6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It's advice to follow for shy New Orleans cookware salesclerk Georgia Byrd (Oscar® nominee Queen Latifah) when she's led the believe that she has less than a month to live. It's time to give her life a serious makeover, so Georgia jets off on a dream vacation to live like there's no tomorrow! Enjoy hearty laughs and rollicking comedic misadventures when Georgia shakes up a glamorous European resort spa while enthusiastically embracing a new look...new moves...and a new attitude! LL Cool J is the handsome suitor back home who's not about to let Georgia slip away. Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt and Giancarlo Esposito also star in this comedy hit that makes the good times last forever.
Starring: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Alicia WittComedy | 100% |
Holiday | 22% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
You wait and wait for something big to happen, and then you find out you're going to die.
Last Holiday represents the epitome of the feel-good, escapist genre. Though the movie is
certainly far from groundbreaking or even all that unique, it rarely, if ever, feels stale or clichéd.
The uplifting spirit, never-say-die attitude, and message on the importance of belief and confidence
in oneself on display will leave all but the most stoic and hard-hearted of viewers with a
smile on their faces (and maybe a tear in their eyes), if not wholly invigorated and encouraged to
restore faith in and perhaps even live their
dreams. If the movie has a glaring weakness, it is in the predictability of the story arc, but a film
like Last Holiday may be forgiven of this, for it is definitely the journey, not the finer details
of the plot, that set it apart and make it a fine feel-good, "anytime" sort of movie. This is the kind
of entertainment that never goes out of style; the message remains an important one, the laughs
and mini-adventures always infectiously entertaining, and the drama always moving and true.
Queen Latifah prepares to audition for the role of an Orion in the upcoming 'Star Trek' movie.
Last Holiday travels to Blu-ray with a mostly pleasant 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The video transfer is extremely film-like, aided by a generally subtle but sometimes more noticeable layer of grain, and the transfer oftentimes borders very closely to reference-grade quality. The colors exhibit just a bit of over-saturation, but most appear lifelike and very pleasing to the eye, with just a slight push towards red. Detail is generally superb. Streets feature palpable texture and depth in the concrete, clothing reveals all stitches and nuances in close-up shots, and faces also exhibit the finest of details. A tan colored sweater Georgia wears the first time audiences see her at work shows off all the weaves and lines with excellent results. Like the image as a whole, flesh tones veer towards a reddish-pink hue. However, blacks are nice and deep. On the down side, backgrounds appear ever so soft, and there is the occasional white speckle over the print. While not a perfect transfer, this Blu-ray edition of Last Holiday boasts a very respectable image that should please fans, and serves as the best technical aspect of the disc.
Last Holiday features a rather unremarkable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The soundtrack never features anything in the way of a full, immersive sound field. The movie's opening choir practice session shows just that, the sound playing somewhat nicely if not a bit underwhelming from the front but offering virtually nothing from the back channels. Likewise, the remainder of the track retains a front-heavy, almost lifeless sound, playing cold and detached, certainly not matching the warmth of the story. A shopping montage in chapter seven features a pop song that plays out as flat and dull, which unfortunately is the order of the day when it comes to this disc. The movie is primarily dialogue-driven, and this aspect of the disc is flawless, with no discernible hiccups to hinder the presentation. On the whole, this soundtrack is alright, but never all that impressive.
Last Holiday checks in on Blu-ray with precious few extras. 'Last Holiday:' Packing Light (480p, 15:24) is a rather generic making-of piece that features the expected cast and crew interview snippets and behind-the-scenes footage intercut with scenes from the film. The piece examines the background of the script and focuses on the role of each character in the film, and concludes by looking at the themes of the film. 'Last Holiday:' Last Look (480p, 7:45) looks at the various locales as seen in the film and the vision and artistic choices that went into making each one a character in the film. 'Last Holiday:' 23 Years in the Making (480p, 7:12) examines the lengthy history of the project. Concluding this brief supplemental package are two deleted scenes (480p, 2:19) and the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:32).
Last Holiday is fine, friendly, pleasing, and moving storytelling that conveys a simple tale of how one person, determined to live life the way she always wanted to, armed only with a warm personality and love for life, can influence and inspire so many others. The movie works on a number of levels, from the honest performances to the simplicity of the story and its message, but it is in its tender soul and gentle nudging of the heartstrings that make it a worthwhile watch, particularly during troubled times. Paramount's Blu-ray release of this easygoing film isn't one to become too excited about from a technical perspective, but the disc is more than adequate for what the film requires. The disc features a warm, inviting picture quality that stands among some of the better transfers on the market, a slightly disappointing but sufficient lossless soundtrack, and only a few bonus materials. Nevertheless, the movie is what matters at the end of the day, and Last Holiday is definitely a good one. For what is arguably the perfect blend of entertainment and meaning, Last Holiday is hard to beat. Easily recommended.
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