The Holiday (2006)

Kate Winslet gets the better half of The Holiday, and it isn’t close. Her Iris lands in a giant LA mansion, befriends a retired screenwriter next door and slowly figures out she deserves better than the ex who keeps calling. That story is warm, funny and specific. Cameron Diaz gets the cozy cottage and an instant romance with Iris’s brother that runs on candlelight and not much else, plus a running gag where Amanda narrates her own life in a movie trailer voice. Jude Law is charming. Jack Black as a romantic lead is a fun idea that’s played so gently he almost disappears. Eli Wallach steals every scene as Arthur, an old Hollywood writer full of stories and still sharp. At 136 minutes, it’s a two-week vacation that feels like two weeks. It made $205.2 million worldwide. A 5.8 because Winslet and Wallach make one lovely movie and the other half just looks nice in sweaters. $547 says you look up a home swap site tonight and then remember you’d have to clean first.

What works: Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach make Iris’s half warm and funny, and it’s a cozy watch in December.

What doesn’t: Amanda’s half is thin, the trailer-voice gag wears out fast, and at 136 minutes it overstays the visit.

Who it’s for: People who rewatch holiday rom-coms every December with a blanket and a mug of something warm.