The 2006 Christmas romantic comedy The Holiday is definitely one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, even though there are also plenty of people who find it unbearably cheesy. Part of what makes it both beloved and cheesy, however, is how fundamentally relatable and honest its central characters are, such as Kate Winslet's Iris Simpkins and Cameron Diaz's Amanda Woods.
When the two women trade homes for the holidays, conventional romantic comedy hijinks ensue. But The Holiday has a lot more to say than just the traditional trite romantic comedy fare, leading to some deeply relatable moments over the course of the film.
Amanda's Workaholic Struggle:
"I Need Some Peace And Quiet, Or Whatever It Is People Go Away For."
Amanda is a complete workaholic and a control freak who struggles to get in touch with her emotions, which causes many of her character's central conflicts. When she decides to take a vacation to get away from her love life problems, she doesn't exactly go about it in the most conventional way.
Amanda is so deeply entrenched in her career that she has no real work-life balance, something that is all too relatable for many. Her understanding of vacation? "Some peace and quiet, or whatever it is people go away for."
Graham Gets In Touch With His Feelings:
"I Cry All The Time; A Good Book, A Great Film, A Birthday Card... I Weep. I'm A Major Weeper."
More than other genres, the world of the romantic comedy often introduces incredibly sensitive and emotionally compelling male characters. Jude Law's Graham Simpkins, one of the film's most likable characters, is perhaps one of the most vulnerable of them all.
As Graham courts Amanda in their unconventional romance, he is almost staggeringly honest with her from the very beginning. His honesty reaches a new level when he tells her, "I cry all the time. ... A good book, a great film, a birthday card, I weep. I'm a major weeper." That's definitely relatable for many in The Holiday's target audience, too.
Iris Embraces The Romantic Comedy:
"I Like Corny. I'm Looking For Corny In My Life."
One of the best parts of The Holiday is, in fact, not the romantic relationships that the film chronicles, but the relationship that develops between Iris and the adorable Arthur Abbott (Eli Wallach). Their cross-generational friendship leads to many of The Holiday's sweetest moments.
As Iris learns to understand the world through the eyes of the Hollywood legend who has seen and written it all, Iris starts to talk like him, too. When she comments that "I like corny. I'm looking for corny in my life," it's the perfect summarization of all she has learned from him, and completely understandable to anyone who loves the romantic comedy genre.
Iris Invents The Perfect Tinder Bio:
"I'm Very Normal, Neat Freak, Healthy, Non-Smoker, Single... Hate My Horrible Life."
The Holiday may have been released long before the likes of Twitter or Tinder existed, but somehow, Iris comes up with a perfect short description of herself that would be well-suited for many individuals' Twitter or Tinder bios.
As she and Amanda introduce themselves to each other over instant messenger, Iris sums herself up as so: "Very normal, neat freak, healthy, non-smoker, single... Hate my horrible life." Her level of self-deprecating self-awareness is definitely too relatable for many.
Arthur's Brutal Honesty Is Best Friend Goals:
"I Wanted To Get Away From One Guy, An Ex-Boyfriend, Who Just Got Engaged And Forgot To Tell Me." "So, He's A Schmuck."
Iris is motivated to swap places with Amanda in the first place because of her own complicated love life, following the news that her on-again, off-again flame Jasper has gotten engaged without telling her. It leaves her in quite a state of emotional disarray, given that she is far more invested in Jasper than he ever has been in her.
When she summarizes this scenario to her new friend Arthur, however, Arthur doesn't have any time to humor the possibility of their relationship being meaningful. "So he's a schmuck," Arthur tells her, giving voice to just the right kind of best friend dating advice that anyone would be glad to have.
Iris's Much-Needed Awakening:
"You're Supposed To Be The Leading Lady Of Your Own Life, For God's Sake!"
Arthur's brutal honesty comes as a result of his decades of lived experience, but it also leads to some of the most important moments in Iris's character growth. Since Arthur has written countless scripts and worked on so many projects, he has a keen understanding of the human condition that many people do not.
When he tells Iris that she's acting like the best friend character in her own story, it's a profoundly insightful moment in a relatively corny movie, and it leads to Iris's inspiring and relatable proclamation that "you're supposed to be the leading lady of your own life, for God's sake!"
Comfort For Those Whose Love Is Unrequited:
"Most Love Stories Are About People Who Fall In Love With Each Other. But What About The Rest Of Us? What About Our Stories: Those Of Us Who Fall In Love Alone?"
There are many different kinds of love in The Holiday, almost comparable to the number of love stories in Love Actually. But one of the most relatable storylines in the film is, unfortunately, not the happily ever after that Iris finds with Miles and Amanda finds with Graham.
Instead, a kind of love that the film portrays all too well is the love stories for "those of us who fall in love alone." Iris's unique understanding of unrequited love leads to some of the film's most meaningful moments, and a deeply satisfying journey of self-growth for her character, too.
Iris Sums Up Millennial Self-Loathing:
"You Know, I Never Realized How Pathetic You Are." "Really? Oh God, I'm So Aware Of It."
Iris is hardly a millennial, but she has a unique grasp on the sardonic kind of humor that is all too prevalent in the world of millennials and their entertainment. In one of the film's earliest scenes, Iris's coworker observes that she "never realized how pathetic [Iris is.]"
It's an insult meant in loving jest, but for many, it would sting all the same. But not for Iris. Iris, instead, responds, "Really? Oh God, I'm so aware of it." That distinct kind of self-loathing is so relatable to so many.
Miles's All Too Relatable Dating Woes:
"Why Do I Always Fall For The Bad Girl?" "You Didn't Know She Was A Bad Girl." "I Knew She Wasn't Good."
15 years removed from The Holiday's original release, it's clear that there are some problematic elements in the film's story. Minor relationships, including the ones between Amanda and Ethan, and Miles and Maggie, are super toxic and haven't aged well, but perhaps they were never meant to.
But their toxicity doesn't make Miles's lamenting over "always fall[ing] for the bad girl" any less relatable, particularly when he follows up by confirming that he "knew she wasn't good" even before he got involved with her.
When The Movie Summarized The Popularity Of The Romance Genre:
"I Suppose I Think About Love More Than Anyone Really Should."
Romantic comedies and romances in general definitely are not for everyone. But there's a reason that, unlike so many fads and specialized genres, the romance manages to endure: everyone thinks about love, in some form or another, at many points during their lives.
Those who love romantic comedies just think about it more than others do. And apparently, that extends to even those who live within the world of romance fiction, as Iris finds herself "think[ing] about love more than anyone really should."