Emily Allen
It’s that time of year again. December hits, Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé are played on repeat, people pretend to actually like mince pies, and normal TV viewing is paused in favour of familiar festive favourites. And if we had to pick our #1, it would have to be Nancy Meyer’s The Holiday.
From Home Alone to Elf, Love Actually to Die Hard, some Christmas films are firmly ingrained in the national psyche. Yet whereas some films made in the 1990s and 2000s have aged poorly (looking at you and your fat-shaming jokes, Love Actually), The Holiday’s message is arguably more relevant today than when it first came out in 2006 — kudos to Meyers.
The Holiday is one of the most popular Christmas films. Set between a chocolate-box UK village and sunny LA with a stellar cast of actors, there’s so much about this film to love. Earlier this year, Kate Winslet who plays love-stricken Iris, revealed to Harpers Bazaar that she is more recognised for The Holiday than she is for Titanic.
She says: “Mothers and daughters come up to me in the grocery store and they say, ‘Oh Kate, we just love The Holiday. It’s our little ritual at Christmas… and I just love that. That’s something I never would have expected actually… the sort of mother-daughter connection around a film like that. It’s so nice; it’s lovely.”
Female audience
The Holiday was directed by a woman arguably for a predominantly female audience, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that it’s a firm favourite with mothers and daughters. Yet unlike many other romcoms, Christmas or otherwise, The Holiday contains an empowering feminist narrative and follows the lives of two professional women who reclaim their self-worth and agency following heartbreak. This enduring female-first message of The Holiday is yet another reason why it is still so popular almost twenty years after its release.
“This character growth is not a by-product of romantic love, but a triumph of personal growth”
On its surface, The Holiday follows the parallel love stories of Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) as they swap homes to escape heartbreak during the Christmas period. While the romance is undeniably central to the plot – with Jude Law’s charming Graham and Jack Black’s endearing Miles playing memorable love interests – the film doesn’t follow the traditional rom-com formula.
Poignant journey
Iris’s journey is particularly poignant. At the film’s start, she is lovesick for her charming yet manipulative ex Jaspar, a relationship that erodes her self-worth. After flying to LA, she meets Arthur, an elderly screenwriter and neighbor in Amanda’s LA home. Their blossoming relationship (not the typical meet-cute at all) leads Iris to rediscover her “gumption” and become the leading lady in her own life once more.
When Jaspar flies out to surprise her, she promptly tells him to get lost after realising that they weren’t right together and that she was no longer in love with him. The happy dance she does after kicking him out the house and realising she needs to start living is one of the best moments in the film. Yet this character growth is not a by-product of romantic love, but a triumph of personal growth.
Iris’s romance with Miles develops late into the film’s runtime, after they’ve developed a strong friendship. Contrary to many romcoms where the woman changes herself to attract the man she desires, Iris changes herself for herself, which leads to her finding the right man for her.
Grounded story
Amanda’s relationship with Graham is more grounded in rom-com tropes, and her feminist arc is more subtle, but still equally as important. A high-powered producer of film trailers, Amanda is fiercely independent but emotionally guarded due to past trauma in her life. Her unexpected romance with Graham challenges her to confront vulnerabilities she has long buried. Best of all, Graham isn’t intimidated by Amanda’s career success, and the film doesn’t end with Amanda leaving her job for a man. Unlike other romcoms, the film does not depict her professional success as a flaw, but showcases the difficulty of balancing ambition with emotional intimacy.
“Both women gain fresh perspectives on their own lives”
Perhaps one of the most powerful elements of The Holiday is Iris and Amanda’s friendship. Although the two don’t officially meet until the end of the film, The Holiday places Iris and Amanda’s budding friendship at the heart of the story, unlike romcoms that sideline female relationships, pit them as rivals, or have them fall out over a man.
Though they never share a scene together, their lives become deeply intertwined through their home exchange and their similar romantic situations. By experiencing each other’s worlds and broadening their horizons, both women gain fresh perspectives on their own lives and grow in character and strength. Their bond highlights a female solidarity that transcends geographic and cultural boundaries, celebrating the ways women can inspire and support each other’s growth even from afar.
Timeless themes
In an era of growing feminist consciousness, The Holiday feels ahead of its time. For both female leads, the romantic love they find in the film is an enriching complement to their already successful lives, rather than a cure-all. Its exploration of women’s agency, self-worth and emotional resilience resonates deeply with modern audiences, as does its focus on Iris’s and Amanda’s inner journeys rather than merely their romantic outcomes.
As you curl up on the sofa with a hot chocolate for your yearly re-watch of The Holiday this year, it’s a good time to remember that the best love stories often start with learning to love yourself (timely appearance by Jude Law in a snowy doorway optional!)
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Featured image courtesy of Kate Shash on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes have been made to this image.
