Category: The Holiday

GRAHAM, NINE

The story misdirects us on Graham’s character. He appears to be a drunken playboy. Later we learn that he’s a widower father of two young girls. He’s a serious person who lets loose when he can, which isn’t often.

He openly admits to being a weeper. He guards information about his daughters because he’s a good father, but any other personal revelations are fair game. He’s not afraid of what he feels. Like his sister Iris, Graham seems to be a Heart Type.

Or is he?

We can’t have him be another Two, like his sister; that would be bad writing. He’s not snarky enough to be a Four. I can’t see Graham as a Three. Although he’s successful, he doesn’t have that Three glow.

Graham is a Nine. He’s a caretaker. (He probably rescued small, injured animals when he was a child, lol.) Amanda’s Four personality reveals Graham’s Nine. Her insecurities are a framework Graham understands. He’s pretty sure he knows how to be in love with her. Because this is a romcom, Graham’s certainty becomes upended in the story’s Five, but the Eight and Nine prove he was right all along. A happy resolution is welcome — upbeat Christmas story is a good choice — but it also feels believable because the Character Enneagrams are well done.

Like Graham, may we all embrace our inner Mr. Napkinhead at this holiday season, bringing joy to family and friends.

AMANDA, FOUR

This is a very organized, competent, and stressed person. Her professionalism keeps her from relaxing. 

Here’s an interesting experiment: Take Cameron Diaz with her beauty and charisma away from Amanda. We’re left with a workaholic. She has a lovely home and a successful business, but no personal life. She doesn’t see herself as romantically attractive and she has constant panic attacks. Actress glamour is doing a lot of heavy lifting to round out this character. On paper Amanda is one step away from being an unlikable heroine.

Possibilities for her Enneagram number include a Four (for the swings in her emotions), a One (for her rigidity about the rules of her career), or a Six (for an inability to find the gray tones in life). Because Amanda annoys me, I suspect she’s a Four. (Personally, it can be a difficult number for me to understand.) Also, she’s just not funny enough to be a One or Six.

A Four also makes sense for Amanda’s crisis: she can’t cry. And we can see at the beginning that she doesn’t really know how to be happy. A Four — someone who feels and knows the full spectrum of emotions — shouldn’t be blocked at either end. She’s living in the middle of the bell curve, a place for a One or a Six but not a Four. Amanda’s lack points us to her Enneagram number.

MILES, SEVEN

The story requires that Miles have a broken heart. It’s how he and Iris bond. He’s such a cheerful person, though, that it’s disconcerting to see him feel sad. His spontaneous personality — singing loudly in the video store, offering Christmas fettucine — seems impervious to depression.

Miles finds so much joy in his daily life that I want to call him a Seven. His songwriting and film scoring work bring him pleasure. Being tossed into the middle of Arthur’s dinner party brings him relaxation. Although his girlfriend cruelly dumps him, he finds a way to move past her without lingering or wallowing. Life is too exciting for Miles. He won’t be bogged down by sorrow.

It’s hard to separate Miles from Jack Black. The actor’s real life personality infuses any character he portrays. Dewey Finn from School of Rock is also impulsive and bold. Miles is a dependable adult unlike Dewey (lol), but they share an authenticity. What you see is what you get. Black’s style meshes well with Miles’ happy Seven qualities. 

He also meshes well with Iris’ Two. She doesn’t need more drama in her life, and Miles is low maintenance. He’s easy to love: expecting nothing and welcoming everything.

IRIS, TWO

The Holiday has become a Christmas staple over the past 20 (!) years. Wow, has it really been that long? Well, then, it’s certainly worthy of a look at its Character Enneagrams.

When you first meet Iris, our English rose, do you like her? On the one hand, she has a generous and vulnerable heart. On the other, she’s seduced by an obvious and repugnant con artist. She wins us all over, though, when she gets to Los Angeles and takes such pleasure in her vacation.

Unlike Amanda, whose problem is herself, Iris’ problem can be left behind in England. She forms relationships with people — Arthur and Miles — who aren’t toxic. Her routine at home was a prison. Here she’s free. Iris, named after a flower that emerges at the end of winter, blooms in warm California.

This is a Heart Type. Iris is a Two. Her caring nature leads her to overextend her sympathy for Jasper, the cad. The sweetest personality in the Enneagram, a Two, can be manipulated by vultures, and Iris is a textbook case. Jasper expects (and demands) that Iris take care of him. It’s exhausting for her; she’s depleted by their relationship. Arthur, the elderly neighbor, is the opposite. He’s a bit grumpy about any caretaking, but he accepts Iris’ help. Her easy persuading is understood and appreciated.

We’re so happy to see Iris rewarded with the people she meets. She deserves to find true friends and love.