Let's be honest - the rom-com formula has been done to the extreme.
No matter how hard writers try to find a unique angle - the formula remains pretty much the same.
This movie rides that line of finding a new approach like - exes being forced to spend Christmas together with family.
Rather than being a heartwarming reunion, the family makes the son feel less welcome than the nasty ex-fiance.
There is a bet between the two exes on who will get to stay with the family for Christmas, REALLY?
I guess they figured they had Robbie Amell as the shiny sparkly wrapping that none of the characters needed to have any substance underneath.
In spite of the above, it does have a few entertaining moments.
I give it a solid 6 stars, do with that what you will.
Plot summary
When Graham decides to surprise his family by traveling home for Christmas, he is shocked to discover them already celebrating with an unexpected guest of honor, his ex-fiancée, Ali. The two exes battle it out to see who the family will pick to stay through Christmas Day and who must go.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
November 21, 2023 at 04:24 PM
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Top cast
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All Wrapping and No Gift
Narcissist's Fantasy
A pair of cloying idiots invites their son's ex-fiancee to spend Christmas with them because they're selfish grandkid-starved busybodies. Said ex-fiancee accepts because she's a delusional narcissistic psychopath. (I didn't know narcissists celebrated Christmas as their own birthdays are more important to them than those of anyone else, including Jesus, but whatever.)
To the target audience for this vapid farce I would say: no, borderline personality disorder woman who's lonely at the holidays, in reality your ex's family does not think you're so awesome that they'd rather hang out with you than him. And no, he does not want you back. In fact they're all so relieved you're out of his life for good that they'd rather let you keep the ring than ever contact you to try to get it back.
Obviously this is supposed to be a goofy romcom and not taken seriously, but the setup is so distasteful and the characters are so unappealing that it goes down about as well as rancid eggnog.
Not great
I wanted to like this, cause it kept coming up on Freevee to watch but no one in this thing is even remotely likeable. I hated them all. They are just all yucky people.
What kind of family likes their son's ex who left him better than him? And why would they treat him so badly and her so good?
The attraction between the leads was not there. They were so awful to each other and just in general that it made no sense for them to want to get together.
I guess it was ok for what it was, but maybe I just prefer older movies that are actually good. But this one is not good, not even sort of good. It's just not.