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The Holiday

The Holiday

Comedy · Romance · 2006

Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

Movie details

The Holiday

“It's Christmas Eve and we are going to go celebrate being young and being alive.”

2006 Comedy · Romance 2h 16m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Two women, one American and one British, swap homes at Christmastime following bad breakups. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Holiday?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Princess Switch

The Princess Switch

Romance · 2018

When a down-to-earth Chicago baker and a soon-to-be princess discover they look like twins, they hatch a Christmastime plan to trade places.

Love Hard

Love Hard

Comedy · 2021

An LA girl, unlucky in love, falls for an East Coast guy on a dating app and decides to surprise him for Christmas, only to discover that she's been catfished. But the object of her affection actually lives in the same town, and the guy who duped her offers to set them up if she pretends to be his own girlfriend for the holidays.

'Twas the Text Before Christmas

'Twas the Text Before Christmas

Romance · 2023

Addie is a New York City chiropractor mistakenly receives a text from “Nana.” The accidental text turns into a loving friendship between the matronly Nana and Addie who now communicate regularly. Nana invites Addie to spend the holiday in Vermont. It is picture-postcard perfect and exactly as Nana described except for one surprise. Nana’s single son, James, a traveling doctor is also home for the holidays. Over three consecutive years, James and Addie are together during the holidays, though it isn’t until they are both single that they begin to see each other in a different light.

Your Christmas or Mine?

Your Christmas or Mine?

Comedy · 2022

Students Hayley and James are young and in love. After saying goodbye for Christmas at a London train station, they both make the same mad split-second decision to swap trains and surprise each other. Passing each other in the station, they are completely unaware that they have just swapped Christmases.

Holiday in Handcuffs

Holiday in Handcuffs

Comedy · 2007

A ne’er-do-well thirty-something attempts to appease her family by kidnapping herself an attractive boyfriend for the family Christmas. Despite unlikely odds and dysfunctional family moments, the two fall in love and share a magical Christmas.

Your Christmas or Mine 2

Your Christmas or Mine 2

Comedy · 2023

They've swapped Christmas – again. Can Hayley and James' relationship survive another turbulent family Christmas or has their future together gone off-piste?!

Dear Christmas

Dear Christmas

TV Movie · 2020

Natalie Morgan is an author and host of a popular podcast, Holiday Love, which shares true stories of holiday romance with its listeners. While to the outside world and her listeners everywhere see Natalie is an expert on romance, she's never truly experienced a romance of her own. As Natalie prepares to embark on a promotional tour for her new book, she stops back home to spend Christmas with her family and to celebrate her parent's 50th anniversary where she unexpectedly begins to experience her own holiday romance as sparks ignite with local firefighter, Jack.

Just Friends

Just Friends

Comedy · 2005

While visiting his hometown during Christmas, a man comes face-to-face with his old high school crush whom he was best friends with – a woman whose rejection of him turned him into a ferocious womanizer.

Champagne Problems

Champagne Problems

Romance · 2025

A driven American exec heads to Paris determined to acquire a champagne brand by Christmas — and accidentally falls for the heir to the bubbly empire.

This Time Next Year

This Time Next Year

Romance · 2024

Minnie and Quinn were both born in London on New Year’s Day, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Thirty years later — and very different people — they find themselves thrown together again in the same city on New Year’s Eve.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Nancy Meyers

Written by

Nancy Meyers

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz

Amanda

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Iris

Jude Law

Jude Law

Graham

Jack Black

Jack Black

Miles

Eli Wallach

Eli Wallach

Arthur

Edward Burns

Edward Burns

Ethan

Rufus Sewell

Rufus Sewell

Jasper

Court is in session

Put The Holiday on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.