The “holiday” in the title of this Kristin Davis vehicle refers more to a vacation than to Christmas — the Yule action takes up so little time that it feels as if it were tacked on at the last second to justify the timing of the film’s release.

Within the first 10 minutes, Davis’s Kate packs her son off to college and gets dumped by her husband. No problem: The couple’s trip to Zambia, which she had booked as a second honeymoon, just became a solo adventure. Although the nominal love interest is Derek, a laid-back bush pilot played by Rob Lowe (who gets shirtless, so there is that), Kate’s life-changing encounter is with an orphaned elephant, which prompts her to volunteer at a local sanctuary — good thing she’s a vet!

Reflecting Davis’s interest in elephant conservation, “Holiday in the Wild” has its heart in the right place. It should also get credit for acknowledging that, when it comes to the holidays, a big world exists outside of the United States and fantasy kingdoms . But it’s hard to overlook the slow pace and unrelenting barrage of clichés, from the ever-smiling, good-natured Zambians to the portrayal of New York as a haven for neurotic people and pets. (So maybe this last bit is not entirely untrue.)

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 26 minutes.