PLOT: Two brokenhearted women, one in L.A. (Cameron Diaz), the other in England (Kate Winslet), decide to trade homes right before the holidays in order to escape the blues.

Remember when Lou Grant famously said to Mary Richards : "You've got spunk. I hate spunk!"

Well, The Holiday -- the latest romantic comedy from writer-director Nancy Meyers (Something's Gotta Give, What Women Want) -- maybe doesn't have spunk. But it's loaded with cute.

Way too much cute.

There's a cute premise: Two women unlucky in love living 6,000 miles apart -- one in Los Angeles (Cameron Diaz), the other in England (Kate Winslet) -- decide to swap homes right before the holidays to escape their miserable love lives.

Then there are all the cute, some might even say gorgeous, actors: Diaz as the wealthy workaholic who makes movie trailers, and Winslet as a talented writer reduced to writing wedding columns for The Daily Telegraph.

Each of them has a cute future love interest: Jude Law (who plays Winslet's one-night-stand-loving brother, and to say more would spoil what little surprises there are in this movie) and Jack Black (as Diaz's sweet work colleague, a composer of musical scores).

Even the guys who cheated on Diaz and Winslet are cute: Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell.

Frankly, it's all just too -- yes -- cute.

The sharp edges that Meyers gave us in Something's Gotta Give, which featured two standout performances by Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, are sadly missing in The Holiday despite the incredible surroundings.

Who wouldn't want Diaz's sleek and modern mansion, complete with swimming pool and all the high-tech gadgetry you could ever want (including remote-controlled shades in the bedroom)?

Same goes for Winslet's cozy stone cottage in the English countryside, with fireplaces in the bedroom and kitchen.

But a movie has to be more about aesthetics, and Meyers' rather predictable script gives some normally talented actors -- four-time Oscar nominee Winslet and an unsually low-key but lovable Black -- very little to work with.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any more cute, Meyers has Winslet and Law doing romantic montages to old standards. I found myself laughing instead of swooning.

One major saving grace in The Holiday is veteran actor Eli Wallach, who plays Diaz's next-door neighbour -- an elderly, kind screenwriter who turns out to be Winslet's guide in love and life. Wallach even talks about how people "meet cute" in the movies!

The poignant scenes between Winslet and Wallach are the best thing about The Holiday, which says more about friendship than love.

BOTTOM LINE: Yes, there are worse ways to spend just over two hours of your life. Just be prepared for cute. Lots of cute.

(This film is rated PG)
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