From what I can gather, this is the last of the three-picture deal that star Lindsay Lohan made with Netflix. I think it could be argued that she's saved the best for last, whether coincidentally or on purpose. I think it could also be argued that Miss Lohan may well be interested in making some new deal with the streaming service, considering how well it seems to have worked for both parties.
This film starts with Avery (Lohan) and Logan (Ian Harding) going through a difficult patch in their relationship. It might be okay though, as long as someone doesn't attempt a very public and ill-judged proposal. Oh dear. We then move forward through the years, via a bizarre collage of pop culture moments that seem to remind you of other Netflix successes every so often. Avery and Logan haven't seen each other in a long time. Avery is now in a relationship with Cameron (Jon Rudnitsky), and Logan is in a relationship with Cassie (Katie Baker). Cameron and Cassie are brother and sister, which makes things very awkward when both couples arrive at the family home they're visiting for Christmas. Hoping to avoid any unnecessary drama, Avery and Logan agree to keep their shared history secret. Logan even agrees to help Avery win over the matriarch of the house (Erica, played by Kristin Chenoweth). Unfortunately, circumstances seem to conspire against that happening.
If I listed the first few films from director Stephen Herek then you might be surprised to find him at the helm of this. Writer Hailey DeDominicis, on the other hand, only has this one credit to her name, so far. But the main thing is that both seem to work well together, with DeDominicis writing a fun bit of fluff that Herek treats well. There are a number of decent set-pieces, a few decent attempts to surprise viewers on the way to the predictable ending, and a great cast all doing their bit to help things move along nicely.
Lohan still feels as if she is finding her feet as an actress returning to leading roles, but this allows her to get that little bit closer to the likeable presence she conveyed throughout her biggest hits. She's helped enormously by the fact that she's paired up with Harding, who does a fantastic job of being quite funny and appealing without being as painfully bland as male leads in this kind of film so often are. Rudnitsky and Baker do fine, both playing the characters that viewers know must be somehow pushed out of the way before the whole thing ends, Jake Brennan is fun as the third sibling who hopes to profit from the whole situation, and there's time for some fun with the likes of Dan Bucatinsky, Tim Meadows, Judy Reyes, Chris Parnell, and Henry Czerny. Chenoweth is the other main star player though, given a lot of screentime and plenty of opportunity to revel in her ability to strike fear into the hearts of those who don't do things the way that she likes them done. She's a suitably tricky problem for Lohan to try and work around, and the difficulty of staying on her good side helps Lohan and Harding to reconnect as they work together on their secret plan.
The strange opening credit sequence aside, this generally works better than many other Christmas rom-coms I have watched this year. A lot of that is to do with the cast, particularly Lohan and Harding making such a good pairing to root for, but it's also the screenplay and direction. It avoids feeling too cheap, often getting very close to looking and feeling like *gasp* a proper movie at times, and fans of the main cast members should find plenty to keep them entertained. It's not a "proper" movie though, not really, and there are still moments interspersed throughout the runtime that serve as a strong reminder of that.
6/10
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