The Holiday

A British writer (Kate Winslet) and a Hollywood producer (Cameron Diaz), both with man trouble, decide to get away by swapping homes for a couple of weeks, where the American meets the Englishwoman’s brother (Jude Law) and the Brit encounters a raffish film composer (Jack Black). Writer-director Nancy Meyers’ fluff machine is on overdrive; she indulges her penchant for Better Homes & Gardens décor and scenes that push the cuteness factor to the max, and she can’t seem to bear to let a good scene end. But she also provides excellent comic opportunities for her female stars; Winslet rises to them with comic poise, while Diaz tends to huff and puff from the exertion. Law is, again, smooth and sexy, while Black supplies a kind of manic charm (and a hint of spontaneity that the film could use more of).