Hello and welcome! Let’s talk about my most favorite movie, Holiday. Not only is it a delightful romantic comedy in the best sense, but it’s also a whole movie based on the premise that in order to know what you’re working for your whole life, you should take some time off and figure out who you are and what’s important to you. This message didn’t play very well with audiences struggling to find their own jobs (this came out in 1938), despite the person taking the time off, Cary Grant as Johnny Case, being a young man who’s worked since the age of 12 and is just now taking his first break ever. And I get that; it is a particularly bourgeois notion, that you need to travel to far-off places to figure out who you are and what you want to do with yourself. Only people with a fair chunk of change and time see this as an actual possibility, not to mention a valid use of precious resources like time, money, and energy. I’m not unaware of this fact. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an invalid use of those resources, if you have them to use, and if you’re a conscientious traveler. At least, that’s what I’m hoping, for my own purposes.

Anyway, the premise is enough for me to be intrigued, but the pairing of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn clinches it. They work their way through the movie to their inevitable pairing at the end with charm, wit, and acrobatics. (Grant started out in vaudeville, and he shows off some impressive tumbling in this film. Hepburn was a noted athlete who always did her own stunts.) Johnny starts the movie engaged to Julia, but when he meets her lovely, directionless sister Linda (Hepburn), it’s clear who he should be with. The film addresses issues of class, gender, and familial relationships, all delivered in a brilliant script and serviceable if unexciting cinematography. I also relate to just about every one of the characters and feel close to it personally.

I’m generally wary when people base their evaluation of the QUALITY of an artwork solely on how well they are able to relate to that artwork on a personal level, whereas it’s entirely reasonable to base your ENJOYMENT of an artwork on such a personal connection. Think of the woman in your sophomore English class who loves The Secret Life of Bees because OMG, she is totally like the main character and really felt like she could relate to her, and all the supporting characters are such good friends, just like her friends. Or your ex-boyfriend who totally dug The Matrix because, like, he’s smarter than everyone too and really good at computers and stuff and would so be Neo if anyone just gave him the red pill already. Those are two examples of artworks that definitely have their merits and their problems, but for these readers/viewers, none of that matters, because they just liked it. They conflate their enjoyment of the work with the quality of the work, and that’s where shitty New York Times bestsellers and unearned Oscars come from.

(Similarly, I can APPRECIATE a work of art for its merits without actually ENJOYING it. For example, I can see how Reservoir Dogs is an important film in cinema history, what with its introduction of mainstream fun into the indie art film scene, its legitimization of pop culture obsession, its stylized dialogue and spare setpieces, and of course that infamous ear scene, so perfectly done. I also hated every minute of watching it. If I never see another gratuitously violent, indulgently macho, thoughtlessly nihilistic film again, it will be too soon. Feminist defenses of Tarantino’s later films notwithstanding.)

But anyway, back to the personal connection thing. Holiday is a great film by film standards, including wonderful acting, a sharp script, and a strong story, so I’m not worried that enjoyment of the film is hindering my ability to evaluate it for the great work of art it is. But I sure do enjoy it in large part because I feel so close to the characters. I find my wanderlust in Johnny, my restlessness in Linda, my romanticism in both of them, my desire for security and comfort in Julia, and my fears of change and being in charge of my own life in Ned. I sympathize with all the characters and understand why they do what they do, but of course we’re meant to root for Johnny and Linda and their happy ending, and it’s so easy to do that. Their love for each other and their love for adventure and the way they combine the two–well, it’s enough to make this traveler look around for her own Johnny. Every time I see Johnny do a belly-flop backflip as Linda comes running onto the ship for their trip around the world, my heart does a flip of its own.

A YouTube user’s collection of favorite moments from Holiday