Holiday (1938)

Too much of everything

the audience applauded

best movie i've ever seen.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Smart, brilliant, seductive, fascinating, great, must see twice.... . one of refuge-films. because it is sweet and bitter and clever and gives one of the most inspired and moving example of real, pue romance. sure, it is not the only and the couple Hepburn - Grant is the guarantee, beyound the first scene of the virtues of film. but it has the pieces who defines it as...magic. the right story, cast, director and dialogues. the status of moral lesson, impressive scene by scene. the force and science to propose questions with clear answers to the public. and the recipes to do a film who deserves seen many times. off course, it is far to represent a revelation for old movies fans. and it is not Philadephia story. but, it is the perfect refuge for admire a solide art and a wise manner to use it.

Holiday is my favourite Cary Grant film and my favourite of Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn's partnership. Between this, Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story it's almost like having to choose my favourite child; yes all three are that good but ultimately Holiday is the most beloved of my offspring. I find Kate & Cary to be one of the five greatest instances of chemistry I've seen between an actor and actress (my other selections being Astaire & Rogers, Powell & Loy, Stewart & Sullivan and Fonda & Stanwyck), even preferring them to the longer running Tracy-Hepburn partnership.However, the two stars aren't actually romantically engaged throughout Holiday, with Johnny Case (Grant) preparing to get married to Julia Seaton (Doris Nolan), the sister of Linda Seaton (Hepburn). This dynamic in which Linda is more passionate about her sister's relationship than Julia herself and the obvious feelings she has for Johnny is a much more interesting and complex dynamic than the more standard romance. Linda is far more interesting than her comparably dull sister. The whole time I'm thinking to myself Kate & Cary are beyond perfect for each other in this coming together of two intellectuals. - I simply don't want to see them being involved with anyone else.I feel Cary Grant has never looked more youthful than he does in Holiday and even gets a rare opportunity to show off his acrobatic skills, with Hepburn even getting in on the action. I'll also take this opportunity to mention that man sure could wear clothes like no other. The discussions Kate & Cary engage on what their characters want to do with their lives are so deep and profound. The difficulty of finding their place in life, the obstacles of trying to live it and not wanting to miss out on an ever-changing world full of ideologies and ideas, all while trying to get by with an optimistic attitude despite the imperfections in their life. It's hard to take it all in on and decipher in a single viewing, which makes Holiday one of my most life-affirming movies.Katharine Hepburn, on the other hand, had the opportunity in her career to play roles which reflected her real-life personality as a non-conformist oddball. In Holiday she is the the black sheep in a wealthy, business-driven family. Linda is a character who comes up with what her family describes as "little ideas" which they outright dismiss. Her "little idea" of throwing an engagement party for Julia in their childhood playroom (a playroom which looks so much fun! You could almost set the entire movie in there) on New Year's Eve is one of the most powerful and harrowing moments I've seen in any film. The feeling of being an outsider and a lonely at that (I know I've been there before) has never been captured more effectively on celluloid than it has when Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn are dancing alone in the playroom and welcome in the New Year. I do make it an aim during a future new year's eve to watch Holiday with the film synchronized with real time so I can introduce the new year at the exact same time the character's in the movie do so.

Everything that "The Philadelphia Story" was, "Holiday" wasn't.If the point of Holiday's story was to convince me that the incredibly rich were just a bunch of boring, stuffy, petty, snivelling, tantrum-throwing, one-dimensional goofs (Yeah. That about covers it), then, yes, it certainly achieved its intended goal quite successfully.Holiday is a prefect example of why I generally detest and often avoid watching "Screwball" comedies from the 1930s and 40s.Its story was so contrived, predictable and riddled with every "poor-little-rich-girl" cliché in the book that it made my skin absolutely crawl in complete revulsion to everything that it supposedly stood for.One aspect of Holiday's "far-from-believable" story that really killed me had to do with the 3 spoiled-brat children (who were all around the age of 30) of wealthy banker, Edward Seton.These 3 big sucks clearly resented "daddy-dearest" for the dominating and (apparent) strangle-hold that he had on their lives. Yet these 3 little whining cry-babies continued to live under the same roof with this overbearing, money-grubbing, Wall Street monster. And that, to me, rendered them all a bunch of selfish, temperamental, hypocritical wimps as they greedily guzzled down his booze and paraded around in all of their tres' chic, designer outfits.Holiday was the sort of film whose story really sent out a very confused and mixed message about the super-wealthy set. It just couldn't decide whether it wanted the viewer to laugh at them, or to hate them, or to enviously desire to be just like them. But, whatever - This film's story was "Screwball" comedy at its absolute most detestable, in my opinion.And, besides all of that nonsense, I definitely thought that the chemistry between its 2 big-name stars, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, stank, big-time. And that's because there really was no chemistry between these 2, whatsoever.Of the 4 principal characters who dominated Holiday's story, it was Cary Grant's "I-just-wanna-bum-around-for-the-rest-of-my-life" role as John Case who rang the most false and pretentious.Immaculately groomed in his tailor-made suites and shiny shoes, I wasn't convinced, for even a minute, that this "good egg" wasn't even phased one bit by the possibilities available to him through all of Seton's financial wealth. To me, Case's phony, non-materialistic philosophy didn't hide the fact that beneath his apparent selfless intentions lurked a greedy, little gold-digger just waiting to pounce on all that dough.

Johnny Case (Cary Grant) falls in love with Julia Seton (Doris Nolan) while on holiday. Despite knowing little about each other, they become engaged. The free-spirited Johnny finds he doesn't have much in common with Julia's class-obsessed family, except for her 'black sheep' sister Linda (Katharine Hepburn). Gradually Linda begins to fall for Johnny as he struggles with the contrast between what he wants out of life and what Julia wants.This is a nice George Cukor romantic comedy but I'm not as in love with it as others. Grant and Hepburn are great. This is one of Hepburn's more likable roles. But there's something about the plot that leaves me a little cold on the romance front. Basically at the end of the picture I'm left with the feeling that Grant's character is a little quick to fall in love and any potential he might have for a successful relationship with Hepburn or anybody else is doubtful. I guess that's the cynic in me coming out but the film really didn't try to appeal to the romantic. Still, it's a good film with a great director, two amazing stars, and a fine supporting cast.