A 2006 Gender Flipped (and Race Lifted) remake of the 1950 J. B. Priestley film, directed by Wayne Wang.
Quiet department store employee Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) receives a devastating diagnosis after a bump on the head sends her to the doctor. Deciding to take charge, Georgia spends her life savings on a dream vacation in the Czech Republic at the luxurious Grandhotel Pupp
. While taking in all the wonders her trip has to offer, Georgia starts to spread her new-found zest for life to the colorful high-profile guests.
Last Holiday provides examples of:
- All Part of the Show: When Georgia has a breakdown about her terminal diagnosis while singing in the church choir, her fellow choir members and churchgoers mistake her emotional lamenting for a lively gospel number.
- Angry Chef: Subverted by Chef Didier. He's introduced yelling at his staff, but he's actually complaining to no one in particular about his frustrations over customers who ask for alterations, which sucks the joy out of his job. He's actually pretty cordial and friendly when he turns his attention to the work at hand and his mood brightens even further when he receives Georgia's order and sees that she wants to try his entire menu as he conceived it. Later, he gets angry because he's short-staffed and overworked but his mood brightens again when Georgia volunteers to help out.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Once Sean learns the news of Georgia having Lampington's disease, he travels all the way to the hotel she is staying at and tells her how he feels about her, despite both of them knowing her time is limited. Luckily, it turns out she doesn't have Lampington's disease and their love confessions still stay true.
- Armour Piercing Response: After Georgia reveals her terminal illness to Kragen and his associates when he tries to humiliate her by exposing her as nothing but a mere saleswoman at one of Kragen's stores, a dumbfounded Kragen doesn't react much when they, disgusted by his actions, leave him. But when his secretary, Ms. Burns, gets up to leave as well, her response to him awkwardly asking her where she's going is enough to make him start drinking like there's no tomorrow.Kragen: Where-where are you going?Ms. Burns: Well, first I'm going to find Georgia, and then I'm going to go back to school, and I'm gonna get my business degree. And then one day, when your wife finally decides to divorce you and takes half of everything that you have, I'll only be too happy to help her figure out exactly how much that should be.
- Artistic License – Music: Georgia tells her sister there's no such thing as a black country singer when the latter mentions her new boyfriend offered her a singing role in his country band, but black artists like Charley Pride, Tracey Chapman, Tina Turner, and DeFord Bailey had already made history as black country singers in 2006, with many more to come in the years after the film released. Though it could be possible that Georgia is just making that up to keep her sister (who's implied to have a long dating history and already has young kids of her own) from making a hasty and potentially unstable career change that would also affect her children's upbringing in the long run.
- Asshole Victim: Georgia's apathetic boss, Mr. Adamian, who's always on his phone, is unsympathetic towards Georgia accidentally knocking herself unconscious and is revealed to have knowingly kept Georgia in the dark about her worth as an employee so she wouldn't ask him for a raise, is revealed during the Where Are They Now ending to have been hit by a bus while he was crossing the street and talking on his phone.
- Back to School: Ms. Burns would lose her job and have to return to college if she left Kragen. She does eventually leave him and goes on to spa management school.
- Big Beautiful Woman: Georgia, hands-down. It helps that she's played by Queen Latifah. But when she gains confidence and spends some of her money on a new luxurious wardrobe, her looks stand out even more.
- Big "WHAT?!":
- Georgia says this after being told by her doctors that she has Lampington's disease and that she has three weeks to live.
- Sean says this a few times after confronting Dr. Gupta and learning that Georgia is going to die.
- Big "YES!":
- Miss Gunther lets out this in a happy shriek when she finds Dr. Gupta's fax informing that Georgia does not have a terminal illness.
- Sean yells this when he and everyone learns that Georgia is going to live after all when Miss Gunther tells them the news.
- Bring My Brown Pants: After Kragen chickens out of base jumping with Georgia, the staff is seen laughing at the fact that the laundry attendant confirmed that he did indeed pee or shit his pants up there.
- The Cameo: Emeril Lagasse, one of the world's most famous chefs and one of Georgia's idols, has a small cameo in the film when he visits the opening of Georgia's new restaurant.
- Come Back to Bed, Honey: Both times Kragen and his mistress Ms. Burns try to get the other to join them for physical intimacy, it goes awry with the other rejecting them. Ms. Burns asks Kragen to join her for a romantic bath but he's too busy stressing over Georgia to think about her. After Ms. Burns becomes friends with Georgia and he complains about her once more, he tries to get intimate with Ms. Burns, but she rebuffs him and excuses herself to the restroom, clearly having taken Georgia's perspective of Kragen to heart.
- Comically Small Bribe: When Georgia's Pointy-Haired Boss at her retail job hears her decide to Take This Job and Shove It (because amongst other things, he never made her know that she was the best saleswoman on the store, to prevent her from asking for a raise or a promotion), he tries to buy her back by offering a raise... of $1.50 an hour. What makes it worse? He started out at 25 cents...and only raised said bribe 25 cents more each time.
- Contrived Coincidence: Georgia just happens to arrive at the same hotel where Matthew Kragen and Senator Dillings are staying.
- Cruel Twist Ending: Averted. Georgia was misdiagnosed and gets her happy ending. Unlike George in the original 1950 version, who also finds he was misdiagnosed and is looking forward to a better life… but is then promptly killed in a car accident.
- Daydream Surprise: After her head injury, Georgia has a dream about her crush Sean seducing her all set to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye.
- Do Not Go Gentle: Georgia embodies this approach when she learns she's going to die soon; she becomes more outspoken and honest, does and eats everything she ever wanted to, and pampers herself with all the luxuries her money can buy.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Miss Gunther is initially an uptight Perpetual Frowner and doesn't have a high opinion of Georgia (possibly assuming she's just another selfish and entitled rich guest), but she warms up to her upon realising that Georgia's dying, even sincerely encouraging her to go home because Georgia's a good person who deserves to spend her final days surrounded by her family and loved ones instead of rich and superficial people. It gets to the point that she even lets out a happy shriek upon learning that Georgia was misdiagnosed and delivers the good news to her in person.
- Double Aesop: Even more than a double, nearly every single character learns a lesson about appreciating life by the end of the film.
- Driven to Suicide: A drunk Kragen climbs out onto the ledge outside his hotel room after his associates and secretary reject him for attempting to shame Georgia. None of them actually thinks anyone as vain and egotistical as him would actually jump, but Georgia does the right thing and talks him off the ledge anyway.
- Drowning My Sorrows:
- Georgia drinks a couple of glasses of white wine while crying over her terminal medical diagnosis.
- After being exposed for being the biggest asshole he is to Georgia, Kragen's friends and mistress reject him and promptly leave the table in disgust as the New Year's Eve countdown commences, during which he downs his glass of champagne before taking the entire bottle. He's still swigging from the bottle when he climbs out onto a ledge until Georgia snatches it away from him.
- The End Is Nigh: Georgia is told she only has a few weeks left to live, so she lives it up.
- Everyone Can See It:
- It is blatantly obvious to everyone that Ms. Burns is more to Kragen than just his secretary, to the point that none of the other women at Kragen's company want anything to do with her, and Georgia calls her out for it when Ms. Burns is rude to her masseuse.
- Everyone at work can see that Georgia is crushing on Sean. Meanwhile, it's clear to everybody BUT Georgia that Sean is head over heels for her.
- Food Porn: Georgia dreams of being a chef and opening her own restaurant. In the first part of the film, she's seen cooking delectable meals, and then when she goes to the Czech Republic, the food is amazing.
- Foreshadowing
- Dr. Gupta suggests doing a CAT scan after Georgia suffers a head injury, commenting that they just got a new machine. Or rather, "used, but new to us." That used machine is faulty, causing Georgia to be misdiagnosed.
- During Georgia's diagnosis, the doctor asks about her symptoms. She hasn't had any, and doesn't have any symptoms for the rest of the movie. Naturally, because she doesn't have Lampington's disease.
- The Full Smorgasbord: Having been diagnosed with a terminal illness, Georgia takes all her money and spends it on an extravagant vacation in the Czech Republic. During dinner at the hotel she orders everything on the menu, which surprises Chef Didier especially since all the other snobby hotel guests tend to ask for frustrating alterations. He chooses to meet her himself after preparing Georgia's order and the two end up becoming good friends.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Georgia might seem naive and reserved, but she is a very good saleswoman and gives some solid advice to other characters. Despite all of Kragen’s attempts to humiliate her, Georgia is usually one step ahead of him, half the time without even meaning to be.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Miss Gunther. Kragen hires her to spy on Georgia, but she befriends Georgia and refuses to give him any information after finding out Georgia is dying.
- Ms. Burns. Once Georgia bluntly tells her that Kragen is never going to leave his wife for her, she steadily lightens up until Kragen attempts to humiliate Georgia, at which point she dumps him and promises to help his wife take everything in the divorce.
- Kragen in the Where Are They Now ending seems to have also gone through one after his divorce, joining the doctor-turned-monk Gupta in the Himalayan monastery as his first initiate.
- Hopeless Suitor: It is implied that Senator Dillings has feelings for Georgia, but she's put off by his lack of integrity, and she's already in love with someone else anyway (Sean).
- How They Treat the Help: Georgia wins a lot of the hotel staff over by being nice to them. Having been a retail worker, she empathises with them. Kragen, meanwhile, has a waiter fired for accidentally spilling a single drop of wine on his hand.
- Internal Reveal: The audience is aware of the mutual attraction between Georgia and Sean. It takes Sean looking through Georgia's possibilities book and finding scrapbook wedding pictures of him and her together for him to be confirmed of this.
- I Will Find You: Sean spends most of the movie hunting down Georgia after she abruptly quits/vanishes. He's so sweet that he flies out to find her despite being deathly afraid to fly.
- Impossibly Delicious Food: Chef Didier’s gourmet meals look incredibly appetising.
- Interrupted Suicide: Georgia talks Kragen out of jumping off the ledge of the hotel. The whole scene is Played for Laughs because absolutely no one believes he will actually jump
- Iron Lady: Miss Gunther. She is one of the hotel attendants and is quite frosty with Georgia at first, but then Georgia's kind nature slowly wins her over and she does a full Heel–Face Turn when she finds out Georgia is dying. She apologises and becomes Georgia's confidant after that, refusing to give Kragen any more information.
- It Will Never Catch On: When Georgia calls her sister to inform her of her terminal diagnosis, her sister tells her that she's going to become a country western singer. Georgia responds that there's no such thing as a black country singer. Tracey Chapman, Charley Pride, Mickey Guiden, Chapel Heart, Shaboozey, and Tanner Adell would like to have a word.
- Kissing the Ground: The first thing Sean does after arriving at the Czech Republic by plane (in searching for Georgia), is get down on his hands and knees, grateful to be on terra-firma once more.
- Jerkass: Matthew Kragen, who looks for any opportunity to compete with Georgia.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Miss Gunther is revealed to be this. At first, she comes across as unfriendly and cold, but once she learns Georgia is dying, she makes an effort to be kinder to her. Her earlier behaviour is implied to be the result of years spent waiting on selfish and entitled guests, leaving her with a mild case of misanthropy. Further strengthened by her telling Georgia that she's a good person and shouldn't spend her final days surrounded by the other awful and snobby hotel guests.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Zig-zagged with Kragen. He spends the entire film jealously trying to show up Georgia—a woman he knows nothing about—and tries to shame her once he finds out she's just a retail worker who decided to blow all her money. She reveals she's dying, and it's the final straw for everyone around Kragen. His assistant quits her job and says she will make sure that she becomes a divorce lawyer someday just so she can help his wife take half of everything he owns, leaving him dejected and embarrassed. Kragen then gets drunk and goes up on the roof like he's gonna jump, but Georgia talks him out of it with a mild "The Reason You Suck" Speech. The Where Are They Now ending reveals that Kragen lost his company and everything else to his ex-wife and the SEC, but he seems to be much happier as an initiate in a Himalayan monastery.
- Last Day to Live: Georgia believes she is dying, so she resolves to do everything she's ever dreamed of, or as much of it as she can, in the time remaining. This includes ordering every dish of the day simply to try it and spending all her money on luxuries because she can't take it with her.
- Like You Were Dying: Georgia travels to Europe and tries dozens of new things because of this trope.
- Look Both Ways: Mr. Adamian is always talking on his phone, interrupting conversations in person just to take a call. The ending text reveals that he was hit by a bus whilst talking on his phone and not paying attention.
- Love Informant: When Darius allows Sean to enter Georgia's house to obtain important information on her whereabouts, he discovers scrapbook made pictures of his and Georgia's faces pasted over a couple's wedding photo and Darius asks Sean if he likes her.
- Ma'am Shock
- While suffering from a cramped seat in a packed airplane, Georgia is offended by a stewardess addressing her as "ma'am" and asks her if anybody calls her "ma'am". The stewardess almost says back "No, ma'am." but she immediately backtracks that statement and tells her nobody calls her "ma'am".
- Later, when trying on various high-class clothes and outfits, Georgia half-jokingly asks the workers assisting her if they think anyone will call her "ma'am" in what she's wearing. Their response is a hard "No." "Definitely not."
- Machiavelli Was Wrong: Kragen's cutthroat business strategy is actually quite terrible for business. Despite Mr. Adamian knowing that Georgia is his best saleswoman, he treats her very disrespectfully and offers her incredibly paltry rewards, which drive Georgia to quit once she finds out she's dying and has no reason to put up with his bullshit anymore. Kragen's guests and Mrs. Burns also ditch him once they find out much of an ass he is.
- Malaproper: It's easy to miss, but when Miss Gunther receives Dr. Gupta's fax that Georgia was misdiagnosed due to a faulty CAT scan, she later tells Georgia she was misdiagnosed due to a faulty "DOG scan".
- Mistaken for Dying: Georgia was given the wrong diagnosis because of a faulty machine. She was never actually dying.
- Mistaken for Gay: When Miss Gunther hugs Georgia after learning about Georgia's fatal disease, Georgia (who doesn't know Miss Gunther knew about it from snooping through her stuff) thinks she is making a pass at her, remarking she doesn't swing that way.
- The Mistress: Ms. Burns to Kragen. She is ridiculed and scorned for it at work and admits that she's afraid he'll fire her if she dumps him, but she holds out hope Kragen will leave his wife for her. Georgia flat-out tells her she is a fool to believe that will actually happen.
- Money to Throw Away: Georgia, while supposedly not having enough money to afford an operation, stays in a lavish hotel suite for $4,000 per night. Not to mention she pays for a first class flight, a helicopter ride, a full spa treatment, a new high-fashion wardrobe, and more. It does get justified since her surgery bill was apparently more than she could afford without any coveragenote , and she figured she wouldn't need it anymore after she dies...and then she also won big in the casino, which undoubtedly replenished her funds, and then some.
- No Sympathy: Mr. Adamian shows almost no sympathy for Georgia once she suffers and accidental head injury at work. When Sean tells him that she hit her head, his response is "So what? It's just a bump!". He refuses to cooperate with medical professionals like Dr. Gupta when he rushes her until Dr. Gupta warns him that he could be forced to pay a hefty workman's comp if they don't follow procedures.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Georgia checks with her HMO for coverage on treating her disease and is told she's not covered. The women she's speaking with rather callously brings out two thick documents Georgia can review and sign if she wants to apply for an appeal, a prospect she naturally doesn't want to take up.
- Odd Friendship: One would think just from the surface that the incredibly well-regarded Chef Didier would be a snob, but no! Instead, he is immediately delighted when Georgia orders his entire menu with no substitutions and even visits her table without her even asking him to, jus so he can chat with her about how she enjoyed it. They immediately bond over their love of cooking and become fast friends. He even takes her food shopping with him and later happily accepts her assistance with preparing and cooking the extravagant New Year's Eve spread, even inviting the guests to applaud her cooking skills. Georgia is visibly touched by the friendship, and Didier is too, even coming up to tell her "you don't owe these people anything" when Kragen tries to shame her at the dinner.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Georgia gets a breakdown while singing as part of her church's choir and begins yelling at God, "Why me? Why did I deserve this [a terminal illness]?" with the rest of the choir following her in singing "Why?", mistaking her lamenting for a rousing gospel number. Likewise, her church reverend encouraging Georgia to let it all out in the first place also counts, as he thinks she's upset over Senator Dillings being unable to visit their community, when he's actually unknowingly encouraging her to vent her anger and sadness over her terminal diagnosis.
- Onion Tears: Chef Didier discovers Georgia is dying and uses the fact that he is chopping onions as an excuse for crying.
- Penny Among Diamonds: Georgia lives the high life in Europe, despite not being as wealthy as the other guests.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: Georgia's boss at the store, a man who follows Kragen's business advice like the gospel, never told Georgia that she was the best salesperson at his store because he did not want her to ask for a raise. He drops this tidbit to try to convince Georgia not to quit because she wishes to go on her last holiday... which of course makes her decide to do it out of outrage. And then he attempts to convince her to stay through a Comically Small Bribe.
- Precision F-Strike: Congressman Stewart's wife, who's mostly silent in all of her scenes until Matthew attempts to shame Georgia during the New Year's Eve dinner, openly calls him an asshole. Her husband, also disgusted by Matthew's behaviour, agrees this is an appropriate sentiment.
- Princess for a Day: Longer than a day, but it still fits. Georgia uses all her bonds to live it up at the hotel, doing spa treatments, learning how to snowboard, and buying herself beautiful clothing she'd always been too timid to wear. The Character Development kicks in after she realizes how much of life she missed out on by hustling and being too quiet.
- Say My Name: Sean calling out to Georgia once he gets to the hotel. Lampshaded by Georgia and Kragen, the former of whom thinks it's a hallucination brought on by her illness.Sean Williams: (shouting) GEORGIA!
Georgia Byrd: (tearing up) It's starting to happen.
Kragen: What?
Georgia Byrd: I mean, I can hear him calling my name right now.
Kragen: Well, someone actually did call your name. - Sarcastic Confession: When one of the hotel staff helps Georgia with her luggage, he asks her how she is doing. Georgia says she is "dying". Not knowing she is serious and thinking it was a joke, he says to her "Great!", much to Georgia's confusion.
- Sassy Black Woman: At first inverted, then played straight. Georgia Byrd is shy and timid, and it's her petite Caucasian friend and coworker, Rochelle, that is constantly trying to push her out of her shell with antics like yelling her crush's name across the department store. Once Georgia's Character Development kicks in, though, this trope is in full swing.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Georgia goes from boring and regular retail outfits (especially since she's timid), and then shows up at the hotel in the famous red dress on the cover.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: At the start of the movie, Georgia has this dynamic with her younger sister Tanya; she's introverted, reserved, lives by herself and has a secret crush on her single coworker while single mother Tanya is more outgoing, flighty, has two younger kids of her own, and is implied to have had a string of boyfriends, of which at least one was a married man.
- Silent Bob: Congressman Stewart's wife, Martha, who communicates mainly through expressions, has only a single word of dialogue which doubles as a Precision F-Strike when Matthew attempts to shame Georgia for supposedly being a fraud: "Asshole."
- Sleazy Politician: Senator Dillings isn't a bad guy per se, but he spends more time courting wealthy donors than with helping his poorer constituents back home.
- Snowed-In: The reason why Georgia can’t leave the hotel after deciding she wants to die at home. She tries to leave, but an avalanche blocks the only route out and the conditions aren't such that she could take a helicopter out. Lucky for her, the love of her life manages to make to her anyway.
- Stepford Smiler: At first glance, Kragen's secretary and mistress, Ms. Burns, is very flirty and compliant with her boss. However, she later opens up to Georgia that she's lonely and depressed due to none of the other women at Kragen's company wanting anything to do with her because of her relationship with him, and she doesn't have anyone else that she can talk with about this.
- Supreme Chef: Georgia’s idol Chef Didier is shown to be an incredible chef. The foods he makes for the New Year's Eve dinner looks spectacular. Plus, there's Georgia herself by the end of the film. The Chef takes an immediate liking to her and they cook together, sharing food and friendship.
- Taking the Veil: The closing credits reveal that Dr Gupta left behind the stress and anxiety of his job to become a monk and open a monastery in the mountains. Kragen joins him as his first disciple.
- Through His Stomach: Georgia impresses Sean with her cooking skills.
- Uranus Is Showing: The fact that the name of the hotel is pronounced "Poop" gives Georgia a laugh.
- Weight Woe: Implied; Georgia loves cooking elaborate and delicious meals but only eats Lean Cuisine, instead giving the meals to her young neighbour Darius and his grandfather. She gets over this once she thinks she's dying, even ordering Chef Didier's entire menu for the night for the chance to taste all his dishes since he never repeats the same menu twice.
- Wham Line: Several in the film.
- When Georgia goes in for a CAT scan following her head injury, Dr. Gupta says this after looking over her brain scans:
Dr. Gupta: What? No, this can't be right. Oh my God. Oh my God.- After trying out the "used but new" MRI machine and comparing their CAT scans to Georgia's CAT scans, Dr. Gupta delivers this:
Dr. Gupta: Now see, look at these tumors. Georgia Byrd, Mr. Smith, and mine. Now there's no way, even if we all had it, they would be exactly in the same place. So I said to myself, "Rabindranath...it has to be the machine!" (Beat). Oh my God!- In-Universe. When Kragen reveals to his friends that Georgia is just a retail worker from one of his stores in his attempt to humiliate her, Georgia apologizes for the wrong impression and reveals something about herself to them:
Georgia Byrd: You see, I'm going to die.- In-Universe. When Georgia asks God why did He bring her love interest Sean to her knowing she is dying, Miss Gunther delivers unexpected news to her:
Miss Gunther: A fax machine message from Dr. R. Gupta: "You were misdiagnosed due to a faulty DOG scan!" You don't have Lampington's Disease! You're going to live!
Georgia Byrd: I'm not going to die?
Miss Gunther: No!
Georgia Byrd: I'm going to live?
Sean Williams: Yes!
Georgia Byrd: I'm going to live! I'm going to live, everybody! - Where Are They Now: There is a montage at the end in which we find out how things turned out for most of the main leads. There is a special comeuppance for Georgia's awful retail boss, included as well.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Poor Sean is in love with Georgia and is worried about her, so he tracks her down at the hotel and does not want to fly as he is terrified of heights, but she's worth it, so he does indeed get on the plane to find her.