London journalist Iris (Kate Winslet) can’t seem to fall out of love with a guy who is engaged to be married but intends to keep her hanging around as a second fiddle, so to speak. Los Angeles entrepreneur Amanda (Cameron Diaz) can’t seem to stay in love (she can’t cry, either). Troubled by their problems, the two meet on-line and decide to trade houses over the Christmas holiday. So Iris moves to Amanda’s sprawling Los Angeles mansion — what a revelation for her! — while Amanda flies to Iris’s cramped Surrey cottage. Both, of course, swear that they will have nothing to do with men. Both vows last for a relatively limited time, until they meet two really nice guys — Amanda encounters Iris’s brother Grahame (Jude Law) while Iris falls in with Miles, an American who scores sound tracks for movies (Jack Black). The outcome is predictable, but it’s nice to see it how it develops.

There’s an interesting subplot in which Iris meets a superannuated and windowered former film writer (Eli Wallach) and helps him regain his interest in life.

I generally like upbeat chick flics that have a happy ending, and this is one such. A few views of rural English village and country life only add to the pleasure of this film.