Episode #212: The Holiday – Comfort Rewatch

You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Today, we are rewatching The Holiday, directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.

You can find the podcast posts archive here.

A big thank you to our sponsors! Check out the offers from Calm, BetterHelp, Honeylove, and Ritual.

And if you’re looking for a specific code you heard on the podcast, you can see a full list on this page!

Show Notes:

Decor inspiration – Anything you would use in your own home? Loved, hated, strong reactions, etc. …

Iris’s Cottage (Rosehill Cottage) – Cozy and feels like you are wrapped in a warm blanket, tiny bathtub, full of details, and just the perfect small cottage

Amanda’s House – Perfect 2001 dream house and love the button to make blinds go up and down

Graham’s House (Mill House) – Favorite things are windows with crisscross design, daughters’ tent in their room, feels lived in but still beautiful, and the paper chain

Miles’s House – Mid-century house, cool taste, and has a recording studio in his house

Other cozy inspiration (fashion, food, drink or anything?)-

Video rental place – Brings up childhood memories

Christmas Pub – Love places that decorate for Christmas

Grocery Store – Cute, nicely decorated for Christmas and sells wine and cheese

Arthur describing the meet cute – A very cute scene

Christmas fettuccini – Going to start making every year as a tradition

Rate movie from 0-5 cozy cottages:

Elsie – 10

Emma – 5+

Miss an Episode? Get Caught Up!

• Episode #211: Home Alone – Comfort Rewatch
• Episode #210: Thanksgiving Favorites
• Episode #209: Listener Q&A – Holiday Edition

Episode 212 Transcript:

Elsie: You’re listening to the A Beautiful Mess Podcast, your cozy comfort listen. Today we are re-watching one of our favorite holiday movies, The Holiday. This is directed by Nancy Meyers and stars Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. One of my favorites. 

Emma: I’m very excited. Yeah, this is one of my tops.

Elsie: Yes. I watched it this morning because I wasn’t prepared fully and I was like, I have to watch them fresh right before we record. Even though I’ve seen this movie probably more than 10 times, it’s like I have to, you know, watch it. 

Emma: Well, it’s one of those two where like, I don’t really watch this out of the season usually, but it is a comfort rewatch for me. So anyway, it’s not like I’d seen it super recently.

Elsie: Yes. I watch it once a year, I would say. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas in this very zone, we’re in right now, so it’s perfect. And yeah, if anyone has not watched. We’re not going to spoil anything about it, I don’t think. Like, this is just for fun, but it might be fun for you to watch it and then listen to this episode. I feel like that’s usually, you know if you’re going to. Or if you know it really well, maybe you feel like you don’t need to, your choice. 

Emma: Maybe we’ll inspire you to watch it for the first time. Who knows? 

Elsie: Okay, so before we jump in, I have the greatest news. This is my big announcement. I feel like this is like my karma, like my good karma, expressing itself in the most random, specific way. So my whole life I’ve wanted this. Anyway, I’ll just jump to it. Our new pug, Pumpkin, we have just discovered is a fashion pug because this is what she did. She loves wearing, we started getting her little outfits at Halloween, you know, cause we got a pumpkin sweater, and we got our little skeleton. And then as soon as Halloween was over, I ordered her a little, like, Christmas tree sweater. And the other day, and she loves them. She never tries to, like, get them off. We noticed, like, you know some dogs.

Emma: They always chew through the neck when they don’t want it. 

Elsie: Yeah, they’re not into it. They’re trying to get the leg out and they’re very, you know, you can just tell. We could tell that she didn’t care or, like, didn’t mind, which was so amazing. But then, the other night, she had her little pumpkin sweater in her mouth and she carried it to Jeremy’s feet and set it by his feet, and looked up at him.

Emma: She wanted it on! 

Elsie: So I felt like that was like the best, like, I was like screaming when he told me. I’m so happy, so now I’m going to order her a full wardrobe for her Christmas gift, and she’s going to be my fashion dog. I’ve always wanted this, but you know, all my dogs usually hate the clothes, you know, like they just do, and this is like a miracle. 

Emma: Maybe it’s a pug thing, because my pug, he, like clothes. Like, he liked them. He never carried it to me, and like, dropped it at my feet. Yeah, that, that is a different level, but yeah, and then my other dog, my current dog, Steve, just does not really enjoy wearing anything, so, yeah, he’s like, no, thank you.

Elsie: It kind of was like a sign from the universe that we got the most special doggie because, okay, so for those of you who don’t know we had a pug for like 14 years and she recently passed away about a year ago, and then when we decided Nova was old enough to have a puppy, she asked for a pug, which meant so much to us because we never recommended it or pushed her in that direction at all. We were going to let her just choose, you know, kids choose the most random things. And that’s why I imagined it happening, but she was totally set. She wanted a pug, and she wanted her to look exactly like Suki. She didn’t want a black pug, she only wanted a fawn pug, and, you know, they all kind of look the same. So it was perfect. So anyway, it’s just like the best Christmas ever, and I feel like we’re bonded with her now, like we get to know her little personality. And, yeah, it’s been wonderful. So I will put a picture of her in the show notes with her sweater. It’s bringing us joy. 

Emma: Oh, that’s so cute. The clothes. I love it.

Elsie: Okay, so let’s jump into The Holiday. Do you want to describe the movie? If anyone hasn’t watched it, I honestly don’t know how. I feel like, you know, if you’re listening to this podcast, you have watched The Holiday. And if you haven’t, it is on your homework list for this holiday season. 

Emma: Yeah, come on.

Elsie: Top of the list. If you haven’t also watched it yet this season, it’s on your homework list because it’s a once-a-year type of movie. 

Emma: Yeah. So, essentially, it’s just two women troubled with guy problems. And they swap homes in each other’s countries, one’s American, one’s in the UK, where they each meet a local guy and they fall in love. That’s pretty much it. It’s kind of the perfect rom-com setup, really, because it’s just like swapping houses and then falling in love in a different country. So cute. And it happens around the holidays. 

Elsie: Yeah. It’s completely perfect. And I love movies where there’s a lot of characters like going back and forth between the different sets of characters, you know, it’s just really fun. 

Emma: Yeah. And you get to see essentially kind of like four different relationships. One is like a breakup, and one is kind of like this kind of boss who’s been leading her on, and it’s not clear that they were really in a relationship, but I think for her it felt like one. So it’s just like these two messy, crappy relationships. And then you get to see kind of the Newman and like how those things are going and one’s like a widower and he’s got two little girls and one’s just kind of really quirky played by Jack Black and so it’s a very just like fun and interesting. It’s cute. It’s so cute. It’s such a cute movie. 

Elsie: That’s one of my favorite things about the movie. I was thinking this morning that like, I think it’s universal that all women are in love with Jude Law when you watch this movie. It’s just a fact. Like, if you’re not, write me and explain to me how and why. I don’t think I’ll get any emails. But the thing that’s so special about it is I also think you are universally in love with Jack Black. Like, he’s just, like, perfect. He’s perfect. And all of the actors from this movie, it’s like I do have like a special attachment to them. But yeah, especially this.

Emma: There’s also like Kate Winslet’s character, Iris, she swaps houses and she’s in the United States and she kind of befriends this like much older man named Arthur. Who kind of like teaches her life lessons, but it’s just sort of like a neighbor and she’s just befriending him. And I kind of fell in love with him, too. He’s not a love interest in the movie, because he’s like much, much, much older and, you know. But it’s just cute. It’s just different. I like that that’s in there. I feel like it gives a different dimension to adult relationships and things that are possible and I don’t know, it’s very sweet.

Elsie: No, honestly, like the meet cute line and the leading lady lines are some of the best parts of the whole movie. He’s absolutely perfect and I do think his house is very cozy as well. The houses in this movie are all great. But the thing that’s great or special about them is that they’re all very different like vastly different houses. So each of the characters the main characters the four love interest and Arthur Abbott have their own houses that are featured. So there are really five houses in the movie, plus the grocery store that we all know I’m obsessed with. I think I’ve talked about it a hundred times. I want that grocery store in our neighborhood. It’s like a fixation I have is like opening a grocery store where you can buy cheese and wine. 

Emma: It’s not that useful, but it’s great.

Elsie: Oh, it’s very useful. I disagree. 

Emma: She’s like, no, I need wine and peas only. 

Elsie: Constantly. 

Emma: Okay, well, there you go. 

Elsie: It’s perfect. It’s really all you need. 

Emma: Well, I also need applesauce. I have a toddler, but yes.

Elsie: Yes. That’s true. I mean, if you want to get down to it, but I don’t know. And, oh, and there’s a Christmas pup. So anyway, this is definitely an interior-heavy movie because I know we’ve done a couple of rewatches that were like, we like the movie, but like the interiors are kind of like a 5 or a 10, or a 5 or a 6. 

Emma: Well, they’re just like different, cause like, we talked about many episodes ago now, Jurassic Park. And I don’t feel like you watch that movie necessarily for like home decor inspiration, like how do I want to decorate my house? 

Elsie: Sure don’t. 

Emma: Whereas this movie, it’s got a great story, very classic rom-com, all the feels, but also the interiors are epic, and I think people watch this movie just for the interiors to get inspiration.

Elsie: Yeah, I will say I originally that one of the things that kept me rewatching was just like seeing the houses. It’s the sort of thing where you notice new details every time. So anyway, okay, let’s first go through Iris Cottage, which is called Rose Hill Cottage. Okay, I am obsessed with how both of the UK houses have little names, like on the front gate. And I want a name. Oh, I do have a front gate now! Okay, so yeah name suggestions for my house. 

Emma: Yours should say manor. I just like it when it says manor. 

Elsie: I feel like that’s pretentious though. 

Emma: Yes, obviously. Very funny. 

Elsie: Okay. I just don’t want to be like Cruella de Vil, you know, in my life.

Emma: Well, I don’t think it’s a villain thing. Well, I don’t think so.

Elsie: So Rose Hill Cottage is the definition of a cozy little stone cottage. Every detail, like, you can look at any room in the house, every detail is, like, collected and perfect, and you, like, imagine that she picked it up at a flea market, and that was from her grandmother, and, you know, it just has those sort of vibes.

Emma: It does. It’s very, very cozy, rustic. It kind of has those like rustic wood beams in it, and I will say it almost feels, I’m a person who’s very minimal. I tend to like very minimal spaces, and I don’t like a lot of clutter. I can get overwhelmed easily. I’ll just say that. And it almost feels a tiny bit claustrophobic, but I feel like it perfectly walks the line. Like, her headboard, for example, is a little bit too big for the space, but it just works and it feels cozy, and like nice. And you feel kind of like wrapped up in a warm blanket as opposed to suffocated by something terrible. You know what I mean?

Elsie: It’s extremely quirky. Like it has a tiny bathtub. And when the Cameron Diaz character takes a bath, her feet are sticking out. It’s so funny. Yeah, no, I think that that’s part of the charm of it. It’s when people say English style or English cottage I feel like it means very full of details sort of like the good version of maximalism.

Emma: Yeah, and the kitchen it’s like one wall is like kitchen stuff, and then the adjacent wall that connects to it is the fireplace, and then it kind of has like the dining room slash work table right there. So it just feels like in some ways very much like it’s not a studio apartment. It’s a full house. It’s a real cottage, but it’s not a real cottage, in the movie, it’s a whole house, but it almost feels very compact. But there’s nothing that feels like it’s missing. It doesn’t feel sad, or small. It feels like perfect. I really like they did that because a lot of times in movies they do like rich houses, like a huge kitchen and a huge everything, and the other house in this movie is like that, and it’s really fun, and that’s fun to look at, I love it. But I just really love that in this movie they made the perfect tiny house, you know what I mean? It’s not a tiny house, but it’s a really small feeling cottage, but it still feels good. 

Elsie: The cottage is its character in this movie, it has such a big personality and, I think I speak for all A Beautiful Mess Podcast listeners that we just want to go in that goddamn cottage. Like, we want to go in there. Like, you do anything for that to be an Airbnb with all the exact details? 

Emma: And start writing my next book. That would be like the perfect little cozy spot, you know? 

Elsie: Oh! It would be such a good place to write a book, yeah. You could go to the grocery store. 

Emma: And get the wine and cheese. 

Elsie: Yeah. It would be perfect. 

Emma: And only that. 

Elsie: Yes! Anyway, yeah. I love that house so much. It is perfect. I would say it’s one of the top movie houses of all time, of all the movies. It’s just kind of really up there. Okay, so let’s talk about Amanda’s house. So one thing I love about this movie is the contrast between, like, what a dream house can be. Like, I think that this is the textbook dream house. It is the 2001 version of the Studio McGee mansion. Like, what’s popular now, is the 2001 version of that. So it’s, like perfect for that time. Wouldn’t pick those floor tiles now, but, it’s a 10 out of 10 as far as like a big fancy LA mansion. It has a pool. It has the kitchen with like the giant range and the giant fridge and the giant island and like all of the things like I know the bedroom blinds, it’s one of my favorite details because it’s like one of those like how you feel about the hidden trash can I think is how I feel about that little button that makes her blinds go up and down.

Emma: Yeah they have a scene where Kate Winslet has arrived at this house. This is the house she swapped for, and she’s trying to figure out how to make the blinds go down so she can sleep and it not be so bright, but it’s just like hard. And I feel like we’ve all had a moment where we’ve stayed at like an Airbnb or someone’s house or whatever and you like cannot figure out how to turn on the ceiling fan or you can’t turn off the music or you want to turn on the music and you’re like, I have no idea how to do it, and you’re trying to figure it out. So yeah, it’s a really good scene cause I’m like, this is very real life and it’s very comedic and Kate Winslet sells it, of course, cause she’s an Oscar winner no matter if she’s being dramatic or funny, top tier all the time, it’s a great scene.

Elsie: That’s true. Everyone always says Emma looks like Kate Winslet. 

Emma: Oh, and I love it when people say that. So if you ever meet me in real life, go ahead and say that. Even if you don’t think it, I don’t care. You can lie to me. I don’t care. It makes me so happy when people say that. She’s beautiful. 

Elsie: Yeah. She’s gorgeous.

Emma: Yeah. I’m like, oh, thank you. I love to look like Kate Winslet. 

Elsie: She’s perfect. So yeah, I think that that’s like a cool thing about this movie is that the mansion house doesn’t end up being the most appealing house. Which is like a good life lesson, lesson in, you know, taste, how like bigger isn’t always better, and I don’t know, I think it’s interesting and fun. Okay. So my favorite house in the movie is Graham’s house. 

Emma: This is Jude Law’s character. 

Elsie: Yeah, Jude Law’s house because I think the reason why I’m so attracted to it is, well, first of all, it’s a gorgeous house. It’s just like a bigger version of the cottage pretty much. It has like the windows with the little crisscross design, which some houses in our neighborhood have. And I just like, I love crisscrossing. Actually, our house has a crisscross. 

Emma: Like the diamond? 

Elsie: Yeah. But you know how some of them are like tiny little metal and some of them are like white wood. Mine are like the white wood, but his are like the tiny little metal. I’m not making sense. 

Emma: I think people who like windows know what it is. 

Elsie: Yeah. If you like vintage windows, which I know you do. Then you already know what I’m talking about and you’re like, you make perfect sense. Anyway, so the fort is the peace stay resistance, right?

Emma: Yeah. His daughters have a bedroom that they go into, they’re having like a, you know, put the kids down to bed moment or whatever, and they have a little fort built or whatever. I don’t know if it’s a fort or a tent. Yeah, a little kid, you know, area, a cozy area where they probably read books and they’re gonna go to sleep and sleep over time and it’s, yeah, it’s adorable. And their rooms really cute too. And it also feels like a real kids’ room too. Like his house, although it’s still like a very big house and you are like, what does he do for a living? It does still feel like Nancy Meyers set designers are always great at it. Just very lived-in and real and you see baskets of toys and things that they didn’t really have to put in there It wasn’t something that the actors ever interacted with but it did make the space feel real. You’re like, oh, yeah we have baskets of toys all over my house. 

Elsie: I think that that’s the thing when people say Nancy Meyers home that they mean is they mean it feels very lived in and detailed and it makes you just want to like to pause the frame and look at like every little thing and you feel like every little part, like, everything on the counter has a story behind it and makes sense for the character. And, you know, there’s never, like, in so many movies and shows, I observe things that are just, like, so off in the characters’ homes. And you would never observe that in a Nancy Meyers film. 

Emma: Or just things that feel like they’re missing. Like, you’re like, no, they don’t live here. Like, you just feel it right away, you’re like, no one lives there. That’s not a, that’s not a bedroom anyone has ever slept in. 

Elsie: That’s an Airbnb. 

Emma: Yeah. And, it’s a set, you know, and Nancy Meyers set designers, they always get it right where you’re like, no, I feel like these kids have been living in this room together for the last few years and they’re growing out of things and they’ve made it their own and their dad’s organized. It just feels real. Yeah. 

Elsie: Yes. So his house has a little sign that says The Mill House. Did you notice that? The gate. Which is cute. 

Emma: The Mill House, that’s cute. 

Elsie: It’s like a gate with like a stone, it’s sort of like a door, you know, like a gate that looks like a door. It is my current fave out of the Homes, I think I said last time we talked about, like, I love the paper I just, like, love, every time I make paper chains for Christmas, I think about the holiday, and it’s just, like, the ultimate, like, kid, and obviously Mr. Napkin Head is part of, like, why you’re in them, right? 

Emma: Yeah, watching someone parent is always, I think, very sweet. Like, it’s a very, you know, moment where you’re like, Oh, or you just watch someone be silly for their kids because it makes their kids happy. And it’s just sweet. Who doesn’t love that? 

Elsie: Yes. Okay, so they also show Jack Black’s home in the movie, but it’s more of a quickie, but it’s a gorgeous, like, what you think of as, like, I mean in LA, this house really would probably be four or five million dollars, but like, it’s a small little mid-century house that’s perfect and cute.

Emma: You get the vibe that he likes has a cool taste and, you know.

Elsie: Yeah. And he has his own recording studio. It’s like the opening scene, his like home recording where he has his little keyboard, and he’s like playing the, what do you call them, the musical trailer, the soundtrack? 

Emma: Yeah, I guess the soundtrack. Yeah? 

Elsie: The themes of the movie. I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone who did that for a living. I think it’s a very cool and interesting job, and I like how the character’s jobs are a big part of the movie. I mean, I wish it was a book. Wouldn’t you just like love it to be a book? 

Emma: It would be a great book. Oh! Yeah. I would want more sex in it, though, but yes.

Elsie: Yeah. Maybe we should write a book that’s inspired, like fan fiction. Yeah. That sounds fun. So, other cozy inspiration, fashion, food, anything that stuck out to you? 

Emma: So, I kind of like, there’s a scene where they’re in a video rental store, like DVD rental store, I guess, maybe not a VHS, but I grew up, you know, high school and college, I guess, but definitely I remember going to high school and earlier like going to stores like this to pick out movies, and so I always like seeing them in movies when it makes sense for the time that it’s set in. It just feels very childhood to me, you know? Like, I don’t know. So, I like it. I like little things like that. 

Elsie: I love it, too. Yeah, in our hometown, there was a DVD store that lasted for a long time. 

Emma: Family video? Yeah. It lasted a long time. Yeah, I was like, is this a drug front? This doesn’t seem like people still have these, but yeah, I don’t know.

Elsie: I do have a nostalgia for that. Like, the last time you went to Blockbuster and you didn’t know it was the last time. Like, that sort of thing. 

Emma: Yeah, it’s like the one I always went to it’s called Hollywood Video. Yeah. And they would also sell, like, movie snacks. I don’t know. I kind of miss those in some ways, but I definitely like just being able to pick things out streaming. Like, it’s very convenient. 

Elsie: It’s for sure better now, but the feeling of, like, walking through the store and picking something based on the cover. I think that that’s a lost art, you know, it’s something that I wish kids could get to experience because you have no idea, like, you usually base it on, like, oh, I liked another thing that that actor was in, or just, like, the title, like, you don’t even know really what the movies are about.

Emma: I had, like, a similar thing at CD stores when I would buy CDs, and then still at libraries. I always gravitate towards when they make a table or a shelf that’s kind of like staff picks. 

Elsie: Oh, I love those.

Emma: And they’ll say like what they like about the book or what they like about the album, you know, depending on what kind of store it was. And I feel like when I was young, I discovered lots of great music that way, like going to CD Warehouse and seeing what was on the staff pick. I don’t know if it was called staff picks, but whatever. And I’ve actually found a lot of great books, like new authors, because I went to the library and they had a little rack that’s like, here’s what the librarians think is cool. And I just was like, that sounds interesting, I think I’ll read that. And then it’s like really good, so I do really like those It’s fun, but now I feel like the only one I have is the library because I don’t go to DVD stores or CD Stores anymore. It’s just not part of the world. 

Elsie: Yeah, I do, I love that at bookstores though, when they write a note, it’s a good feeling. Oh, okay, so I have it down The Christmas pub, I think, is so cute. I just love, like, any kind of business, but especially like a restaurant, or a bar, decorated really Christmassy, makes me really happy, and it’s just, it’s so fun. The Christmas grocery store we’ve already talked about, but it’s very, it’s decorated very Christmassy, and not all grocery stores decorate for Christmas. But yeah, if you live near a fresh market, I went there so many times when I lived in Nashville just to get happy, and they decorate for Christmas really well in there. I miss it. 

Emma: Yeah. And if you’re in Springfield, Missouri, you must stop by the Golden Girl Rum Club at Halloween or Christmas time because Rogan and the staff go ham with decorations and it’s just so fun, and at Christmas, it’s magical and cozy. It’s a great spot to pop in and just have a drink or whatever, you know. And also, by the way, they have amazing mocktails, so if you’re sober or not drinking right now for whatever reason, they also have that. Tiki bars tend to be really good for that. 

Elsie: I agree. I think tiki bars have the best mocktails. 

Emma: Yeah, they have all the juices, so they’ve got options. 

Elsie: Yeah. No, I love that. So my favorite moment of the movie is when Arthur explains the meet cute, and he like, gives the example of like, it’s a couple who are shopping for pajamas and the woman says, Oh, I only need the top and the man says, Oh, I only need the bottoms, and then they look at each other. Oh, it’s so cute, and he sells it. Yeah. I’m in love with him a little bit. I totally agree with that. It’s just so cute. Okay. So this is the traditional thing that I think we can all take from the movie if you wish. And partake is Christmas fettuccine, we did it last year on, not Christmas Eve, but I think Christmas Eve Eve cause Christmas Eve we spend with our family, but I think either Christmas Eve, Eve Eve, anyway, it was in the pink house and we made fettuccine and it was so fun. And then I was like, next year I’m just going to order this. Because I think there’s something about ordering. 

Emma: I’m down to do that this year for our family’s Christmas Eve. I love making fresh pasta, and it’s not hard, but it is a little time intensive, so it’s not something I do like just every night like I have the time to just, you know. So I do, I like having an excuse though, because it is fun. Thanksgiving we kind of have traditional, you know, foods that I think everyone likes and expects. But we don’t totally have anything for Christmas Eve, so I’m like, we could do that this year, that would be fun.

Elsie: Yeah. Let’s make that our podcast tradition. So send us a picture if you have Christmas fettuccine. And also we’ll tag Nancy Meyers when we do it. This is like a Nancy Meyers fan podcast. 

Emma: Yeah, pretty much. 

Elsie: And I love that. I love that for us. It’s special. 

Emma: It makes sense.

Elsie: Oh, okay. So do you want to do some trivia? 

Emma: Yeah, let’s do trivia time. Okay, first up. Iris’s tiny cottage is contrasted to Amanda’s stunning house, but in reality, thanks to UK property prices, an unskilled cottage like that in a good location could easily be worth 1 million or 2 million US dollars. Yeah, but how much would Amanda’s LA house be worth? 

Elsie: I know like 10 million. 

Emma: Yeah, at least. I think maybe the point is more like the cottage isn’t like 50K, you know? 

Elsie: It’s not a budget option. Like they portray it to be but you know what most movie houses aren’t so that’s fine. I should spend reality for Nancy Meyers, and I’m sure you do too. Although the Rose Hill Cottage of the film doesn’t exist in reality. Okay, that’s heartbreaking. The exteriors were built from scratch in a field and the interiors are sets. The honeysuckle cottage in the UK provided inspiration for the crew who designed it. You can tell, I mean, I guess I wouldn’t think that you could fit a camera crew into a small space like that, it makes sense that they’re sets, they’re like little dollhouse rooms, and that all the rest of the people are outside of that space, but at the same time, I don’t feel that when I’m watching it, it feels like a real house, and it’s perfect. 

Emma: Also, Honeysuckle Cottage. What an adorable name. Okay, Nancy Meyers specifically wrote the role of Miles for Jack Black after seeing his performance in School of Rock. 

Elsie: That’s very funny. I love that. I think that that’s visionary, to see him as a romantic lead, I think is visionary. And, to pair him with Jude Law is perfect. All of the actors and casting, I think were perfect in this movie. But, I like how there’s, like, a lot of cameos. I think all Nancy Meyers movies have a lot of cameos. 

Emma: I like, too, that Nancy Meyers is at a level where she’s like, oh, I saw this movie and this actor was so great. I think I’ll write a character that’s kind of for that person and I bet they’ll do it. And it’s like, of course, they will. Like, I don’t know. I don’t exactly know how it all went out. 

Elsie: The movies are so rare, you know how there are certain directors that actors feel like they’ll probably never get the chance, so if they do, they’ll do it every time.

Emma: Yeah, because I mean, how many movies can you make? I mean, that’s a long job, I would think. I mean, I don’t really know, I’ve never directed a movie, but it seems like a big job, like a lot of work. 

Elsie: School of Rock is a great movie, and that reminds me I should watch that with my kids. 

Emma: Yeah, they’d probably love it. It is so cute. It’s very fun. Jack Black is a national treasure if you ask me. 

Elsie: Dustin Hoffman said that his cameo in the film was not scripted or planned. He drove to the DVD shop while Kate Winslet and Jack Black were filming a scene.

Emma: He was just getting a DVD. 

Elsie: He was just going there. Noticed all the cameras outside and decided to stop in and see what was happening. And he knew director Nancy Meyers because their children went to school together. Perfect. 

Emma: He was like, Hey, Nancy. Oh, you’re doing a movie? Oh, I could pop in and say something. I want to know what his agent said to him when he was called. And he was like, Oh, by the way, I was out getting a DVD and they were making a movie, and I said, I’ll do it. I’m sure his agent was like, okay. I guess I’ll negotiate that for you. No. It’s perfect.

Elsie: I’m glad that they left it in there because that is like a beautiful moment. I love that. 

Emma: Dustin Hoffman is always a great cameo, too, because he is a great actor, like, top-tier quality. But he’s also really funny and can be so weird and quirky.

Elsie: Before the end of time on our podcast, we will probably do The Graduate. Cause I feel like I would love to graduate someday. 

Emma: Oh, yeah it’s a classic famous, so interesting. The music. I mean, yeah. 

Elsie: And you can definitely rewatch it. 

Emma: Oh, definitely. Yeah. Okay, the website that Iris and Amanda used to exchange houses is actually a real website called homeexchange.com. 

Elsie: Okay. We’re all going on there. I can hear the fingers clicking. 

Emma: Everyone’s like, turn this off. Time to go. MomExchange.com. 

Elsie: That’s very cool. Yeah. I love anything with primitive internet that you get to watch them using like a chat room. I love it. I love it so much. Like that kind of thing has aged like, amazing. 

Emma: And I feel like any time I’m having a hard time with anything technology with our website or our business, I just send Elsie the like Zoolander meme where they’re like, trying to get into the computers like monkeys. Like, I love all the like, old tech too when you get to see it in movies. I don’t know, it’s fun. 

Elsie: Cameron Diaz has claimed this movie was her most physical due to all the running she had to do. Okay, she was in Charlie’s Angels. Like, I guess I don’t get that, but I think that that’s cute. I think, maybe, does she ever have to run with, like, a suitcase? That would be hard. 

Emma: Yeah, if you’ve ever had to try to get a flight, that does, yeah.

Elsie: That’s surprising. That’s very surprising. I love her character. Their dances, okay, I have to say, like, their little, like, unhinged dances that they do, both of them, it’s just, like, I love that part about early 2000s movies. There’s one in Love Actually, too, that’s so bad. But so good like they don’t do that kind of stuff anymore.

Emma: Yeah, also Cameron Diaz is a great comedic actress.

Elsie: She’s hilarious.

Emma: She had an era where she was like in everything all the time it felt like and she’s just so funny and really good, and also beautiful and a great actress and all of those things too, but she has great comedic timing. She’s very funny.

Elsie: Yeah I love her. Oh, I think we’ve really, really hyped these actors, but I mean, it’s perfect. It’s flawless. 

Emma: Yeah. I don’t know. I mean, I’m not getting paid for this. I just like this movie and I really like everyone in it. What can I say? 

Elsie: Well, I think it’s cool how in the early 2000s, I remember when this movie, I know I saw it in the theater, I don’t exactly remember any moment about it, but I just know that during that time, people would say, like, chick flicks or whatever, like, people would never say that a movie like this was iconic. It was like, there’s this famous part on The Office where Jim is sort of like telling Pam that she can’t pick Legally Blonde for one of her deserted Island movies, and you fing can, you can pick whatever you want. And I think that I love that now people are much more open-minded about, like, what could be considered a classic, because honestly, like, they were wrong before and now everyone’s. Kind of like catching on. Okay, rate this movie from zero to five cozy cottages. 

Emma: Oh, five cozy cottages for sure. 

Elsie: Yeah, five or like ten. I would say this is my favorite Nancy Meyers movie. They’re all a ten to me, but this one is the one that I re-watched the most and I just compulsively need it, probably because it’s the Christmas movie and it’s just, It’s perfect. I will always watch it every Christmas until I die. 

Emma: It’s a great movie. It’s a good background movie, too, once you’ve watched it. I don’t know. It’s just nice. It’s wonderful. 

Elsie: Alright, let’s go to a joke or a fact with Nova. Hey, Nova, what do you have for us this week? 

Nova: A joke. 

Elsie: Okay. 

Nova: Actually, two. Are you ready for the first one? 

Elsie: Yes. 

Nova: Okay, well, let’s get cracking. 

Elsie: Okay. 

Nova: Here we go. What’s green with lights and ornaments, and goes ribbit? 

Elsie: Ribbit? What is it? 

Nova: A mistletoed. 

Elsie: Oh, that’s a good one. Do you have another joke? 

Nova: Yes. Here’s my other one. Why did Rudolph have to attend summer school? 

Elsie: Why? 

Nova: Because he went down in history.

Elsie: Amazing. Aww. Those were awesome. 

Nova: Bye! I am going to look forward to seeing you next time. 

Elsie: Okay, we hope you’ve enjoyed this episode. We will be back next week with our favorite things of 2023 and our book report on Feel Something, Make Something by Caitlin Metz.