Last Holiday Review
by Tim Voon (winklebeck AT hotmail DOT com)November 8th, 2006
Last Holiday (2006)
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 2006 Timothy Voon
4 out of 5 stars
Director: Wayne Wang Cast: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton Screenplay: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman
There is something entirely pleasant about 'Last Holiday' that I experienced when I first saw it at the cinemas, and again when I watched it on DVD. It has received a lot of criticism from critics for not being funny enough, or being too sentimental. I do not believe that these are major flaws and I don't think Wayne Wang intended this film to be slapstick funny or a tear jerker.
Instead, I saw in this movie as an extremely positive message of hope for those who have come close to death or been touched by terminal illness. You may not enjoy this movie if you have not suffered like the character Georgia Byrd and come to realize that there is so much more to life than the sum of days working to pay off your mortgage and saving for your retirement.
I truly enjoyed Queen Latifah's interpretation of the character Georgia Byrd, who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal cancer and has only a few weeks to live. She is sensitive, humorous and with great self control. I am not surprised that Queen Latifah has recently been voted a role model for American women today. There are wonderful scenes of Georgia arriving at the Grand Hotel Pupp (pronounced Poop) as she decides to cash in her savings and start living her dream. It is here that the woman who was once too afraid to speak her mind makes a dramatic transformation from duckling to swan. She literally takes flight, parachuting off a dam, ski boarding down a black run, winning at roulette with great style, and glowing with warmth and understanding. Her truth and honesty comes through, as she touches the lives of everyone from the celebrity chef (Gérard Depardieu), to the hotel staff and even politicians.
Contrasting Georgia's honesty and liberation, is Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton), a multi billionaire who is self-centered, competitive and needs to win at all costs. Despite his wealth, he is a very unhappy character. You feel sorry for him, more than you despise him. He highlights well the point that money does not always buys happiness, and if you had to choose between wealth and misery, or liberation and happiness - you would choose Georgia over Matthew.
There are wonderful elements which makes this a holiday movie. The picturesque European winter, with snow covered country side, a beautiful hotel with wonderful food, warm fire places, comfortable bed sheets, fingers running over your body as the masseur loosens your tight stressful back muscles, a little book of possibilities that becomes a book of realities, makes this a very personal and enjoyable film that I will bring out to watch with my friends and family.
So bring out a bottle of wine, light the fireplace, put up the Christmas trees and wrap your presents. Then put on 'Last Holiday' for a nice warm fuzzy feel of hope and promise for the coming year.
Timothy Voon
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