“Last Holiday” asks the question, “Is Queen Latifah sufficiently charismatic to carry a paper-thin story whose every beat will be familiar to all but the youngest children?" Fortunately, the answer is yes.
In “Last Holiday,” Her Grace plays a department store cookware demonstrator who learns that she has an inoperable brain condition. She quits her job, sells her investments, walks away from the man who doesn’t even know she loves him (L.L. Cool J, making me wish I had a more bitchin’ name), and heads to an exclusive ski resort high in the Alps. There, she plans to live her life to the fullest up to the very last moment. This is a comedy, so now you know exactly what will happen. Fortunately, Her Majesty is a charming woman with whom it’s a pleasure to spend 90 minutes. As one nice thing after another happens to her, you can't help but smile along, enjoying the general sense of goodwill the film creates.
Her Majesty gets first-class supporting work from a cast including Timothy Hutton, Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Esposito, Michael Nouri, Alicia Witt, and the aforementioned Mr. J. Timothy Hutton, as the villainous owner of the department store chain (who just happens to show up at the resort), is note perfect. He’s despicable but not too despicable, evil but not too evil, and he's clearly having as much fun as anyone in the audience.
And this movie is very fun. If you'd like to spice it up, try watching it with a child who will worry about the star's fate, then watch his or her reaction when the inevitable happens. It's a treat, and it's the kind of experience that adds to the warm, comfort-food experience that is "Last Holiday."
