Many holiday romantic comedies hold their place as fan favorites. Love, Actually, Christmas in Connecticut, and most recently, Happiest Season have made their way into audiences hearts with their funny stories, engaging characters, and that feel-good “happily ever after” finale. But one rom-com is unique because, while being a Christmas movie, it still provides some crucial life lessons; The Holiday. Starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black, The Holiday depicts two distinct love stories, about two very different couples, that manage to overcome several life obstacles to come together, and in the process learn a great deal about themselves. It’s an easily digestible film that can be watched at anytime of the year, leaving a smile on audiences through every repeat viewing. Here is why the Christmas romantic comedy The Holiday needs a sequel.
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Depiction of Healthy Relationships
Sony Pictures Releasing
The Holiday depicts both the healthiest and unhealthiest sides of a romance. At the beginning of the film, Iris is seen lamenting over her boss and former boyfriend, Jasper. Jasper, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about Iris except for her providing unconditional emotional support. Amanda Woods is an LA production company owner and workaholic who discovers her boyfriend, Ethan, is cheating on her. Unlike Iris, Amanda shows no real emotional reaction to being mistreated by her partner aside from anger. Both feeling dejected by their life circumstances, Iris and Amanda swap homes for the holidays, leading to a second, and genuinely healthy, chance at love. For Iris, it’s in meeting Miles Dumont, a film composer, that shows Iris hospitality, and that a kind, selfless romantic prospect exists for her. Amanda’s second chance at love comes in a more fairytale execution when it literally rings her doorbell.
When Amanda meets Graham, Iris’s brother, they have a spontaneous sexual encounter in Iris’s cottage that turns into something more profound. From dates around London, meeting Graham’s children, to experiencing a sensitivity and warmth that Ethan never provided her, Amanda learns what it is like to receive selfless love for the first time in her life. In a day and age where many interactions are relegated to social media and texting, it’d be great to see a rom-com sequel where its protagonists focus on getting to know each other face-to-face, with respect, kindness, and wholehearted affection shown.
Excellent Representation of Self Love
This lesson applies mostly to Iris and Miles. In her time in California, Iris forms a close friendship with Arthur Abbott, a retired screenwriter who Iris persuades to speak at the Writers Guild of America West. In turn, Arthur pushes Iris to be an independent woman, devoid of sentimental attachments to men who don’t deserve her. Miles is a kind, giving soul who is devoted to his girlfriend, Maggie, unbeknownst to him that she’s seeing another man behind his back. When Miles finds out, Iris consoles him, realizing the similarity in their respective love plights. They both ultimately let go of their self-centered love interests and start dating. But even if they hadn’t started dating and only remained friends, both characters learn an invaluable lesson: self-love. Rom-coms don’t always perpetuate this message, but a The Holiday sequel certainly would.
Romance Done Right
The romantic scenarios in The Holiday are written cleverly and avoid redundancy. Amanda meeting Graham, while somewhat contrived, is still plausible, and Cameron Diaz and Jude Law deliver a subtlety and lightheartedness to the scene that allows for the suspension of disbelieve. Iris and Miles build a slower and more nuanced relationship, starting off as friends who take the time to really get to know each other without a romantic agenda in the works. While Amanda and Graham’s relationship takes the spotlight in its romantic troupes and sexual scenarios, Iris and Miles are by far more compelling in their respective plights; audiences can relate to the unrequited love Iris experiences; audiences can relate to Miles’s pain over his unfaithful partner. And lastly, audiences can relate to getting to know someone who promises a new chance at love, and means it. It would be so rewarding to see what happened with Iris and Miles’s relationship after The Holiday.
Character Development
Every character develops in an interesting and notably, believable way. Amanda learns to fully open her heart for the first time and as a result breaks down the emotional block that impedes her from crying. Graham opens up his heart to love when meeting Amanda, a gamble when his daughters and him are still in mourning over his late wife’s passing. Iris embraces her worth, which is apparent to everyone she graces with her charming personality. And Miles, who is arguably the most selfless and loving character in the movie, learns that there will always be someone who is ready to accept his love while reciprocating it equally. A sequel needs to show what happened to the unique, funny, nice-guy-done-right Miles, the quirky, romantic and kind-hearted Iris; the self-sufficient, assertive Amanda, and the charming and gallant Graham. Characters like these are indispensable to the rom-com genre.
Feel Good Movie
The Holiday is a classic Christmas movie all-around. It provides two enjoyable love stories with likable and relatable characters. It takes audiences on an escapade through a snowy London, and it pays homage to the Golden Age of Hollywood that paved the way for rom-coms such as The Holiday. But, in all these feel-good moments, The Holiday provides excellent life lessons not expected from a Christmas rom-com. It teaches us about selflessness, compassion, self-love, and most importantly, hope. A sequel with this same thematic framework needs to be made for the newer generations to enjoy the magic that is The Holiday.
