Seeing The Holiday was like taking a bite of chocolate and discovering a delicious peanut butter center or like opening a birthday card and having a $50 check fall out. I went in expecting something good and got something fabulous instead.

I wasn't the only who thought so, either. I knew it was a hit when I heard the males coming out of the theatre saying, "hey that was pretty good," to a movie I had thought would slip into the genre of chick flick.

The Holiday is about two women who each have problems with love and want to escape their lives.

Amanda, played by Cameron Diaz (In her Shoes) discovers a quaint cottage home in England owned by Iris, played by Kate Winslet (All The King's Men), on a holiday home exchange Web site. Winslet, desperate to flee from the surprise announcement of the engagement of her off-again boyfriend to a co-worker, had always wanted to go to L.A. The two set up a house exchange. They nicely acknowledge the possible doubt from the audience about this idea with Jude Law's (All the King's Men) line, "do people actually do that?"

After exchanging "houses, cars and lives" the girls set about in different ways to heal their souls.

Diaz, a compulsively neurotic movie advertiser who hasn't been able to cry for more than a decade, finds herself unwittingly interested in Iris's charming widower brother, Graham, played by Law.

In L.A., Winslet, a teary journalist/movie enthusiast, discovers two men, both equally captivating but decades apart in age -- a goofy music composer (played by Jack Black) and a legendary screenwriter from the golden era of "Tinsel town."

The movie was written specifically with the four stars in mind. Although I can't imagine who else would play the role, Diaz's performance fell a little flat for me. As a fan of her more bubbly characters, I felt this stereotypical high-strung act felt off, as if she tried too hard. Still, she was decent and did not detract from the movie, but she didn't bring her usual spark.

I thought I would have problems watching Law in a romantic role after the whole nanny-gate shenanigans, but his character seemed to fit his natural personality. He is charming and debonair and a bit of a drunk but compartmentalizes that part of his life when he is with his children.

Winslet was heartbreaking. She beautifully captured her Iris's vulnerability around the scoundrel she just hadn't quite gotten over. She intersperses that with humor and an underlying strength that grows quietly throughout the movie until she eventually has enough "gumption" to become "the leading lady in her own life."

What more can I say about Jack Black (Nacho Libre) that hasn't already been said -- he definitely lives up to his good reputation. The only thing that surprised me was how little he was in the movie.

I was delightfully surprised to find that this was more than your average chick flick. The added dimension that made it unique was Winslet's new neighbor, a 90-year-old writing legend. The interactions between the two are some of the most touching, well-written and likeable scenes of the movie.

The Holiday will make you laugh, cheer and cry. And at the end, when I walked out of the theatre, my own goofy happy grin was matched by almost everyone else's as they commented on just how wonderful the movie was. This is a movie for everyone. Grade A