User reviews

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) is a shy reserved sales clerk, and an amateur chef. She has feelings for co-worker Sean Matthews (LL Cool J). When a CAT scan reveals a terminal illness, she cashes in everything to live it up in Europe at the Grandhotel Pupp where chef Didier (Gérard Depardieu) serves.

Queen Latifah exudes charisma and warmth which enlivens this old feel-good formula. It's fun, it's charming, and it's cliché. Timothy Hutton does a sleazy retail magnate. LL Cool J is very personable and sexy. Gérard Depardieu actually has fun acting opposite the Queen. In the end, any positivity comes from her beautiful personality. And that's what makes this such a delight.

I had no idea I would enjoy myself so much! Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a shy, quiet, insecure frump, with a secret passion for cooking and for her co-worker, Sean (the most endearing character that L.L. Cool J. has ever played!). After hitting her head and suffering a concussion, Georgia has a cat-scan that reveals several brain tumors. With less than a month to live, Georgia takes all the money she has and treats herself to the European vacation of a lifetime. She flies first class, stays in the Presidential suite, eats the finest food, and lives like she was dying. "Last Holiday" is pure fantasy and pure fun, and it never takes death too seriously. Gerard Depardieu plays the delightful world-famous Chef Didier who equates Georgia's appetite for food with an exquisite appetite for life. "The meaning of life," he tells her, "is butter." So go treat yourself to this fun little film, get a large popcorn, and don't skip on the butter.

OK, "Last Holiday" is not an Oscar contender, but it is an uplifting and well-made film. Georgia, the main character played by Queen Latifah, was living a very dull and boring life and suddenly, she realized that there was more to life than working all day and eating microwave dinners. She was a woman who followed her dreams. Timothy Hutton is a wonderful villain and LL Cool J plays his heartthrob role very well. The Czech Republic provided a gorgeous (albeit COLD) backdrop. Yes, some of the plot points are implausible, but who cares? The scenery - and Queen Latifah's wardrobe - were breathtaking and most important, this movie was ENTERTAINING and these days, there are very few films that you can say that about. At the performance I attended, there were about 200 people in the audience and we all applauded at the end of the film. Go see it for a good laugh!

I thought this movie to be highly enjoyable. It had all the right ingredients (pun intended) of a classic "feel good" movie. In a generation full of hectic rush and non stop "mean-ness," this movie was a little ounce of what we need more in the world; optimism. "Live life to the fullest." Unfortunately that theme isn't common nowadays. There doesn't seem to be one part of this movie that isn't enjoyable. There's just the right amount of humor that allows Queen Latifa to shine as a comedian as well as heart in her performance which makes you care for and relate to this character. I hope this movie receives a lot of credit and praise despite the timing of its release. I applaud the actors and the especially the writers for making such a happy movie.

Last Holiday is a feelgood movie. You know from the start there will be cheesy moments and a happy ending but it doesn't matter as you don't watch such a movie for surprises, nor to be intrigued. Those movies are made to make you feel good and that's exactly what it did. There is the right amount of joyful and sadful moments, so you will feel both emotions while watching Last Holiday. And it's not even spoiling that I tell you there is a happy end as there always is a happy end. That's why it's a feelgood movie. The cast was enjoyable to watch, especially Queen Latifah playing the main character. As for the comedy factor I had a couple good laughs, mostly in the well found repliques from Queen Latifah. Every now and a while everybody needs a movie like this one, something easy and pleasant to watch.

It is her film. not surprising. not only for splendid performance but for the good script, the perfect team job and, sure, for the life lesson, with all its paragraphs . a film about life, new beginning, joy and the way to transform the others. a comedy, off course. but little more than one of good emotions, recomfortant story. because it is a film of chemistry. between Depardieu and Latifah, between the role and Latifah. and one of beautiful virtues is the status of old fashion film. that film who, after long time of expectation, you discover. so, that is all.

I saw this film with my mom, and we both loved every minute of it. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone loved it, because it was one of the only movies that everyone clapped at the end. Although it was often silly and predictable, it was absolutely hysterical and had a lot of heart.

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah), a worker at a supermarket, is a normal, shy and reserved person. She's afraid to talk to the guy she loves (Sean, played by LL Cool J), and she never does anything exciting. Within the first 15 minutes, you see her cook a wonderful looking meal which she cooked along with the show "Emeril", in which she takes a picture of and gives to her neighbor. She in turn eats a Lean Cuisine. These greatly affect the establishment of her character, so I give props to the writers.

She later hits her head and learns that she has a terminal disease and is going to die in 3 weeks. She is very sad at first, and goes back to her normal life for a day or two, when she finally looks at her possibilities book (a book with all the things she wish she would have eaten, vacations she wanted to go on, and fake pictures of her marrying Sean), and decides to go to the "Grandhotel Pupp" and live up her last three weeks.

Once at the hotel, she sees the senator of Louisianna (who was supposed to attend her church service) and Congressman Kragen, the owner of the chain of shops that she works at. She also meets the hotel staff, ranging from a mean housekeeper to a kind chef she had wanted to meet. That is where the humor really starts.

She completely splurges, getting the nicest room in the hotel and getting orders of everything in the restaurant, making everyone think she is a very important person. She also manages to get many different spa treatments and do many exciting things including snowboarding and base jumping.

You get all the humor of a typical Queen Latifah movie, with a lot of heart that will make you love the movie even more. The drama isn't really extremely big, but it really makes you enjoy the movie more. The best part of the movie, in my opinion, is when Georgia says "Next time... we will laugh more, we'll love more; we just won't be so afraid.". It makes you appreciate life and enjoy the movie. You will laugh, you may even cry, but you will leave the theater with a smile on your face.

Currently, we have our fair share of pointless actions films (absent of any plot and decent script) or films that are trying to take themselves too seriously or films that are too dark and downbeat or films which try to be funny but are not so it was a pleasure to go with my family recently to see Last Holiday.

Queen Latifah comfortably heads a cast who delivered solid, believable performances across the board (and some new faces to me). OK, the story was a bit contrived and some sequences were a bit far fetched (the snow board ride for instance) but it was a great deal of fun.

The story, which looked at people's aspirations and dreams and the need to take every day as it comes, to enjoy life to the full (as we don't know what is round the corner) was played out with great passion and skill. Latifah's comedy acting (loved the raised eyebrow and sideways glances) was relaxed and easily won over the sympathy of the audience. Great, also, to see Gerard Depardieu again as I haven't seen him for a while.

Refreshingly set in snowy Prague, good Direction and lovely Cinematography. I recommend that you see it.

Queen Latifah play Georgina Byrd, a New Orleans saleswoman who learns that she only has a few weeks to live, so she decides to use her remaining time to take a dream vacation to a European resort. Once there, she starts taking on all sorts of risks and challenges because she really has nothing to lose.

Last Holiday is clearly not an Oscar worthy film but it is an enjoyable one and one that's hard to hate. The premise is pretty depressing yet optimistic at the same time. Georgia is a hardworking, quiet and hopeful girl. In the beginning of the movie, she lives a dull existence until she hits her head and finds out she is going to die in two weeks. After this, she decides to live life to the fullest. She doesn't want to be scared of the world anymore. For her final two weeks, she decides to fly to a fancy hotel in Prague she has always dream of going to. This raises the question if you need to have a lot of money to really live life to the fullest. It seems a little too much for me but everyone would want to spend their last two weeks differently. For those expecting a movie like the original, forget it. The original had an effective twist at the end and it was more social commentary than escapist humor. This version is more escapist humor but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie just not as effective as the original.

What really makes Last Holiday something is Queen Latifah. She offers a dazzling and enjoyable performance as Georgia. Her character is really hard to hate as well. LL Cool J plays Sean and he likes Georgia but he is kind of afraid to make a move. LL Cool J's performance is actually a little weak so it's a good thing that he didn't get a lot of screen time. Tim Hutton was pretty good as the bad guy. Alicia Witt was okay, a little bland though. There were some other supporting characters that were funny like Susan Kellerman as Gunther.

Despite the film's good nature and warm feelings, it was still too cheesy at times. Apparently, everyone at the hotel is living an uneventful life. However, just watching Queen Latifah have fun is enough for them to change their own lifestyles. I thought it was a little cheesy that she was able to touch everyone at the hotel. I also didn't like the fact that Wayne Wang kept the film too safe. His vanilla like directing prevented the movie from really breaking out. The screenplay was okay just not very original and kind of generic. In fact, if Queen Latifah were not present then the whole film would have been forgettable. Last Holiday proves she is an effective actress when given the right material. In the end, this warm, good spirited movie is worth checking out if you like Queen Latifah. Rating 6/10

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this movie.

Yes the plot has been done many times before. As with most romantic comedies, it's nothing deep, had some cheesy moments and was totally predictable (I figured out the whole movie in the first 10 minutes).

But I really enjoyed it all the same. I laughed a lot in this movie. Partly because I could totally relate to trying to live life under the radar as woman that doesn't look like a model. Plus it was refreshing to see an African American woman shown with some depth in a movie. Not just the mean black woman.

There was very little cussing, little sexuality, and no nudity. Truly refreshing these days.

If you just want to enjoy a movie without having to put too much thought into it, go see this movie.

Well I watched this movie because of its solid rating here on IMDb. And I couldn't be more disappointed. Corny and cheesy story, bad script, mediocre acting,... This is one of those no-brainer, chick flicks where you know right at the beginning every single twist and turn of the story. I don't know how they managed to pull a good actor like Gérard Depardieu into this.

Well if you're a lonely housewife desperately looking for a predictable, corny love/comedy movie and you can't tell a good movie apart from a bad one than please, by all means, watch this. To everybody else: don't. It's a waste of time and money.

Queen Latifah plays Georgia Byrd, a woman on her "Last Holiday" in this 2006 film also starring Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, L.L. Cool J, Alicia Witt, and Giancarlo Esposito. Georgia works in the cookware department of a big department store chain. She's incredibly popular with customers, and at home, she keeps a "possibilities" scrapbook with recipes she's cooked copying her idol, Emeril Lagasse, photos of exotic places, and a photo of her married to her dream man (Cool J) who works with her. But her dream of a restaurant, marriage, a family - she's too shy to really go after them. Then she learns that she only has three weeks to live. She cashes in all of her retirement menu and sets off for Prague. There, she entrances everyone she meets and is unafraid to say what she thinks or take chances. Her popularity and attitudes rankle the owner of the store where she worked (Hutton) who is suspicious of her.

Queen Latifah is a natural actress who radiates warmth and honesty in her portrayal of Georgia Byrd. Borrowing from "Nothing Sacred" and "Living it Up," the script emphasizes living life for all its worth and not being afraid to take chances.

For all its simplicity, "Last Holiday" leaves the viewer feeling very good. It's predictable, somewhat generic, but delightful, with very good performances and the beautiful scenery of Prague as a backdrop.

This film is about a saleslady in a department store who finds out she has a terminal illness. She decides to spend all her savings to enjoy her remaining days in her dream European resort.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of "Last Holiday". Despite Georgina's illness, she decides to enjoy her life as much as possible. She becomes liberated, no longer sticking to her miserable routine. She instead jumps out of the box and enjoys life as much as she could. The film is uplifting and cheerful, I find Queen Latifah full of positivity which makes the film work. I applaud her character's positive vibe. There would probably not be any depressed people if everyone thought like Georgia. Chef Didier, played by Gerard Depardieu, is great too, as he and Queen Latifah have great chemistry. It would not feel out of place if the plot says they started a relationship! I very much enjoyed "Last Holiday". It's fun, touching and positive. I hope it will be appreciated by more people.

Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a small life but has big dreams. When this shy salesperson for a New Orleans retail outlet learns her days are numbered, she throws caution to the wind and embarks on a dream holiday vacation to a grand resort in Europe. LL Cool J also co-stars as one of Georgia's co worker, and he is also her "dream love interest". Georgia has many dreams. She wants to try every kind of dish that is available, she has big dreams of hooking up with her co worker and after bumping her head and finds out she has a kind of disease, she wants to have fun for her last 3 weeks living. After she finds out her days are numbered, it can be touching but here and there will be a few laughs.

Now if you do see the trailer for this movie, you obviously know this will be a predictable movie, and all you can say is that you get what you expect. But Queen Latifah delivers such a good performance and I really like her, she makes the movie better. If this movie had a different actress, this movie probably wouldn't be the same.I just really like her and I know she has a lot of other movies.

Last Holiday is a fun and an enjoyable movie. It's also a movie that I would like to see again. it was fun,enjoyable,touching and a feel free good movie. In my opinion, people missed out on this movie. I don't think it did well in theaters, but I think people know whats going to happen, but the way it happens isn't what you expect. But maybe people didn't wanna see it because they expected what will happen. I would wanna see this movie again.

So I am recommending this movie so that people can have fun. I really found this movie good. So I would give this a movie a 7.5/10

OK, here's the truth: My wife wanted to see this movie. The preview looked good and it has Queen Latifah. So last weekend we went to a matinée. I admit I didn't have high expectations but this movie was surprisingly touching and entertaining.

The movie explores how important living life to the fullest is. Not a profound theme but handled nicely here. If you listen closely you'll even discover what the "secret of life" is.

Queen Latifah knows a good part when she sees one and her scenes with Gérard Depardieu had me smiling. An all 'round feel good movie. And these days, what's wrong with that?

This is one of those movies that you can watch over and over because it's such a delight.

I just love Last Holiday! It's one of my favorite movies ever, and I've probably seen it twenty times by now. It stars one of my favorite modern actresses, Queen Latifah, costars one of my favorite celebrity boyfriends, Gérard Depardieu, and features an incredibly inspiring storyline filmed at an exotic, glorious setting. It's my dream to follow in Queenie's footsteps and take a vacation to Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary.

Queenie works in the cookware department of a department store. She loves to cook, follows recipes on cooking shows, and photographs her food, but she doesn't get to enjoy her creations. Instead, she eats Lean Cuisine. She has a crush on LL Cool J, one of her coworkers, but despite encouragement from her friend, Jane Adams, she barely has enough courage to say hello. She has an accident at work and gets a CAT-scan, which shows she has the very rare and incurable Lampington's disease. With only three weeks to live, she throws caution to the wind. She tells off her boss, cashes in all her investments, and plans a permanent vacation to the place she's always wanted to visit: Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia.

The movie was filmed on location and in the hotel, so audiences are treated to the beautiful ceilings-that, thanks to Queenie's suggestion, will make you want to cry-and the beautiful ski slopes and outdoor markets. There's nothing so glamorous as snow, and since this movie takes place over Christmas, it's even more gorgeous. As Queenie says when she looks at the view from her hotel window, "What world was I living in?" Also, since what remains of her life coincides with the end of the year, there's a poetic beauty about the scenery. Yes, it's the end of December, but everything's bright, beautiful, and full of life.

Speaking of bright, beautiful, and full of life, Queen Latifah has never been more of the three than in Last Holiday. She starts the movie with her hair pulled in a severe bun and without wearing makeup, but when she tells the boutique saleswomen, "Make me international," and books a few spa treatments, she gets a full makeover. I absolutely love Queenie, and she puts so many nuances into this role. After her makeover, when she's wearing one of her stunning new dresses, she sits at a table-for-one in the hotel dining room. The menu is embossed with the chef's name, a man she's idolized for years and whose cookbooks she's collected. She runs her fingers over the letters and smiles, but it's more than excitement that lights her face. "I can't believe I'm here," mixes with, "One of the last meals I'm going to eat is going to be prepared by my favorite chef," mixes with, "Don't focus on my dwindling time, just focus on appreciating the moment." It's a very brief expression, but it's very clear and powerful. So, when she orders every dish on the menu, we understand why.

Do you know who plays the famous chef? In real life he's generous, passionate, loves to cook, and speaks with an accent, so the casting was no doubt an obvious choice. Gérard Depardieu, of course! He brings his usual level of perfection to the role, and it's so great to see him in the kitchen. In his entrance scene, he complains about an entire table ordering his dishes with picky substitutions, and when he receives Queenie's order, with no substitutions, he insists on visiting her table personally. It's just as adorable to hear him warn the others, "No substitutions," the next time they order as it is touching when he gives his heartfelt advice to his new friend: "It's not how you start, but how you finish."

The supporting cast is delightful, and the eclectic hotel staff alone will make any audience member want to book a vacation. Also staying at the hotel are a congressman, a senator, the head of the fictional department store chain, and his "secretary". Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Nouri, Timothy Hutton, and Alicia Witt, respectively, are all essential and three-dimensional. At times they're superficial, at times they're cynical, at times they're friendly, and all of them are potentially willing to change if a phenomenal woman shows them the way. There's a fine line between making a saccharine-sweet movie about one character who changes a village, and making a realistic, moving movie about one person's influence on a host of different people. Obviously, this movie belongs in the latter category. If all you've seen is the trailer that shows Queen Latifah and Timothy Hutton ski racing, you're in for a very pleasant surprise.

The most incredible thing about this movie is the fact that it's a remake. There are two types of remakes, the faithful and the altered, and Last Holiday is the best altered remake ever. The original was made in 1950 and starred Alec Guinness. With no humor, a tragic romance, and an extremely depressing story, it was a terrible film. Fifty-six years later, the character George Byrd was changed to Georgia Byrd, and Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman wrote a delightful script!

Literally every moment of this movie is great. From hilarious spa treatments, where Lucie Brezovskà wallops Queenie with a leafy branch-"I do it with love!"-to Gérard revealing the secret of life-"Butter, butter, butter"-to Queenie's quick assessment of Alicia and Tim's romance-"Good, now let's move onto something heavy, like world hunger." Grab your Kleenexes and get ready to appreciate life. And, start saving for that dream vacation. I have already!

This movie is all together a wonderful movie to watch...and is great for all ages in my eyes...honestly this is not my favorite selection of genre...but I just love this movie...there are so many hidden funny parts that you really don't notice until you've seen it a few times...this film can also bring up your spirit if you're feeling down...check it out...

To be honest, I've always disliked Queen Latifah ever since I saw Bringing Down the House. I found her to be annoying and abrasive. She is the stereotypical "dumb loud black woman" that appears in every other movie. Yet I've never met a black woman that acts like this stereotype.

The movie itself was actually pretty decent, and I felt that most of the cast did a great job with the material which made it better. But Queen Latifah was her usual intolerable self. Sometimes, when she would rant, and others around her would clap, I'd think about how if she did this in reality and not in Last Holiday, someone would have told her to shut up.

This definitely isn't the best movie I've ever seen, or even close to it. But if you're looking for a dramedy, or a comeda... this wouldn't be a bad place to start.

I went to see this movie because i had already seen all the other movies playing in the theater and i was actually very surprised with how good this movie was! i really enjoyed it, i enjoyed the script, the story, the acting, the characters and although it was semi predictable as is any romantic comedy, it definitely kept me on my toes, i really enjoyed it. Queen Latifah definitely knows how to pick a good script. I gave the movie an 8 out of 10 because although it's not particularly my type of movie, i really did enjoy it.

I recommend taking the whole family to see this one, or a date, it would even be a fun movie to take your mom to go see!

One thing i suggest, don't go into this movie hungry because there is a lot of delicious looking food in it. My mouth was watering the entire time.

This is a good romantic comedy, a "feel good movie" (a remake of "Last Holiday" with Alec Guinness from Ealing Studios in 1950), highly recommended for those who want to see a movie about how you can crab every day of your life to make it a great experience. With a predictable plot (how many times we have seen this idea at the past?) but very sincere and enjoyable (althought we hope we 'll see something more interesting from the director of the "Joy LucK Club" and "Smoke" in near future). With good performances from Queen Latifah, Timothy Hutton and an especially amusement cameo from Gerard Depardieu. P.S. Including some very exciting recipes at the end...