The Holiday
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) | Release Date: December 8, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
52
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
15
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
PremiereStephen Saito
The Holiday is the type of welcome diversion that only Meyers still seems to specialize -- a romantic comedy where Barbara Stanwyck and Rosalind Russell would have been just as natural as Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet and where the one liners fly like confetti. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
If you're willing to embrace a bit of corniness for the sake of some incisive humor, a few poignant moments and enjoyable scenarios, make time for The Holiday. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
This melding of comedic minds is one of the better holiday gifts we've received, cinematically speaking. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Despite this familiarity-wallow, The Holiday is likable. Really likable, in fact. Read full review
70
VarietyJustin Chang
A lavishly overstuffed gift basket of a movie. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
It's formulaic but with a big heart. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
The alluring surfaces of other people's lives can be deceiving, though generally not in a Nancy Meyers comedy, where the thin veneer of fantasy cloaks ... more fantasy. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The dialogue has a perky synthetic sheen, and with the exception of Diaz, Meyers brings out the best in her actors. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Much more silly than romantic. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Even though almost everything about it feels forced and its casting chemistry hardly sizzles, its heart is in the right place, it has its quota of funny and touching moments, and it's ultimately fairly enjoyable. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
No matter how good-natured, The Holiday ends up a glutted farce. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Admitting that it's formulaic doesn't make it any less so, but it's enjoyable in a mushy, easily digested sort of way. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
A harmlessly cheery confection. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Law shines like a sunbeam, warming the film with rakish charm and unexpected emotionalism. Read full review
60
EmpireWilliam Thomas
There is bound to be a large appreciative audience for this chick flick. But it might not be you. Read full review
60
Village VoiceScott Foundas
Meyers can write a good zinger, and she has a knack for casting actors who not only look good in bed, but are talented enough to rise above the material and, in some cases, nearly transform it (save Diaz). But make no mistake: We're a long way here from Ben Hecht and Preston Sturges. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Ms. Meyers, whose ambitions are telegraphed by her film's title, which directly invokes George Cukor's lovely 1938 romp "Holiday," has created a cumbersome vehicle by saddling Iris with a flamboyantly glamorous Los Angeles double, Amanda. As played by Cameron Diaz with oodles of charm and not an ounce of persuasion, Amanda doesn’t as much mirror Iris's love troubles as throw them into wincing relief. Read full review
60
SlateDana Stevens
iIt's far less sickly than plenty of yuletide offerings, last year's "The Family Stone" being one shudder-worthy example. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The Holiday is no vacation. Sloppy writing, an overindulgent editor, and poor casting have taken an intriguing premise and transformed it into an uneven mess. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
His (Law's) is the standout performance, probably because it's quiet and reflective and nuanced amidst the flurries of relationship talk. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The Holiday is a 131-minute romantic comedy for those who, if they had their way, would still be watching "Love Actually." Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The problem is that happy endings this strident and overextended begin to seem somewhat desperate. Read full review
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
Complaining about the gooey and generic The Holiday is as useless as railing against fruitcake - this is a slick, throwaway chick flick designed to provide nothing more than mindless diversion between bouts of shopping. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
This is familiar territory for writer-director Nancy Meyers, Hollywood's queen of the chick flick. Her latest has charming moments and a hopeful message for despondent singles, but it lacks the emotional resonance of Meyers' "Something's Gotta Give" and the zaniness of "What Women Want." Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A lark, with pretensions to be more. Read full review
50
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The Holiday drags on for more than two hours, long enough for even the most ardent suitor to lose interest. The premise, so delectable at the start, quickly begins to feel tired and oversold. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
For some (okay, me), The Holiday, like the holidays, will require some girding up, and is best met halfway with a self-immunizing smile. Otherwise, the good cheer may ring false; worse, it might even seem to sell love cheap, and lovers short. Read full review
50
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
Winslet is an actress, Diaz is not. The screenplay by Nancy Meyers, who directed, has dialogue that is not near the snap level of, say, Nicole Holofcener's comparable "Friends With Money." Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
In what was clearly designed to be a chick flick, the on-screen chicks work hard at being endearing, while Jude Law, as Amanda's more than conversational partner, charms everyone effortlessly and gets the best lines. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Even with a wild card like Black desperately retooling his lines, there's nothing authentic or personal about The Holiday--it's as chilling as heart-warmers get. Read full review
20
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
This overproduced romantic comedy doesn't even qualify as fluff; it's flat, featureless plastic. Read full review
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