Holiday movies ONLY all December, right?! Do you like the cheesiness and spirit of them all, or do you stick to your regularly scheduled list of shows and movies? Just in case - here is the rundown of holiday movies to watch (or not watch) this festive season.
Falling For Christmas - Netflix. Starting off strong with queen Lindsay Lohan's (don't call it a...) comeback. First thought is she looks amazing. For this kick off to the season, my book club held a watch party with pizza, snacks, and plenty of wine. We chatted throughout the movie and tried to predict all of the plot points which is easy to do with "Hallmark-y" type movies. As all Hallmark-y movies are, it was family friendly, very predictable, but ultimately leaves you with warm, fuzzy feelings. Pretty typically plot line, the main characters are two familiar faces, and there were a couple of laugh-out-loud cheesy lines. Worth it to watch for the nostalgia of Lindsay's acting alone if you grew up with Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Get A Clue.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey's version) - HBO Max. Do I even need to give an explanation? It's a 10 out of 10, always. I typically reserve this classic for closer to Christmas, but my sister was in town for Thanksgiving and won't be able to make it back before the new year, so we got our Christmas tree and watched as a family the weekend after Thanksgiving. They are realistically the only people I could watch it with anyway, because I basically recite every line with the actors because it's one of my all-time favorites. Jim Carrey really embodies the character and in my opinion, set the standard for the Grinch for all versions to come. A must watch this holiday season.
Christmas With You - Netflix. First thought is the assistant's outfits are a 10/10. Aimee Garcia and Sarah Michelle Gellar's husband, Freddie Prinze Jr., star in this Hallmark-y love story between a pop star and a middle school music teacher. Similar plot line to J.Lo's 2022 movie, Marry Me, with a much lower budget. The singing of course, is... not great, and the sassy grandmother steals the show, as per the Hallmark genre, but I will say on the "cringe scale" it's not too bad (except one dance scene at the end - you'll know it when you see it). I watched this alone on a sick day with a cup of hot chocolate and just a dash of Disaronno. Left me wanted a little more, but not bad to have on while doing some laundry or holiday gift browsing.
I'll Be Home for Christmas - Disney Plus. This was a must watch for me as a kid. I grew up watching 7th Heaven and Home Improvement so if JTT and/or Jessica Biel were involved, then I needed no further convincing. Luckily, unlike too many movies from the 80s and 90s, this one holds up! No "Baby, It's Cold Outside" vibes here! Ally the main lead is ready to knock out anyone trying to pull any misogynistic moves with her. Full of funny and romantic hijinks, this unique tale tells the story of Jake trying to get home for Christmas with everything in his path trying to stop him. Cute, family friendly, and funny.
Holidate - Netflix. This only came out in 2020 but has quickly become a staple for me - probably because I'm about to turn thirty and still single around the holidays like the protagonist. YIKES. Emma Roberts gives us what I refer to as a "Hallmark-y PLUS" movie. It's a romantic comedy that is still majorly predictable with a not-super-unique storyline... but they can curse and drink and have sex. It's the best! Kristin Chenoweth makes an appearance as well, who is always a delight. Emma Roberts did a similar movie, not Christmas themed, called Little Italy (Amazon Prime) in 2018 that was also very cute. If you liked Mary-Kate and Ashley movies growing up - these are sort of the grown up versions of those.
A Christmas Mystery (2022) - HBO Max. I wanted this to be good, because you know we are all still in our true-crime-girly-era. It has a different storyline than most Christmas movies which I appreciated, but this is one just for the kids. Had a little bit of a Dora the Explorer style script - "Where are the Christmas cookies?" and then they all look around and finally point and go "there they are!" Not making my list of movies to watch each year.
Arthur Christmas - Netflix. Animated flick, with yet again a new take on Christmas and how Santa delivers all of his gifts. To be honest, it was a little mean at the beginning. All the generations of Santa's are fighting about the best way to deliver toys, it's got a little drama to it. Ending could have been better too, it's like they ran out of graphics. Overall it's cute and made me laugh. It's okay to add to the list if you've been through all the other ones, but not going on the annual list for me.
Snow Day (2000) - Prime. For any 90s kid, this was an important movie. It was made by Nickelodeon. Josh from Drake and Josh, Zena from Max Keebles Big Move, Chevy Chase, Emmanuelle Chriqui, no further explanation. It really did capture the feelings of what a snow day away from school could feel like. The story circles around two siblings, one trying to get a second snow day by taking down the snow plow man, and the other trying to win his dream girl. As an adult - good lord does it have "You" vibes. Real hard core cringy teen romance/stalker vibes coming off the boy. Definitely a lot of plot holes that you'll need to look past as an adult. Roland Schitt plays the snow plow man for all my Schitt's Creek fans out there though. Nice for older kids, cute for you for some nostalgia, and a laugh at how creepy the script is haha.
I Believe in Santa - Netflix. Forgettable. Very Hallmark-y. Both of the main actors have big doe eyes that seem like they never blink and stare at you too intensely. (Sorry, I'm about two glasses of wine deep on this review.)
Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery - Netflix. These really crack me up. If you didn't watch the original series on Netflix called "Murderville", I highly recommend. It's a murder mystery show where every episode you have to guess who the murderer is, but the twist is that one of the main actors has no script and has to improv their way through the scene. They break character, they freak out, they do weird things - it's amazing. Maya Rudolph and Jason Bateman star in the Christmas special and they really are great actors, they broke a few times, but the times they did not took really training. Funny, quick, worth it.
Love Hard - Netflix. I do really like this one. This is another sort of Hallmark-y movie with a bigger budget. Classic rom-com that you can definitely see coming once the story gets going, but in a fun, modern, cute way. Funny, high-spirited. I'm a fan.
Single All the Way - Netflix. Freakin' adorable. I love this. The family needs to go to therapy to learn about meddling and boundaries, but a very cute rom-com. <3 Fun cast: Jennifer Coolidge as the crazy, fun aunt. Kathy Najimi as the mom of all moms. One of the love interests is the love interest from "Bros" that came out a few months ago. At the beginning they almost go with the trope of "My family wants me to be in a relationship, please pretend to be my boyfriend" but they don't and I appreciated that. Set it up for a second one too honestly. I want to know more about Emmett and the plant shop and the book sequel and if the mom every learns the right acronym for LGBTQ!
Full-Court Miracle - Disney Plus. As a Catholic child growing up with other Catholic children, this movie low-key explained Hannukah to me. And again, starring Max from Max Keeble's Big Move so it was a must back in the day.
I'll update as the month goes on. Keep this page bookmarked, or follow me on Instagram for updates on my story! Any movies you think I'm missing? Let me know!
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