Last Holiday Review
Posted by Jacob Ziegler on 01.13.2006
I swear I have a friend that looks just like Gerard Depardieu...
LAST HOLIDAY
January 13, 2006
Georgia Byrd: Queen Latifah
Sean Matthews: LL Cool J
Kragen: Timothy Hutton
Chef Didier: Gerard Depardieu
Ms. Burns: Alicia Witt
Senator Dillings: Giancarlo Esposito
Congressman Stewart: Michael Nouri
Paramount Pictures presents a film directed by Wayne Wang. It was written by Jeffrey Price and Steven S. Seaman. The running time is 102 minutes. It is rated PG-13 for some sexual references.
BY JACOB ZIEGLER
A fellow critic of mine named James Sanford recently screened a film in which the trailer for "Last Holiday" played in front of. When it was over, a person sitting behind him noted very loudly, "you know she ain't gonna die in the end!"
Okay, so this film isn't going to make its money on suspense, but as a comedy laced with drama, "Last Holiday" does a much better job than I thought it would. Credit can go entirely to its star, Queen Latifah, who as Grand Rapids Press critic John Serba says, can make mediocre material seem much better due to her considerable charm and charisma; except for "Taxi," because I don't think anyone could salvage that garbage ship.
Latifah stars as Georgia Byrd, a meek department store employee who clips coupons, sings in her church choir, and often prepares exquisite looking meals for the young boy named Marlon (Mike Estime) who lives next door that she learned from watching the Food Network. She doesn't eat the meals herself, but sticks to eating her Lean Cuisines.
The store she works at is called Kragen's, so named after its egocentric owner Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton). She works in the cookware department with her friend Rochelle (Jane Adams). They spend some time admiring the backside of co-worker Sean Matthews (LL Cool J), and discussing what kind of nuts you could crack on him.
Sean has feelings for Georgia as well, but they are both shy to express them. When it appears that they are finally going to seal a date, Georgia bumps her head on an open cupboard and is knocked out. The company physician, Dr. Gupta (Ranjit Chowdhry), decides to give her a CAT scan as a precaution. What he finds is a rare condition known as Lampington's Disease, and that Georgia only has three weeks to live, or "four on the outside."
This seems like a heavy premise for a comedy, but screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Steven S. Seaman manage to balance some humor along with paying respect to the gravity of the situation. The film does lose track at certain times by either becoming too slapstick (as in the snowboarding sequence), or too obnoxious (Georgia's diatribe on the airplane for one), but it mostly maintains an affable aura.
Georgia decides that she wants to spend her last few weeks living it up, so she books an extravagant trip to Prague to stay at the Grand Hotel Pupp. There she will be served by one of her culinary heroes Chef Didier (Gerard Depardieu), try base diving and a variety of other activities, and spend a lot of time with Senator Dillings (Giancarlo Esposito), from her own state of Louisiana, Congressman Stewart (Michael Nouri), and Ms. Burns (Alicia Witt), who is with her boss Matthew Kragen. Georgia captivates most of the people she meets, except for Kragen, who can't stand not being the center of attention.
"Last Holiday" is a fine little movie, one that I like to put into the "perfectly harmless" category. It may be syrupy and sweet, but it has no trouble reaching the modest goals it set for itself.
The 411: Oscar nominee Queen Latifah (“Chicago,” 2002) leads a cast that includes LL Cool J, Oscar winner Timothy Hutton (“Ordinary People,” 1980), and Oscar nominee Gerard Depardieu (“Cyrano de Bergerac,” 1990). It’s a predictable yet pleasant little movie.
