by MALCOLM FRASER

Packed with all the usual romantic-comedy ingredients, The Holiday is an expertly crafted piece of Christmas date-movie fluff. Luckily, it has all the elements to satisfy hardcore devotees of the genre, and just enough genuine charm and unpredictability to melt the cynical hearts of those who might be reluctantLy dragged out to such an unrepentant chick flick.

Amanda (Cameron Diaz) is a high-strung movie-trailer editor in Hollywood who’s going through a messy break-up with her nogoodnik boyfriend (Edward Burns). Iris (Kate Winslet) is a newspaper writer in London who’s trying unsuccessfully to get over her relationship with Jasper (Rufus Sewell), her caddish co-worker whose impending marriage hasn’t stopped him from toying with her emotions. The two women meet online and impulsively decide to do a house exchange for the holidays. In Winslet’s tiny English country cottage, Diaz ends up hooking up with Winslet’s brother Graham (Jude Law) while in Diaz’s sprawling L.A. mansion, Winslet strikes up a flirtatious friendship with mild-mannered film-score composer Miles (Jack Black).

Writer/director Nancy Meyers got started as a screenwriter (she wrote Baby Boom and the Father of the Bride remakes, among others); her directorial efforts have included the questionable What Women Want and the geezer-pleaser Something’s Gotta Give. Here, she’s clearly striving to create a Classic Romantic Comedy for the Sex in the City generation. This goal becomes obvious, even self-reflexive, in a subplot where Winslet meets up with her geriatric neighbour Arthur (Eli Wallach), a screenwriter from the Hollywood golden age who keeps saying things along the lines of, “If this were a movie, this would be the scene where…”

Even showing her hand in this risky manner, Meyers pulls it off. The dialogue is sharp and witty, the plot has just the right amount of clever twists, and the actors are all perfectly cast. Diaz does her spazzy physical comedy without going overboard, Winslet is charming and sympathetic, Law offers a variation on his lad persona, and Black keeps his adolescent mugging in check. The film is a little long and drags just a bit in the middle, but it’s so enjoyable and amiable that its imperfections can be forgiven in the spirit of seasonal cheer.

The Holiday opens Friday, Dec. 8

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