As Christmas grows ever closer, a new study has analysed how Iris Simpkins and Amanda Woods from The Holiday spent their money.
Experts at JeffBet.com examined all the items Kate Winslet and Cameron Diazโs characters splurged on in the 2006 romcom, and calculated the total cost to determine who spent the most.
It turns out Diazโs workaholic character spent the most, outspending Iris by thousands. A whopping ยฃ10,438.78 left her bank during the two-week vacation.
Most of Amandaโs spending happened before she even stepped foot on English soil – she spent ยฃ10,101.81 flying from LAX to Heathrow Airport in First Class.
She continues by spending ยฃ89.54 on getting herself to and from the airport in a limousine, and another ยฃ72.73 to fill up Irisโ Mini Cooper with petrol.
Though Irisโ plane tickets are also the most expensive part of her trip, she spends significantly less than Amanda. In total, it costs her ยฃ1,506.78.
Iris’s plane tickets cost her ยฃ1,013.39 and she flies in economy class. Her cab to her holiday home cost her ยฃ164.03 and her petrol cost ยฃ46.07.
However, she also takes the train home from her work Christmas party at the start of the movie which costs her ยฃ15.80.
But what Iris doesnโt spend on travel, she spends on the men in her life. She buys her cheating-on-off boyfriend, Jasper [Rufus Sewell], a first edition of the 1989 novel The Message to the Planet by Iris Murdoch which costs her ยฃ60.00, and spends ยฃ0.30 on sending him a โbreakupโ text just before takeoff.
Later in the film, she dines with her elderly neighbour Arthur and then her love interest Miles [Jack Black].
The dinner with Arthur at what appears to be a sophisticated restaurant costs her ยฃ57.27, and she foots the bill for Miles when he gets a call from his on-off girlfriend Maggie [Shannyn Sossamon]. The sushi bar they dine at comes to ยฃ117.59.
Before Amanda dines out with Irisโ brother Graham [Jude Law] as they try to navigate their attraction to each other – which costs her ยฃ80.00 – she spends quite a significant amount of money while shopping.
She picks up an assortment of items while regretting her choice to spend Christmas across the pond, including a ยฃ3.20 wheel of waxed cheddar cheese, two bottles of wine totalling ยฃ21, ยฃ5 chocolate, gherkins for ยฃ1.80, and bread priced at ยฃ1.35.
She also purchases another bottle later in the film, and some other goodies like a box of chocolates to surprise Graham at his home, only to learn he has two young daughters with his now-deceased wife. The chocolates cost her ยฃ11.00.
Iris also buys food and alcohol, though itโs for a more social affair.
She hosts a Hanukkah party for Arthur and his friends and cooks a meal. The traditional meal eaten during the holiday is beef brisket, and Iris may have picked one up along with the ยฃ16.49 Manischewitz she purchases to feast on with her friends. The beef costs ยฃ9.60.
She also rents the 1986 movie The Mission while rendezvousing with Miles at Blockbuster. At 2011 prices, it would cost Iris ยฃ6.24.
Amanda would still spend more money, but her bank account would look a few thousand pounds richer. An inflation calculator showed she would splash ยฃ5,756.63.
Her most expensive purchase 18 years ago would have been her plane tickets at ยฃ5,570.79 while her cheapest purchase would have been snowman cookies at ยฃ0.66.
Iris would be about ยฃ400 better off in 2006. Her total holiday costs would have come to ยฃ1,102.70.
Like Amanda, her travel out to LA would be her most expensive buy at ยฃ558.85 and her cheapest purchase would be her text to Jasper which would cost ยฃ0.17.
Talking about the findings, a spokesperson for JeffBet.com said, โIn The Holiday, both Amanda and Iris spend quite a lot in order to arrive at their respective destinations and far away from the men causing them heartache. Analysing the numbers shows Cameron Diazโs character has a taste for the finer things in life when we look at how she chooses to fly and her shop purchases.
โIn contrast, Kate Winsletโs Iris seems more conservative with how she spends money on herself – flying economy rather than business or first class, for example. But she doesnโt seem to mind spending her cash on others, like buying the first edition book for Jasper or paying for Milesโ sushi as he rushes off to see Maggie.โ
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