While in Los Angeles, Iris meets Arthur, a famous screenwriter from the Golden Age of Hollywood (played by the legendary Eli Wallach). An unlikely friendship forms and each helps the other - Iris gets him into an exercise program to help him walk, while he recommends classic movies for her to watch to get some "gumption". Also in the cast are Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell (who was once romantically linked to Kate Winslet in the 1990s) and Bill Macy, most famous for playing Bea Arthur's husband on the classic 1970s series, Maude. Dustin Hoffman makes a brief cameo in the scene where Iris and Miles go to a Blockbuster to rent the films that Arthur has recommended. Hoffman was not scheduled to appear in the film, he just happened to be driving by and saw the cameras. When he recognized his friend Nancy Meyers, she convinced him to do a walk-on.
Filming took place at various locations around Southern California - interiors were done at the Sony Studios (the site of the former MGM Studios) in Culver City, as well as several sections in West Los Angeles, including Brentwood, and San Marino, near Pasadena. The English locations were shot in the villages of Shere and Godalming in Surrey.
Although the critics were lukewarm about the film, it opened third at the US box office when it was released on December 8, 2006, and made over $63 million in the US, eventually racking up over $205 million due to worldwide sales and more than paying back its estimated $80 million budget. The film was also awarded a Teen Choice Award for "Best Chick Flick" in 2007. Not everyone was thrilled with the film, though. The band The Wombats are rumored to have said in an interview on BBC 1 radio that they wrote their 2007 song Kill the Director, which included the lyric, "If this is a rom-com, kill the director, please. This is no Bridget Jones" after having seen The Holiday.
By Lorraine LoBianco
SOURCES: "Cameron Diaz and Jude Law Sparked Romance Rumors" Aceshowbiz 31 Jul 07 http://www.answers.com/topic/the-holiday Brevet, Brad. "Chatting 'The Holiday' with Nancy Meyers" http://www.ropeofsilicon.com 5 Dec 06. The Internet Movie Database
