Last Holiday

1950: Alec Guinness. 2006: Queen Latifah. Last Holiday retools a modest but charming British comedy-drama--about a meek salesman who splurges on a big vacation after being informed he's terminally ill--into a much more elaborate and glossy vehicle for the brassy singer-turned-movie star. The good news is that even though this splashy version can't hold a candle to its smart, subtle predecessor, the transformation isn't as horrible as you might expect. Unfortunately, it's not especially winning, either. Lackadaisically directed by the once estimable Wayne Wang and indifferently acted by Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, and LL Cool J, among others, the film's script boils down to the familiar Latifah character motif of freeing other people from their uptight existences by the sheer force of her magnetic personality. Still, it's reasonably good-natured, and the locations (much of the picture was actually shot at the Grandhotel Pupp in the Czech mountains) are attractive, so while this isn't the best cinematic vacation imaginable, at least it's no holiday from hell. Optional. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include the 16-minute “Packing Light” featurette on the cast, a “Last Look” production featurette (8 min.), a “23 Years in the Making” featurette on the writing process (7 min.), two deleted scenes (3 min.), two recipes from the film, and trailers. Bottom line: a so-so extras package for a so-so comedy.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Jan. 20, 2009—Paramount, 111 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's Last Holiday sports a good transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the previous DVD release, including the 16-minute “Packing Light” cast featurette, a “Last Look” production featurette (8 min.), a “23 Years in the Making” featurette on the writing process (7 min.), two deleted scenes (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: although it looks better in Blu, this is still an uneven comedy.]