3BlackChicks™ "Guest Starring" movie review Note: The views and opinions expressed in "Guest Starring" movie review are not necessarily the views of 3BlackChicks Enterprises™; commentary presented in original form as submitted by "Guest Star" commentator, except where noted otherwise; copyright belongs to respective authors.   Deesha Philyaw's review of Last Holiday (2006)   Rated PG-13 for some sexual reference Running time: 112 minutes Studio: Paramount Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Drama Directed by:Wayne Wang Written by: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman Original Screenplay (1950): J.B. Priestley Cast: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Alicia Witt, Gérard Depardieu IMDB Official Site Review Copyright Deesha Philyaw, 2006

The Story:

Georgia Byrd (Latifah) is partial to sensible shoes, earth tones, and sweater sets. She sings in the church choir, clips coupons, and sells cookware at Kragen’s department store. The Christmas season is fast approaching, but Georgia’s spirits are low. One day is just like the next: she goes to work, comes home, makes a delicious gourmet meal, takes a picture of it, and then feeds it to her 12-year-old neighbor, while she eats a Lean Cuisine entrée for dinner.

To borrow a phrase from John Slade in “I’m Gonna Get You Sucka,” every heroine needs her theme music. In this film, Georgia’s is “Don’t Wait Too Long” (Madeleine Peyroux, I think, sounding like a clean and sober Billie Holiday). But Georgia has spent her entire life doing precisely that: waiting and dreaming, but not doing the damn thing. And what are Georgia’s dreams? To meet Emeril Lagasse and Chef Didier (Depardieu), a European master chef. Closer to home, Georgia also pines away for one of her co-workers, Sean Matthews (played by LL Cool J and His Lips). Georgia is always this close to telling Sean how she feels, but as with all her dreams, she’s too afraid to act.

When Georgia discovers she has a fatal disease and only three weeks to live, she is devastated. But she doesn’t lose her faith. Plaintively asking (or rather, shouting), “Why, Lord?”, Georgia takes us to chutch (translation for the uninitiated: church), literally, in a scene that took me back to my childhood growing up Baptist down South. Georgia has to shake her head at God’s timing when Sean finally asks her out. Regretfully, she declines his invitation to a basketball game in a few weeks. Sean doesn’t know that Georgia doesn’t have “a few weeks.” In fact, Georgia tells no one of her prognosis. Alone, she resolves to stop playing it safe and make one of her dreams become reality.

Georgia unceremoniously quits her job and leaves New Orleans flying first-class to Karlovy Vary, a resort town in the Czech Republic. She has primo accommodations at the grand hotel there which features none other than Chef Didier.

File under “Holy Coinkydink, Batman”: Not only is Georgia’s boss, retail tycoon Matthew Kragen, staying at the same hotel where Georgia is staying, but he is accompanied by a U.S. senator and a congressman, both representing Georgia’s hometown. No one at the hotel knows who Georgia is or what exactly she does for a living. Based on Georgia’s lavish suite and her confident air, Kragen and company assume she’s Somebody. Kragen wonders if Georgia’s a spy from Wal-mart.

Chef Didier becomes smitten by Georgia on her very first night because she orders a veritable buffet of food, butter and all. By contrast, the folks at Kragen’s table have pissed Didier off with their requests to modify his fabulous cuisine to meet their obsessively health-conscious palates. Didier’s chumminess adds to Georgia’s mystique.

With nothing to lose, Georgia has a ball, pampering herself and enjoying all the wonders of Karlovy Vary, including snowboarding (with hilarious results) and gambling. Without even trying, the straight-shooting, thrill-seeking Georgia charms everyone around her from the hotel staff (“She is a true existentialist.” “The most amazing person ever to come to this hotel.”) to the politicians. Kragen resents Georgia for distracting the politicians from his lobbying efforts. Georgia is messing with Kragen’s money, so the pouting capitalist resolves to dig up dirt on her. Georgia ignores Kragen’s funky attitude, and is determined to make her final days the best of her life.

Meanwhile, back in the Big Easy, a lovelorn Sean is playing detective, trying to figure out where Georgia has disappeared to and why.

Not that anyone who knows the meaning of “feel-good movie” will lose much sleep wondering, but: Will Kragen ruin Georgia’s plans to ride off happily into the eternal sunset? Will there be time for Sean to make more of Georgia’s dreams come true?

The Deal
As Georgia, Queen Latifah is likeable and funny. This performance should silence anyone who doubted her ability to carry a mainstream movie. The script doesn’t call for LL to do much leading as a leading man, but he gives a decent performance, all vulnerable and Average Joe. Dépardieu as Master Chef Didier conveys a fondness for working-class Georgia that is touching as well as quite believable. The rest of the cast does of commendable job of delivering the laughs and the pathos, as appropriate.

Director Wayne Wang has given us everything from the wonderful The Joy Luck Club to the unkempt Maid in Manhattan. With Last Holiday, he builds on the success of last year’s sweet but substantive Because of Winn-Dixie.

One quibble (or Black Factor, Part I): The Sassy Co-Worker character who serves to highlight Georgia’s schoolmarmishness is rather unnecessary. Georgia is shy and conservative; we get it. Or maybe Sassy Co-Worker is there to let the audience know that Georgia has a white friend and is therefore not one of those Angry Negroes. Who knows? (Note to actress Jane Adams who plays Sassy Co-Worker: Some confused soul over at IMDB.com has given your credit for this movie to octogenarian actress, Jane Adams. Check it out.)

Black Factor, Part II: Last Holiday is a remake of a 1950 film by the same name, starring Alec Guinness as George Bird, an agricultural machinery salesman who finds out he doesn’t have long to live. The 2006 Last Holiday is not a “black” movie, and that’s a good thing. Latifah was chosen for a role which could easily have gone to a white actress without any significant changes to the script. Giancarlo Esposito’s character, the Senator, makes one humorous comment which references his and Georgia’s blackness, but that’s the only exception that comes to mind. Well…I can’t imagine Sandra Bullock bolting from the choir stand and doing the Holy Ghost dance down the aisle of the church. Oh, and Julia Roberts couldn’t nail that “Gurrrl, please” sistah-look Georgia gives Kragen’s assistant (Witt), but that’s about it. This movie will have wide appeal. Exhibit A: the predominantly white preview audience I was a part of stood up and applauded at the end. In Pittsburgh.

Celebrity Fit Club Factor: Aside from those Lean Cuisines meals the “old” Georgia used to eat, the character doesn’t care that she’s not the average girl from your video. Her body is not hidden behind tent-like muu-muus, and in fact, we are treated to nice brown-skin shots of Georgia indulging in various spa treatments. Georgia looks good, and she knows it. The hair is tight, and she is fiercely repping the “I’m not a size 6” crowd with flattering couture that would make Diana Ross proud. Like the song she sings with Al Green, Latifah is “Simply Beautiful” in this film.

Food Channel Factor: As I left the theater, I overheard a lady commenting on all the food featured in the movie: “That food looked good as hell!” ‘Nuff said.

*****Slight, Playa-Hatin’ Spoiler Below******

Damn you, Latifah! You got to kiss those Lips, and while there were no tongues involved, it looked all sticky and luscious and…sigh. Back to the review.

The bottom line: Life’s too short. Laugh more, love more, and go see Last Holiday.