When Netflix advertises a new movie, they usually showcase the main stars, and the trailer provides you with a glimpse of what the story will be about.
Most people probably couldn’t wait to watch Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey go on a date (or maybe it was just me) and spend the holidays together.
I’ve become accustomed to original Netflix content; most of their movies are so hit or miss.
Holidate was a huge swing and miss for me. Yes, the main characters were worth watching, especially when Luke’s character Jackson blow his fingers off; just the story wasn’t enough.
We’ve all seen it played before. Two single people meet, agree to a date for a holiday, end up falling in love, end up falling out of love, only to end up together in the end. It’s lame, it’s boring, and it’s exhausted. Only those who look past it all can truly appreciate it. I’m a sucker for the same old boring rom-com, but the films I love usually have something special working for it. Holidate didn’t have any of those things, except the two leads.
A few laughs are to be had, mostly due to awkward situations the main characters find themselves in, but overall this isn’t as funny as you would have hoped.
It was easy for me to pick sides in the budding romance that erupts like a volcano, just like you would have expected it to from the get-go. I was on Jackson’s side from the very beginning because he is genuinely a great guy. Sloane (Roberts) has many flaws, and although they won’t make or break her character arc, she was easy to hate on. Her attitude is her biggest downfall, and the performance she gives at the end, in the middle of the mall, just didn’t fit her character. It drove me crazy that a movie that was alright throughout would sink so low for an epic finale.
Holidate came out right before Halloween, which means you’ve already seen it by now. If you haven’t, maybe my review will make you scroll past. Either way, I got nothing overly positive to say. Renter beware. 3/10
Ten Stars or Less 