Last Holiday (www.the-usher.com)

"Why me?"

Georgia Byrd (Latifah) has been shy all of her life, never taking chances or living life to the full. When she accidentally hits her head at work, Georgia is given a precautionary CT scan but the doctor makes a shocking discovery, she has a terminal illness and only a month to live. On hearing this Georgia decides to make the most of the time she has left, so she withdraws all her savings and heads to on her dream holiday.

High concept romantic comedies are a Hollywood stable but can Queen Latifah bring something new to the genre?

Tinseltown's obsession with remakes continues with a remake of the 1950 Alec Guinness comedy of the same name but unfortunately this version, like many remakes just doesn't have what it takes to stick in the mind. The idea behind the film is a decent one, a woman finds out that she has only weeks to live so she decides to life out her dreams, but the lack of any real laughs or even heart felt moments make this a distinctly average film.

Now all we have is a typical Hollywood rom-com, with a high concept that offers no surprises as it trundles along. With the usual cheesy and sugary score and a nicer than nice character who has been good all of their life but never got any reward, this is a movie that is nothing more than pleasant but nice doesn't make a movie.

Queen Latifah career after her Oscar nomination for 'Chicago' hasn't been great. With movies like 'Taxi', 'Beauty Shop', 'Bringing Down the House' and 'Scary Movie 3', her choices haven't been the best but 'Last Holiday' is a step in the right direction. While the film doesn't break boundaries but it proves that she is a very personable actress who you cannot help but like. With better material she could be a real star and she might even get another chance at a golden statue. Her supporting cast try their best with their limited roles with Alicia Witt as the career-jostling personal assistant and LL Cool J makes a decent romantic lead as Sean Matthews.

'Last Holiday' is another example of an unneeded Hollywood remake. The idea might be good but the execution is lacklustre and predictable. The cast deserve a lot better and the film is nothing than an average movie that only just manages to raise a smile.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

Last Holiday Packing Light (15.27 mins)
Director Wayne Wang, producers Lawrence Mark and Jack Rapke and stars Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton and Alicia Witt talk about how 'Last Holiday' came back to the silver screen. The cast and crew talk about working with the director and casting the roles. We also see the Czech Republic location and the cast learning to ski.

Last Holiday Last Look (7.47 mins)
Director Wayne Wang, production designer William Arnold, director of photography Geoffrey Simpson and costume designer Daniel Orlandi talk about the look of 'Last Holiday'. The difference in the colour pallet for the New Orleans and Prague, the design of the department store and the Hotel Pupp and Georgia's look are all discussed.

Last Holiday 25 Years in the Making (7.13 mins)
Producers Lawrence Mark and Jack Rapke and co-screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter Seaman reveal how the development of the movie started twenty-five years ago. Based on the 1950 Ealing comedy starring Sir Alec Guinness, the writers and producers talk about why they decided to update the film and the changes they made to the original.

Deleted Scenes (2.21 mins)
Entitled 'Kick the Car' and 'Where to Cowboy?', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of an introduction or commentary track. Recipes from Last Holiday Read how to make 'Poulet Tchoupitoulas' and 'Bananas Foster', two recipes from the movie.

Theatrical Trailer (2.27 mins)
View the preview trailer for the movie

Trailer
A preview of 'Mission: Impossible III'

OVERALL

While the lack of a commentary track is a shame, the featurettes should appeal to fans of the film. The inclusion of recipes from the film is a welcome one and slightly makes up for the lack of the commentary. Fans should be pleased.

DVD

Last Holiday (1950)

The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2006