Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Sometimes it only takes one moment to change your life. It’s easy to fall into the routine of going to work, putting off the things you really want to do, and waiting for a day that will never come… until something happens that wakes you up and makes you start living. This is the plot behind one of my favorite not-quite-holiday movies.
Last Holiday is a 2006 romantic comedy-drama starring Queen Latifah as a department store saleswoman who is told she has a rare brain disease that will kill her in a few weeks. She decides to take a fabulous vacation to say goodbye to him and travels to Europe to spend her savings on the luxury she’s always dreamed of.
Taking place over Christmas and New Year, Last Holiday is not the usual seasonal fare. There are no elves, decorations or gifts, simply the story of a woman who receives terrible news and decides to live the last weeks of her life to the fullest.
After being cracked on the head at work, Georgia discovers she has multiple brain damage from Lampingdon’s disease. Without treatment, his condition is fatal, but his insurance denies him the necessary surgery.
Instead of dying, Georgia decides to travel to Europe, blow her savings and go out with a bang. After spending all her savings on a future she now thinks she’ll never see, she decides to eat the best food, sleep in the best hotel, and enjoy the things she’s been putting off for too long. She quits her job, cashes out her IRA and decides to live life to the fullest.
Once on his flight, things start to change. Georgia upgrades to first class, takes a helicopter to her hotel and proceeds to the presidential suite. Georgia’s extravagant spending and mysterious presence pique the interest of the hotel’s VIPs: self-help guru Kragen, his assistant, and Louisiana power brokers Senator Dillings and Congressman Stewart. They all think she’s rich like them, but Georgia is just trying to enjoy her last days.
When Georgia’s fortunes change, she wonders why this is happening now.
Back in Louisiana, Georgia’s crush and former co-worker Sean Williams (played by LL Cool J) wonders where she is and what happened. He learns that Georgia is dying and goes after her, following the example of a neighbor.
Georgia continues with all the things she was too afraid of or too frugal to indulge in before: snowboarding, base jumping and more. Kragen becomes suspicious, convinced that Georgia is at the hotel messing with his things. He pays the staff to find out who she “really” is.
Mrs. Gunther, the customer service manager, finds a farewell letter that Georgia wrote to her loved ones. After Georgia returns from a charity fundraiser (at which she ends up winning $100,000 and wonders why her life has suddenly improved), Gunther admits that she went snooping around and found the truth.
Gunther convinces Georgia that instead of dying alone in a hotel, she should go home. At the same time, Sean flies to find her and make sure she is not alone in her “last” days. Deciding to return home, she discovers that an avalanche has blocked the road to the airport, making her return to the United States impossible.
I won’t spoil the ending, but I will share that Georgia finds what she’s looking for, while Kragen hands her off to the group of new wealthy friends, Sean walks on a lot of snow, and surprising news from the United States changes everything.
Even though there are no explicit Christmas moments, Last Holiday remains – after almost 20 years – one of my favorite films set during the holidays for its heart, which is evident in every frame. Queen Latifah gives a great performance and the message that people should chase the things they love always spoke to me.
