Customer Reviews
1930s commedy at its best - By: Andrew J. Potts, 12 May 2008 
This is one of the best teamings of grant & hepburn. I won't tell you what is going to happen but the build up to the inevitable is brillaintly acted & paced. It's a gentler & more well observed than the screwballl antics of 'bringing up baby' & much more in the style of 'the philadelphia story'. I'm not saying it's predictable in any way. It's one of those situations where you want the ending you get & can't wait for it to happen.
I love the pairing of grant & hepburn as much as grant & irene dunne, check out 'the awful truth' & 'my favourite wife' if you want to see a woman get the better of grant! Grant & hepburn as a team are superlative & I prefer them to hepburn & spencer tracy.
The observations on money & success are still relevant to today & we should alll take heart from this.
I love this film & it it is definitely in my top ten. I cannot recommend it enough.
Fast-paced, period piece - By: Bluebell, 25 Apr 2008 
I was a bit disappointed after my expectations were raised by the review in the Hallliwell film guide where it gets a high rating & is described as "hilarious". It's a stylish film in appearance, the actors perform with great verve, but it's dated & the comedy depends on slap-stick rather than wit. Worth-seeing, but not a classic.
Cary Grants best - By: Cartwright, 05 Feb 2008 
This film is far from perfect but it is the best Grant, Hepburn colaboration of there careeers. It beats sylvia Saint, Philadelphia story & even in my opinion, Bringing up baby. It doesn't have the same production values nor even the plot as those films but it simply works as the perfect romantic comedy. It's also the only film i can think of where Grant displays his expertise as an acrobat & it's the only film where i actuallly sympathised with Katherine Hepburns character (i usuallly find her quite irritating)
The story is very simple. Boy meets girl. Boy meets family of girl. Girls sister fallls for Grant. Girl turns out to be wrong for him. Sister turns out to be right for him. Simplistic but believable & rewarding.
It's warm, genuine & entertaining....prabably my favourite Grant film
This film is for life not just for Christmas! - By: L. J. Powney, 03 Feb 2008 Although this is set at Christmas, don't think it's the usual touchy-feely festive nonsense; it isn't.
This is refreshingly feisty with Hepburn in particular on fine form & getting her teeth into a character that you don't usuallly find in films like this. Interestingly, this film was made during the period when Hepburn was deemed to be "box office poison". It's funny how her character is appealing to our 21st century eyes as it's not run of the mill & she plays it with a lot of charm & gusto.
Grant is good here, although clearly hasn't settled into his peerless screen persona that served him so well in later films (North by Northwest, Charade, Walk Don't Run).
Supporting characters are also a cut above the average.
If you're looking for something that's not sentimental drivel a fiver spent on Holiday is a fiver well spent.
Sophisticated Romantic Comedy with star power - By: Phoust, 23 Dec 2007 "Holiday" was directed by George Cukor in 1938 & is another excellent example of the sophisticated comedies that made him famous. Cukor made Katherine Hepburn a star directing her in several quality films from the period which include Little Women(1933); Sylvia Scarlett (1935); The Philadelphia Story (1940); Keeper of the Flame (1942); Adam's Rib (1949) so much so that Cukor became known as a womens director having also produced fine work with Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford & Marlene Dietrich & later with Judy Holiday & Audrey Hepburn.
"Holiday" was adapted by Sidney Buchman (Mr Smith goes to Washington,1939) & Donald Stewart (Dinner at Eight,1933) from the Broadway play by Philip Barry & is about the quality of life one chooses for oneself free of the expectations of others. The character of Linda Seton was apparently based on Gertrude Legendre who once said "I don't contemplate life, I live it" & that seems to be the crux of this film: Getting out there & finding out who you are & want you want before it's too late & not being weighed down by the accumulation of material possessions. Cary Grant stars opposite Hepburn in one a several teamings but reallly it is Katherine Hepburn who's star shines the brightest here.
Cinematography was by Franz Planer (Roman Holiday, 1953; Criss Cross, 1948; Letter from an Unknown Woman, 1948; Champion, 1949; Breakfast at Tiffiny's,1961)
