Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Cameron Diaz | ... | ||
Kate Winslet | ... | ||
Jude Law | ... | ||
Jack Black | ... | ||
Eli Wallach | ... | ||
Edward Burns | ... | ||
Rufus Sewell | ... | ||
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Miffy Englefield | ... | |
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Emma Pritchard | ... | |
Sarah Parish | ... | ||
Shannyn Sossamon | ... |
Maggie
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Bill Macy | ... |
Ernie
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Shelley Berman | ... |
Norman
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Kathryn Hahn | ... |
Bristol
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John Krasinski | ... |
In London, Iris Simpkins writes a wedding column in a newspaper and nurtures an unrequited love for her colleague Jasper Bloom. Near Christmas, she is informed that Jasper is engaged to marry another colleague, and her life turns upside down. In Los Angeles, the movie-trailers maker Amanda Woods has just split with her unfaithful boyfriend Ethan and wants to forget him. Through a house exchange website, Amanda impulsively swaps her mansion for Iris' cottage in Surrey for the holidays. While in Surrey, Amanda meets Iris' brother and book editor Graham and they fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, Iris meets her new next door neighbor the ninety year old screenplay writer Arthur, who helps her retrieve her self-esteem, and the film composer Miles, with whom she falls in love. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Although this isn't my typical pick on movies I'd love to see, I have to say I enjoyed screening this one. The run time is a bit long, and the movie gets a bit soft in the middle, but considering you're actually watching two love stories (as opposed to one), I guess the run time is justified. It still seemed a bit forced to get the story told in a descent amount of time (still over two hours). The performances were moderate to good, with exception of Jude Law as Graham, who was wonderful.
If you're tired of holiday films that are so stacked with so much Christmas cheer that it makes you sick, this is the perfect alternative. Light enough for some serious laughs, and with enough drama to keep it interesting to audiences, this one's a good date movie. Leave the kids with a sitter. There are a few adult themes that could be uncomfortable to try to explain to a younger one.