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Last Holiday
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 Last Holiday Production NotesGeorgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) lives a small life tucked inside big dreams. A shy cookware salesperson for a department store, she handles knives and skillets with the flair of a master chef. But when a misdiagnosis leads Georgia to believe her days are numbered, she decides that if she has to go, she's going to go with a bang - and embarks on a dream holiday vacation to a grand resort in Europe.
There, thinking she has nothing to lose, Georgia undergoes a metamorphosis… and her transformation affects everyone around her. Georgia's newly uninhibited personality shakes up staff and guests alike, including a venerated chef (Gerard Depardieu) as well as her retail magnate boss (Timothy Hutton), who becomes convinced she's a rival intent on sabotaging his business plans. From snowy slopes to spectacular spas, delectable dinners to midnight balls, Georgia is going to live a lifetime of fun in just a few weeks…
About the Production
“Georgia Byrd has always bent over backwards for everyone else - she's felt like her proper place was at the end of the line,” says Queen Latifah, who plays the lead in the new comedy from Paramount Pictures, “Last Holiday.” “Now, for the first time in her life, at what she thinks is the end of her life, Georgia's going to do something strictly for herself. She's going to live like a queen.”
Confident and relaxed when in the kitchen, awkward and uncertain when not, Georgia sings in the church choir, always softly, and observes the world safely from the sidelines. When, after a misdiagnosis, she's told her number's up, Georgia decides she hasn't a moment to lose and begins to make up for lost time. Cashing in her savings, Georgia heads for the beautiful Grandhotel Pupp in the central European resort village of Karlovy Vary, intent on going out with a bang…
“When she thinks she's going to die, Georgia is unafraid to put herself in jeopardy,” says producer Jack Rapke. “She's base-jumping off bridges, snowboarding down steep mountains… people are in awe. They are transformed by her.”
“To be sure, this movie is meant to be funny, but hopefully, it's more than that,” says producer Laurence Mark. “You can really root for this character - getting behind what she's up to and becoming emotionally involved with her. What Georgia is saying is: `Life is a banquet - don't be afraid to eat up.'”
Says director Wayne Wang, “When Georgia is told - mistakenly - that she has but a few weeks to live, she gives up all the protective shields she's built around herself. Feeling invulnerable, she embraces the challenges and excitement life provides when you are willing to surrender your fears.”
LL Cool J co-stars as Queen Latifah's co-worker, Sean Matthews, who also struggles to find the things in life that truly motivate him. When Georgia takes off on her adventure, it inspires Sean as well. “She just disappears,” says LL Cool J, “and then he hears this crazy news about the things that are going on with her.”
In the movie, Georgia loves to spend time in the kitchen and her transformation is evidenced there. Once a reserved cook who didn't dare to taste her non-dietetic culinary creations, she now learns to put everything on the line and enjoy the food that makes life worth living. The story gave Latifah the opportunity to work with some of the biggest celebrity chefs in the business; Emeril Lagasse and other Food Network cooks were the geniuses behind the film's sumptuous meals. Latifah even learned how to make Emeril's Chicken Tchoupitoulas!
Queen Latifah says that the comedy taps into a basic human emotion. “Try to imagine how you would feel if you were told that you only had a few weeks left. All the dreams, all the desires, all the things you wanted to do and thoughts you wanted to express… and now you're told that your time is up. Where do you begin?”
Screenwriters Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman began with the 1950 classic starring Alec Guinness. After Mark and Rapke signed on to produce, Queen Latifah took an interest in the project.
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Queen Latifah as Georgia Byrd and Gerard Depardieu as Chef Didier in Last Holiday.
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