EFL Movie Study Guide for:
Last Holiday
Story:
Georgia Byrd is a "typical" (though "plus-sized") African-American
saleswoman. She works hard, but isn't appreciated. She loves a co-worker
but is afraid to let it show. She's a great cook, but won't eat her
delicious meals for fear of getting too fat. At Christmastime, her doctor
tells her that a brain disease will end her life in a few weeks. What
would you do? News of her approaching death frees her to really live for
the first time; her new boldness takes her on a dream vacation, where her
common compassion changes everyone around her. This funny film will give
you a glimpse of American life, and of the power of honesty and
compassion. Oh, and there's lots of food on screen, so don't watch it when
you are hungry! (110 minutes, drama-comedy; 2006; Starring Queen Latifah;
Director: Wayne Wang; Paramount Pictures)
Note1:
The first thing you hear is a lively African-American church choir; Georgia
is in the choir and the director criticizes her for not singing as loud and
lively as everyone else. Later you see that meetings at this kind of church
are very lively! The people expect a visit on Sunday from a senator
(politician), but he doesn't come. Georgia later finds out that he is
"playing" in Europe instead of doing what he promised the voters back home.
Note2:
Since many of the main characters are African-American, you will see that
they don't always speak standard American English. For example, they use
double negatives ("I don't eat nothing like that" instead of "I don't eat
anything like that") and sometimes omit "to be" ("Why you gonna send him
here?" instead of "Why are you going to send him here?"). They also use some
nicknames when talking to strangers (like "baby" and "killer") that white
Americans would not use.
Note3:
I have changed or condensed some dialogs below so that English-learners can
understand things better (this is not supposed to be an accurate transcript
of the movie). Words in brackets [ ] are there to make a sentence
grammatically correct; words in parentheses ( ) are explanations for the
sake of English learners.
People and proper nouns:
Mr. Adamian: Georgia's young (and rather
rude) boss
Arturo: the manager of the Grandhotel Pupp in
Karlovy Vary
Ms. Burns: Mr Kragen's mistress (lover, not
wife)
Chef Didier: One of the main reasons Georgia
goes to Karlovy Vary is to meet this famous chef
Darius: a kid who lives near Georgia, and who
eats her cooking
Ms. Gunther: floor valet (管家?)
for rich guests at the Grandhotel Pupp
Dr. Gupta: a doctor at the clinic where
Georgia works
Georgia Byrd: a saleswoman, and the star of
this film
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic: Georgia's dream
vacation takes place here, famous for mineral springs
Matthew Kragen: a self-centered, rich, young
entrepreneur; he owns the store where Georgia works
Reverend: Georgia's pastor (it is common not
to use a pastor's name, and just call him "Reverend", "Father" or "Pastor")
Rochelle: Georgia's co-worker
Sean Williams: Georgia's co-worker; they
secretly admire each other
Some phrases:
blow (my money): to waste money; to spend
money casually (blow it can also mean to waste or lose an
opportunity)
cut me some slack: stop making this so
difficult (e.g., when an avalanche closes the road with snow and traps
Georgia at the hotel on New Year's Eve, she says to God: "You're just not
gonna cut me any slack at all, are you?")
go through (sb's stuff): search sb's things;
carefully look through someone's papers, suitcase, etc., when you are trying
to find something (Gunther: "I go through everyone's stuff. I apologize.
Maybe I should be a detective (侦探?)
instead of a valet.")
in the first place: [what happened] at the
start of a situation ("That's the kind of thinking that put this store in
Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) in the first place (when our trouble began).")
to spice sth up: to add herbs, powder, hot
peppers, etc. in order to make sth taste better; to add interest or
excitement to sth ("Brave people like to put some of this hot sauce on this
dish, to spice it up a bit.")
Some terms (vocabulary):
acquisitions: (formal) things you bought, esp
land, companies, expensive art, etc. (Kragen: "Senator Dillings is telling
me that his committee is having problems with my acquisitions.")
avalanche: a large amount of snow that
suddenly rolls down a mountain (often destroying roads or villages)
BASE jumping: to jump, with a parachute (降落伞),
from a tall place like a Building, Antenna, Span (dam or bridges), or Earth
(cliff) (thus B+A+S+E) ("BASE-jumping is dangerous. We've lost a couple of
people doing this." "What, like people died?" "Yeah")
*bet: the money you risk when gambling, or
the act of doing this ("That's a lunatic (crazy) bet. You surely will
lose your money.")
bonds: documents promising that the cost will
be paid back, plus interest, from a company or government ("As Chairman of
the Commerce Committee in Washington, I'm always interested in how savvy
people such as yourself operate the market. Why did you sell your bonds?
Were you pessimistic about the future?")
*brochure: a printed item that contains
descriptive information or advertising (if only one page, it can also be
called leaflet; if multiple pages and unbound, it can be called a booklet)
bucking for: trying hard to get sth, esp a
promotion at work ( "Are you bucking for head of the Salvation Army (a
charity that helps poor people) or what? Stop feeding the moochers (people
who want sth for free).")
butter: a yellow spread made from milk (黄油)
(Chef Didier says the secret of life is butter!)
*CT/CT scan ( or CAT scan): a device (also
process or result) that gives a sectional (3-D) picture of the inside of
someone’s body (I believe the letters come from “Computed Tomography”)
*chef: someone who's job is to cook, often
after a lot of training so that he/she is more skillful than a simple "cook"
(Georgia: "I'm not a chef; cooking is just a hobby.")
cocoon: the silk cover around insects while
they change into butterflies (茧);
something that completely wraps around you for personal protection
*competitive: determined to win all the time,
driven to beat others at sports, business, gambling, etc.
*entrepreneur: someone who takes a risk to
set up and finance a new commercial venture
frumpy (clothes): ugly because they are
out-of-date or out-of-style
*gonna: oral English, meaning "going to" (you
should never write the word "gonna" because it is not really a word)
*gambling: risking money on the outcome of a
game, race, etc.; if you guess right you make money, but if you guess wrong
then you lose your money (i.e., your bet)
helicopter: a flying machine, powered by a
large blade on top (直升飞机)
*incentive: sth that encourages you to study
or work harder (Reverend: "As an incentive for us all to be singing in full
voice, Senator Dillings will be here on Sunday to kick off our Community
Redevelopment Program.")
jerk: a self-centered man who annoys or hurts
other people (Kragen, when drunk: "I know I'm a jerk." Georgia: "So, is this
where the jerks hang out?")
to liquidate: to sell sth (bonds, a building,
etc) and get money for it, often to pay debts (banker: "You're sure you want
to liquidate the entire IRA (Individual Retirement Account)?")
marked: labeled, often in a damaging way (mark
is used in many different ways) (Ms. Burns: "I've been marked by this; no
one will even talk to me.")
masseuse: someone trained to give massages (按摩)
merger: when two companies willingly decide
to join together (Kragen: "I'll take a big bath (lose a lot of money)
if these mergers don't go through.)
palate: keen sense of taste (Chef Didier:
"You have a sensitive palate.")
the retail business: stores that sell to
individuals, as opposed to selling to stores or companies (Georgia: "I've
worked in the retail business for ten years.")
*sales associate: saleswoman, sales clerk,
someone who sells things in a retail store ("Georgia is a sales associate at
Kragen's Department Store.")
snowboard: a single, wide ski or board used
to go down snow-covered hills
*substitutions: replacements (Chefs don't
like guests to make substitution, like "give me beans instead of this
vegetable.")
tonsils: (medical) flesh at the sides of
your throat (扁桃体)
(Reverend: "Sister Abernathy is singing louder than you, and she just had
her tonsils out!")
*wanna: oral English, meaning "want to" (you
should never write the word "wanna" because it is not really a word)
*wedge: sth (usually shaped like a triangle)
that helps you split things apart, or anything that looks or acts that way (Kragen:
"She's here to drive a wedge between me and those politicians.")
Dialog 1:
Darius: I don't suppose you're gonna (going
to) have any?
Georgia: Lord, no. I don't eat nothing but my
Lean Cuisine (meals specially made for those on a diet)
Darius: What is that book, anyway?
Georgia: That is my private property!
Darius: I was just looking. What is it?
Georgia: It's just what it says, just my
"possibilities" book. Just things I'm interested in.
Darius: Including this guy? Is he your
boyfriend?
Georgia: No… Why are you snooping around my
stuff, anyway? (people often change the subject when they don't want to
talk about something)
Darius: So, what's his name?
Georgia: None of your business.
Darius: Well, short of you telling me his
name, I don't know anything better to call him but lucky mother…
Georgia (interrupting): What? You might as
well go ahead and leave my house if you're going to be using that kind of
language. His name is Sean Williams. And you better not say anything to
anybody.
Darius: I ain't.
Dialog 2:
Georgia: What are we looking at?
Dr. Gupta: Well, we're looking at the results
of a virus you have, ma'am. I believe it to be Lampington's disease. It's
harmless in most cases.
Georgia: What about my case?
Dr. Gupta: Well, I thought I'd misread the
first CAT Scan, so I did the second scan. But that just confirmed it, you
see? Ma'am, I'm very sorry to tell you… This is very difficult for me. Maybe
we need a second opinion.
Dr.2: [Do] You see the area here? This is
your mass. Your tumor. I'm sorry, Georgia, but the virus has caused a very
advanced case of Lampington's lesions.
Georgia: What does that mean?
Dr.2: Without treatment, it's terminal.
Georgia: What? Like I'm going to die?
Dr.2: I'm very sorry.
Georgia: But I feel fine.
Dr.2: It's diabolical. Such a sneaky disease.
I'm afraid you've only got three weeks to live. There is an operation, but
it won't be covered by your HMO (i.e., by your company's health insurance).
Georgia: How much would it cost if I paid for
it myself?
Dr. Gupta: Around $340,000. That's without
anesthesia. You'll want that.
Dialog 3:
Clerk: I'm sorry, your room won't be ready
for two hours.
Georgia: Well, my time is kind of precious
lately now. Don't y'all (you all) have anything available now?
Clerk: I'll check. Let's see. Only the
Presidential Suite. It's 3000 Euros ($4000US) a night.
Georgia: Did you see me blink? (Did it
look like that price bothers me?) Look. There's Mr. Kragen.
Clerk: [Do] You know Mr Kragen? We are
honored that he comes to our hotel every year at this time.
Georgia (talking to God): You [are] playing
with me, right?
Clerk: Pardon me?
Georgia: Not you – Him.
(Georgia sees that Kragen is with his
mistress—Ms Burns—instead of his wife; when Georgia sees that Kragen doesn't
treat Ms Burns very well, she says…)
Georgia (to Ms Burns): If it's any
consolation, he's going to have a shitty fourth quarter. (Perhaps it will
make you feel better to know that his company is going to lose money in that
last quarter of the year.)
(When she gets to the Presidential Suite,
Georgia gives a ridiculously large tip to the man who carried her bag and
then looks out the window) Georgia: What world was I living in?
Dialog 4:
Senator: They say these waters have curative
powers; let you live to be 100.
Georgia: Yeah, well, I hope they work fast.
Senator: Clarence Dillings. Senator Clarence
Dillings.
Georgia: I know who you are.
Senator: Oh, so, we have met. [At the]
Entrepreneurs of Diversity [conference]? In Washington?
Georgia: Try church last Sunday.
Senator: But I didn't go to church last
Sunday.
Georgia: That's right. You know, you left a
whole lot of church folk disappointed, Senator. People who voted for you. We
heard that "pressing business in our nation's capital" kept you; the pastor
even prayed for you, thinking that you "toil so hard toting the burden of
our welfare."
Senator: I hope you'll communicate my
sincerest regrets (my apology).
Georgia: I don't wanna (want to) have
anything to do with your regrets. I have my hands full of my own regrets (things
I'm sorry about).
Matthew: Ms. Byrd, is it? We've not been
introduced. My name is…
Georgia: There's no need. Everybody knows
Matthew Kragen. The man for whom "enough is…" (Georgia looks at Matthew's
mistress) "…never enough." (then Georgia leaves)
Matthew (to his mistress): Who is she? How do
I know she's not part of some consumer watchdog group or something?
Ms Burns: Well, it's not like there's a law
against being at the same hotel with a congressman and a senator.
Matthew: Actually, there is a law against it
if they're on my plane and my dime.
Dialog 5:
Georgia (in the spa after a massage): Why,
Lord? I don't want to die. I want to live…
Ms Burns (in another part of the spa, talking
to her masseuse): Ow! What are you trying to do to me, huh?
Brigitta (Ms Burns' masseuse): You have big
knot in neck. You do something at work where you hold head in strange
position. Too much holding phone on neck, maybe.
Ms Burns: You know what? Why don't you just
shut up and do what you're supposed to do, okay? You're a masseuse, not a
life coach!
Georgia (to Ms Burns): Hey! I don't like the
way you're talking to that woman.
Ms Burns: I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Ms.
Byrd. She was hurting me, though.
Georgia: I don't care. You don't talk to
working people that way. Now, it's plain to see what the problem is here.
You've got tension in your neck because you keep going down on Mr. Kragen
and he's a married man. At least this poor lady is trying to work it out of
you. Don't take it out on Brigitta.
Brigitta: Thank you, Ms. Byrd.
Ms Burns (later, to Georgia): Is it that
obvious that I'm sleeping with him? None of the other women in the company
will even talk to me, and there's no one in my life who I can talk to about
this.
Georgia: I wouldn't lose too much sleep over
what other people think. I know this whole story. They're never bad people,
they're greedy people. They want a little bit of this, a little of that… He
will never leave his wife. You just need to leave him.
Ms Burns: What would I do? I didn't finish
college.
Georgia: Well, then you go back to school!
There now, we solved it! Let's tackle something heavy, like world hunger.
Dialog 6:
Darius: What you doing, casing the place?
Sean: Where's Georgia?
Darius: Hey, you're that guy. You're the
Possibilities man. The guy in the book.
Sean: What book. What are you talking about?
Where's Georgia?
Darius: Here, I found this book in her
garbage can.
Sean: That's my "employee of the month"
photo. Did she say anything about me?
Darius: Why? You like her, right?
Sean: Easy, Killer. Did she say where she was
going?
Darius: Maybe it's in the book… Karlovy Vary.
A place with healing waters.
Dialog 7:
(The hotel staff is talking together)
Arturo: Georgia jumped; Kragen didn't. She's
the most amazing person who ever came to this hotel.
Chef Didier: Oh, yes.
Arturo: She lives on the edge. She says what
she wants. She does what she wants. True existentialist.
Gunther: Hero worship, bought with a kiss and
an extravagant tip. She's a fraud, I tell you.
Dialog 8:
[voiceover while writing a letter]
Georgia Byrd: If you're reading this letter,
my disease has run its course. Enclosed is some money for my burial. I would
like to be cremated. I spent my whole life in a box. I don't want to be
buried in one.
Dialog 9:
Senator: You were incredible tonight. How is
it the two of us never bumped into each other back home?
Georgia: Probably because you're not home
that much anymore.
Senator: Washington is a hard to resist. Come
visit me sometime. You'll see.
Georgia: I'm sorry, but I just can't seem to
get past that big flashing "for sale" sign on your forehead.
Senator: What are you talking about?
Georgia: You know what I'm talking about.
What are you doing here with Kragen? I mean, what exactly is it that you two
do for each other?
Senator: I'm helping him over some regulatory
hurdles in committee, that's all.
Georgia: Well, it seems like you should be
helping some of your own people over some hurdles. I mean, precious little's
happened with that Community Redevelopment Program of yours.
Senator: And nothing ever will happen with
that youth center unless I get re-elected. Having generous supporters like
Matthew Kragen is a political reality.
Georgia: Well, I'm sorry, but I only have
time for reality realities. Good night.
Senator: Good night, Georgia.
Dialog 10:
Gunther: Please don't die, Ms. Byrd. I read
the note.
Georgia: You went through my stuff?
Gunther: I go through everyone's stuff. I
apologize.
Georgia: To tell you the truth, I'm kind of
relieved to have somebody to share it with.
Gunther: Don't worry, I'll be with you here
to the very end.
Georgia: I don’t' know if I want to be
here to the very end.
Gunther: Why are you here with these
terrible people? You should be with people you love.
Georgia: Yeah, I've been thinking about that
myself. One in particular. It's time I go home and find him.
Dialog 11:
Georgia: I heard you were a little
shorthanded because of this avalanche. I just thought I'd check to see if
you needed any help. But I don't want to get in your way.
Chef Didier: It would be an honor… a
privilege.
Georgia: What is this food?
Chef Didier: It's a turnip.
Georgia: No, that can't be a turnip!
Chef Didier: The poor baby turnip. Nobody
likes them. All the other vegetables, you can only destroy with cooking, but
the turnip, she gets better. So, you see, it's not how you start, but how
you finish. The first time I saw you I was so happy to see your appetite for
food… for life. I'm so sorry.
Georgia: Gunther told you. Does anybody else
know?
Chef Didier: No.
Georgia: Good. Let's not say anything, all
right? Let's just cook.
Dialog 12:
Georgia (talking to herself in the mirror):
You have been very lucky. Well, you didn't get everything you wanted… Next
time, we do things different. We will laugh more, we'll love more. We'll see
the world. We just won't be so afraid. Happy New Year.
Dialog 13:
Georgia (after Kragen finds out she "just
sells cookware"): Mr. Kragen is right about me. I'm just a sales associate
in one of his stores. One of the best. Or I was up until a couple of weeks
ago.
Chef: You owe these people no explanation.
Kragen: No, excuse me. I think she does.
She's had plenty to say about our behavior all week, and the only reason we
took it was because we thought she was somebody.
Georgia: Well, I'm sorry. I didn't come here
to give anybody the wrong impression about me. I just came here to blow
every last cent of my money. You see, I'm going to die. Yeah, I had the same
reaction when I found out. I tried to keep it to myself for the same reason.
It's a party killer, ain't it? But I did land on that mountaintop. And I
ended up on the cover of a ski magazine. Don't feel sorry for me, baby.
Never in my life did I think I would end up in such a beautiful place doing
so many incredible things. So, I'm sorry if I was maybe a little too honest
with you. But I wasted too much of my life being quiet. I was afraid, I
guess. You know how it is. You keep your head down and you hustle and
hustle. Then you look up one day and wonder: "How did I even get here?" See,
some of the things we care about a lot are pretty worthless. So, I hope I
haven't spoiled your evening. And it's truly been my pleasure to meet you
all. Happy New Year.
Dialog 14:
Kragen (drunk, out on a ledge, thinking about
committing suicide): They'd like me to jump.
Georgia (trying to get him back inside the
building): Well, don't start people-pleasing now. You know what? You're
really starting to piss me off (make me angry). [She throws his
alcohol to the ground.] Damn, that is a long drop. Look, a guy like you has
all the money and time in the world to turn things around for himself, you
know? So, just stop whining (complaining) and get with it.
Kragen: Get with what, exactly?
Georgia: I don't know… I don't have Georgia
Byrd's five rules to how to be a better human being. All I know is, if you
want somebody to care about you, stop trying to buy and sell them all the
time.
Kragen: Do I do that?
Georgia: And you know what? Get your pasty
face off the cover of your own magazine every month.
Kragen: I can't believe I had somebody like
you working for me all this time.
Georgia: Well, I wasn't going to work for you
forever. I was going to open me up a little restaurant. And, of course, I
was going to have a husband and a family.
[Sean shows up unexpectedly]
Georgia: Sean, what are you doing here?
Sean: I found out about the Lampington's
disease, and I up and quit my job. After you quit, I didn't feel like I had
a reason to be there. It seemed like there should be more possibilities in
life.
Georgia: Oh, no! You done up and read my
Possibilities book.
Kragen: What exactly is a Possibilities book?
Sean: Georgia, I should've told you this a
long time ago. Georgia Byrd, I want to be with you, whether it's for five
minutes here on this ledge, or 50 years.
Kragen: I like this guy. Good guy.
Georgia: Me too! [she looks up to the sky]
Oh, come on God, knock it off. Now, why are you going to send him all the
way around here when you know I gotta (I have got to) die?
Sean: Who are you talking to, baby?
Discussion:
(A) Tell your partner what you would do on a "dream
vacation."
(B) Georgia was very different from the rich people and
powerful politicians she met. Why do you think they became friends? What are
some of the things these people liked about Georgia?
(C) The description at the top of this page says:
This funny film will give you a glimpse of
American life, and of the power of honesty and compassion. Tell your partner
what you learned about American life, and about the power of honesty and
compassion.
* means that these would be good words for
students to learn
Regarding [ ] and ( ),
see "note3" above.
(To see more information about Christmas, see these other pages: the
traditional Christmas story,
who is Santa?, the pre-Christmas Advent
season; other Christmas movie study guides on this website:
A Snoopy/Charlie Brown Christmas,
Last Holiday, White
Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life)
