Last Holiday (2006)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Last Holiday" is one of my guilty pleasures. I watch every time I come across it.I won't go into plot details at this late date, but I will say that Latifah's performance is charming, sweet, and pretty much flawless.LL Cool J gives a surprisingly warm performance, and Alicia Witt more than rises to the occasion. She takes a stock character and gives it real depth and dimension. Kudos to Alicia.The other supporting players range from adequate to very good. Timothy Hutton, although playing a stereotypical "bad guy," manages to give his character a few good moments.The only let-down, is a comparatively weak ending. Don't get me wrong, the ending is not terrible, and it does wrap up the story, but I can picture several ways it could have been better.All in all, "Last Holiday" is well worth a look.

This film is about a saleslady in a department store who finds out she has a terminal illness. She decides to spend all her savings to enjoy her remaining days in her dream European resort.I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of "Last Holiday". Despite Georgina's illness, she decides to enjoy her life as much as possible. She becomes liberated, no longer sticking to her miserable routine. She instead jumps out of the box and enjoys life as much as she could. The film is uplifting and cheerful, I find Queen Latifah full of positivity which makes the film work. I applaud her character's positive vibe. There would probably not be any depressed people if everyone thought like Georgia. Chef Didier, played by Gerard Depardieu, is great too, as he and Queen Latifah have great chemistry. It would not feel out of place if the plot says they started a relationship! I very much enjoyed "Last Holiday". It's fun, touching and positive. I hope it will be appreciated by more people.

Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a woman on her "Last Holiday" in this 2006 film also starring Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, L.L. Cool J, Alicia Witt, and Giancarlo Esposito. Georgia works in the cookware department of a big department store chain. She's incredibly popular with customers, and at home, she keeps a "possibilities" scrapbook with recipes she's cooked copying her idol, Emeril Lagasse, photos of exotic places, and a photo of her married to her dream man (Cool J) who works with her. But her dream of a restaurant, marriage, a family - she's too shy to really go after them. Then she learns that she only has three weeks to live. She cashes in all of her retirement menu and sets off for Prague. There, she entrances everyone she meets and is unafraid to say what she thinks or take chances. Her popularity and attitudes rankle the owner of the store where she worked (Hutton) who is suspicious of her.Queen Latifah is a natural actress who radiates warmth and honesty in her portrayal of Georgia Byrd. Borrowing from "Nothing Sacred" and "Living it Up," the script emphasizes living life for all its worth and not being afraid to take chances.For all its simplicity, "Last Holiday" leaves the viewer feeling very good. It's predictable, somewhat generic, but delightful, with very good performances and the beautiful scenery of Prague as a backdrop.

LAST HOLIDAY is a rather lame remake of an old Alec Guiness comedy that stars Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd, a department store employee who finds out she's dying and decides to travel to Europe and blow all her money, not knowing her fantasy man/fellow employee (LL Cool J)has been fantasizing about her as much as she's been thinking about him. This film is so predictable that I could practically recite the dialogue along with the actors. Queen Latifah works very hard at making her Plain Jane character funny and believable, but her performance comes off as forced and annoying. LL Cool J shows solid leading man potential in a thankless role that's a waste of his and our time. There are plot holes you can drive a truck through, but the film does boast an impressive supporting cast including Gereard Depardieu as a world famous chef who befriends Georgia, Giancarlo Esposito as a US Senator from Georgia's hometown, who happens to be vacationing in the same European spot Georgia travels to, where she learns he is in bed with a ruthless, wealthy businessman (a surprisingly effective Timothy Hutton, cleverly cast against type), who is also dealing with a very discontent mistress (Alicia Witt). There's some gorgeous scenery and the supporting cast is fun; however, unless you're a hardcore Queen Latifah fan, I'd pass on this one.