Holiday (1938)

Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  Cary Grant plays an up and coming self-made man who falls in love with a girl who unbeknownst to him, is a debutante and member of one of the wealthiest families in the country. Combining romance, sparkling dialogue and social commentary, it comes as no surprise that Holiday was… More
  Cary Grant plays an up and coming self-made man who falls in love with a girl who unbeknownst to him, is a debutante and member of one of the wealthiest families in the country. Combining romance, sparkling dialogue and social commentary, it comes as no surprise that Holiday was created by much of the same team who brought us Philadelphia Story two years later. With the same director, writer and the star power of Hepburn and Grant, there's much common ground between the two films but although it's not quite in the same league as the later film there's still much to admire about it. Hepburn has never been more vivacious as the rebellious would-be sister in law of a charming and carefree Grant who finds in her a kindred spirit which causes complications in this stuffy social environment. They are aided by a fine supporting cast including Lew Ayres who provides comic relief as her soused but perceptive brother and Binny Barnes and Henry Daniell as the awful socialites who represent the kind of people Grant is seemingly being strong armed into marry into. Breezy, charming and full of enjoyable dialogue and likeable characters, Holiday may not be as well known as some of the other comedies of manners of the golden age but is certainly worth looking up if it's a genre you enjoy.

• AJ V

  
  I loved this movie, it's hilarious, a great cast, and an interesting if slightly predictable story. Still I love it, one of my favourite 30s movies.

• Conner R

  
  I think this movie has stood the test of time mainly because of the amazing chemistry between Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. While they share very little time being intimate or expressing their love for each other in words, you can see it in their eyes. To add to that, the story… More
  I think this movie has stood the test of time mainly because of the amazing chemistry between Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. While they share very little time being intimate or expressing their love for each other in words, you can see it in their eyes. To add to that, the story really is quite original and it doesn't fall under the typical love story category. It goes against capitalism in many ways too, something I consider very brave at the time.

• Jennifer D

  
  I liked the moral of the story more than I liked the screwball comedy. I've definitely seen better Cary Grant, but still, it was cute and worth the time.

• William D

  
  I am finishing my study of 1938 with a delightful trifle called "Holiday," which received only one Oscar nomination, and a minor one at that. I included it simply because it was a big film that year, and I wanted to broaden my cinematic sample. I was also eager to check in… More
  I am finishing my study of 1938 with a delightful trifle called "Holiday," which received only one Oscar nomination, and a minor one at that. I included it simply because it was a big film that year, and I wanted to broaden my cinematic sample. I was also eager to check in with Katharine Hepburn and see what she was doing that year. She and Cary Grant were entertaining the masses and doing a wonderful job at it. At the start of "Holiday," Grant's character, Johnny, is a playful but hard-working man from a lower-class background who has fallen in love with a woman named Julia while on his first-ever vacation. Julia has a secret: she is an heiress in one of the richest families in America. When the truth comes out, Johnny takes it in stride. But he soon realizes that marrying into a family of this type comes with a lot of expectations. Julia's father requires that Johnny make certain commitments for what type of job he's going to have and what sort of lifestyle he will pursue. The free-spirited Johnny quickly begins to feel collared. One person understands: Julia's rebellious, counter-cultural sister, Linda (Hepburn). Director George Cukor does a wonderful job building up the audience's hopes that Johnny and Linda will team up against Julia and her repressive family. "Holiday" is a delightful celebration of joie de vivre and youthful enthusiasm, and Grant and Hepburn give it just the right kind of joyful pizzazz. It's a superficial story though, and the characters are nothing more than caricatures. So the film doesn't warrant more than a seven. But what a wonderful seven it is.

• Stephen M

  
  This isn't as deliriously paced or as quirky as other screwball comedies, but it's still completely delightful. Because it is immediately obvious that Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn will fall for one another eventually, the joy in watching "Holiday" comes from… More
  This isn't as deliriously paced or as quirky as other screwball comedies, but it's still completely delightful. Because it is immediately obvious that Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn will fall for one another eventually, the joy in watching "Holiday" comes from the circuitous route taken to get to the inevitable. Lew Ayres' character, Hepburn's younger brother, cuts through the frothy fun to add a genuine note of darkness and despair. The-ghost-of-Grant-yet-to-pass, Ayres' financial trader with an artistic soul, slipping into apathy and alcoholism because he's been trammelled by materialism, represents Grant's dreamer as compromised by his practical fiancée and prospective father-in-law. The whole cast is marvellous, but I especially like Henry Daniell and Binnie Barnes as Hepburn's catty cousins. Hepburn is at her loveliest here, less cynical than usual. "I've got all the faith in the world in Johnny...If he wants to dream for a while, he can dream for a while. And if he wants to come back and sell peanuts, oh, how I'll believe in those peanuts!"

• Pierluigi P

  
  A lightweight and lovely romantic film. Grant and Hepburn are always amazing together.

• moon r

  
  chemistry is chemistry, so don't mess w/it, ok? something about these two clicked. she was quicksilver smart and bold and he was man enough to take it like a man maybe...whatever, a great movie team the star system, in it's infinite wisdom, saw fit to reteam over and over… More
  chemistry is chemistry, so don't mess w/it, ok? something about these two clicked. she was quicksilver smart and bold and he was man enough to take it like a man maybe...whatever, a great movie team the star system, in it's infinite wisdom, saw fit to reteam over and over again. yer not gonna argue w/ the studio heads are you?

• Jennifer X

  
  my first introduction to katharine hepburn. boy is SHE talented. i finally understand her multitude of oscar nominations. i look forward to seeing many more of her movies!

• jay n

  
  hollywood chemistry at its best

• nefnie l

  
  Wonderfully fun classic with the great pairing of Hepburn and Grant.

• d j

  
  GREATT MOVIE!!! Love the classics!!!

• cody f

  
  Of course you are going to get a charming and fun comedy from a Grant/Hepburn screwball comedy from the 30's, but this one had potential to a lot better. Grant is a everyman who is going to marry into a rich family, but falls for his fiancee's more grounded sister.… More
  Of course you are going to get a charming and fun comedy from a Grant/Hepburn screwball comedy from the 30's, but this one had potential to a lot better. Grant is a everyman who is going to marry into a rich family, but falls for his fiancee's more grounded sister. Cukor's direction is great and the actors are easy to watch and believable in their roles. Holiday starts off strong, but there is something missing, and it doesn't have the magic that Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story have. Good movie, but not a classic.

• Sunil J

  
  I love this movie. I've seen it countless time since I was a child and it always makes me laugh and wins me with it's romantic charm.

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