris' (Winslet) online offer of switching houses for the winter holidays and later hooks up with Iris' brother (Law). Winslet is an emotional wreck who, after finding out that the love of her life is not only playing with her emotions, but is also engaged to be wed, switches houses with Amanda from her cozy cottage in London to L.A. and spends the movie palling around with 100-year-old Wallach until a neutered version of Black shows up.

Wallach (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) is good as a retired screenwriter who comments on the action as though it were a movie. To be honest, Black really surprised me when he played a serious role in Kong Kong, but now this? This is really something. I still see him playing his role from The Pick Of Destiny. His signature "doodling" he just can't leave alone.

The Holiday is a total "cute-sy" movie. That is a word I had to make up and use for this sole purpose.