Things I Took Away From Watching The Holiday

Alright, so I view movies as much more than just entertainment. To me, if there are lessons or morals in the movie that I can apply to my own life, then the movie is a real keeper and they are doing something right. Or sometimes, even if it just inspires me to write something of my own or think a little more, I love that about it too, because obviously there was something in there that sparked my interest. That is just what I got from The Holiday. I've seen it before, yes, but this time, I noticed a few more things that I haven't before. Let's review:

• We shouldn't be afraid to take risks: Iris and Amanda do that when they decide to swap houses are taking a very big risk by going to not only different states, but different countries to escape their problems. They don't know anyone or their way aroundSometimes the best joys in life and greatest rewards come from those moments. Yes, it's cliche, but it's also very true. 
• Not all strangers are bad: This point seems to be pretty self explanatory because the more they got to know the people around them, they realized that they could play some pretty big roles in their life. You just have to learn who is good and who is bad. Sometimes that's harder to figure out than you initially plan for, but, oh well.
• I want to have a "meet-cute" in real life: A meet-cute is (according to Urban Dictionary) a "Scenario in which two individuals are brought together in some unlikely, zany, destined-to-fall-in-love-and-be-together-forever sort of way (the more unusual, the better)." I think about this a lot, actually, I just never realized there was a technical term for it. Although, it usually has to do with me meeting one of my favorite celebrities at an award show and instantly having a connection, we fall in love, and we lived happily ever after. I'm not sure how crazy that is, but it's the way I would want it to happen really. 
• I need to stop acting like the "best friend" and more like the "leading lady" in my life: Sometimes, I just feel like I'm here to be there for other people; to encourage them and make them look good. I mainly felt like this in high school, because I didn't always know how to speak up or to use my voice without feeling rude about having an opinion. I am now learning what it means to be a leading lady; to be there for others when they need you, but to also do the things that you want and let people know how you feel when the time is right.
• English people just have a certain charm about them: They have a way of using brilliant words and being enchanting when you come in contact with them. Though I have never met anyone from England, this movie was very clear on what they would be like. They're fascinating! And I just really love their accents.
• I don't consider Jack Black to be the leading man type: Jack Black is a comedian. I mean, he's Nacho Libre. And Nacho Libre does not scream romance, does it?? Well, this movie changed that. No, I don't think he's cute. But, I think he has this way of being charming because of his personality. He still showed his funny and witty side in the character, and having other people that are normally in these kinds of movies helped balance him out.
• Love will find you when you least expect it: That's what everyone says. Oh, when you stop looking for love, it will find you. It sounds really lame to me. But, when you watch movies like this, it totally changes your opinion that maybe, just maybe something out of the ordinary can happen and you will find the love of your life that way.
• When the Santa Ana winds blow, anything can happen: I've lived in California my entire life, but I never knew this. So, see, now I will be paying much closer attention to the changes in the wind.
• The tent scene: It's just one of those really big "AWWWWWW" moments! You have to see it. You'll be clutching your little heart right and left.
• "I love corny. I'm looking for corny in my life." This. I think we all need a little corny in our lives to keep things fun. Am I right?
• I think in terms of movie trailers or climax moments: I am very much like Amanda in this sense. When something has happened in my life, whether it was a conversation or a big event in my life, I play it back in my mind as if it were a movie. I think of everything I would have said or how it would've been a lot better if there was a lighting crew or makeup team standing right by me the entire time to make things a little more interesting for the sake of the moment. I have certain scenes that also just play in my head to make my life more dramatic sometimes. I refer to those when things are a little slow around here.
• This movie reminds me of why I love Hollywood and the movie industry. It's pretty simple, really. It's the kind of feel good movies like this that make me love the whole process of movie making or creating something really magical where it just makes people happy after they see it. If I ever get into TV or movies, these are the kinds of films that I'd want to make. 

That's basically all I wanted to say. If you've never seen this movie, I would definitely check it out.

~Shelby