I know it’s not Christmas anymore, but ‘The Holiday’ is one of my favourite films, regardless of the season. The plethora of famous actors, the idealistic, unexpected romances and the beautiful soundtrack are just some of the things that make the watching experience so enjoyable. Some may say it belongs only to the dark winter nights, when you’re cocooned in a blanket, hot chocolate grasped in frigid hands, but I think the wholesome masterpiece belongs in any available 2-hour slot.
For those who haven’t seen it, the classic film – rated 12A – shows how two women, both wronged by love in some way or another, swap houses for a few weeks; Amanda (Cameron Diaz) stays in Iris’ cottage in snowy England, and Iris (Kate Winslet) travels to Amanda’s luxurious mansion in warm and windy California. Following the change of scenery, both find new romances (at different paces) and foster lasting friendships, resulting in a heart-warmingly happy ending with all of them together on New Year’s Eve.
I personally find Amanda’s story in England more entertaining and enjoyable to watch, although I do find Arthur, who lives in LA, extremely wholesome (more on him later). However, I decided to focus more on Iris’ story in this article, since, whilst Amanda’s story follows the typical ‘fish out of water’ trope (American out of place in England, hates it at first, comes to terms with it, etcetera), I believe Iris’ story has several more aspects to consider that can be applied to everyday life.
Amanda:
Starting with Amanda, however, we see her character development as she finds herself breaking down her emotional walls and becoming vulnerable, thanks to Graham’s (her new love interest) help and their compatibility and eventual honesty with each other. At the start of the film, Amanda is unable to cry, having locked away her emotions since she took her parents’ divorce badly as a child, however at the end of the film, faced with the thought of having to leave Graham (played by Jude Law) and her experience in England with him behind, she begins to cry, a moment of relief and – ironically – joy for her and the audience, as we see her character arc completed.
Iris:
In terms of Iris, there’s a motif that runs throughout her LA parts of the film that I would like to explore: the Santa Anas winds in California. The first appearance of these winds is when Iris meets Miles (Jack Black), a significant turning point in her story, since (spoiler alert) he’s the one she ends up in a relationship with at the end of the film. Miles himself mentions to Iris that “legend has it, when Santa Anas blow, all bets are off, anything can happen”, immediately hinting at a character arc for Iris, foreshadowing her break-free from her love for her toxic ex-boyfriend.
We can see these Santa Anas winds blowing at significant turning points in the film, such as when Miles and Iris meet, when Miles’ and Iris’ ex-partners attempt to get back in a relationship with them and in other times involving important decisions. The regularity with which the winds blow shows how constantly Iris’ character is developing, something we wouldn’t have expected from her, having seen her in such a pitiful state, as a long-term sufferer of unrequited love, at the start of the film.
We also see Iris take on the role of the ‘Leading Kady’ in her life, finding herself able to detach from her on-going love for Jasper (the toxic ex-boyfriend) in a glorious moment, taking advice from her new friend Arthur (the neighbour to Amanda’s LA house that Iris stays in, a retired screenwriter) to have gumption and not just accept the role of a supporting character in her own life, as she had done before.
Iris’ character arc and development is inspirational, showing how it is possible to clamber out of a rut you may be stuck in, however deep underground you may feel, whilst Amanda’s warns us not to get too absorbed in work, reminding us to be vulnerable with those we trust, and open up about our emotions rather than bottling everything up. Sure, it’s highly unlikely that you will swap houses with someone in LA, find the love of your life, and undergo a complete transformation into a happier, more relieved person, however we can take the lessons hinted at in the film into daily life, making sure to lean on others for support when necessary, but ultimately taking an active role in our lives. As Arthur would say, it’simportant not to be the ‘best friend’; instead, we must be the ‘leading lady’ in our own lives.
