2020 Netflix Christmas Movie Review

Written by: Leela H.

Edited by: Happy J.

Although the fairy lights have been faithfully shining in Manila since September, all around the world it is officially that time of year again folks. That time when families reunite, the only song playing in department stores is All I want for Christmas is You, and Netflix has officially released all of their 2020 Christmas movies. Luckily for you, I have bravely stared into the face of several Netflix Christmas originals of 2020, so that you can have the optimal festive movie screening this season.

1. The Holidate

The Holidate is a perfect option for those of you who love the concept of friends with benefits without the unwholesome aspect of friends with benefits. In this movie, the main character Sloane, who is played by Emma Roberts, is plagued with ridicule from her family for being alone over the holidays after her brutal breakup with her ex-boyfriend Luc several months ago. Thankfully, while returning a pair of cartoonishly misfitting Christmas clothes she has a meet-cute, with a funny, handsome, and single Australian guy who is in need of someone to laugh at his jokes for a Christmas party and a place to stay during the Holidays in America. They agree to be each other’s dates for the Holidays, and over the course of a year, we see them fall more in love after each holiday. The story is anything but original and will fit in neatly right alongside other Hallmark Rom-Coms. Thankfully, there is one saving grace to the movie for those of you who are less inclined to watch the same old cookie-cutter Netflix show, and that is the surprise romance between Kristen Chenoweth’s character and Faaroq. Chenoweth stars as the promiscuous aunt who initially serves as a warning to all the single gals out there of what might happen lest they not find a man, while Faaroq is the handsome, rich Indian doctor across the street who loves kids, America, and Easter (despite not being Christian). Although cliche to the core, there were some great performances from Emma Roberts and Kristen Chenoweth, and I would recommend The Holidate to anyone who could stomach more than an hour of painfully awkward false conflicts.

7/10 on the Christmisometer

1. The Princess Switch: Switched Again

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Despite my immense dislike of the original Princess Switch, quite honestly this movie was not that much worse. That’s saying something when considering the other sequels to Netflix Originals Christmas movies. In this iteration there turns out to be a third Vanessa Hudgens doppelganger, and this is used by the Princess to set up the other two with their Christmas loves. This movie will most likely be painful to watch for anyone over the age of 10. The acting isn’t great and the plot seems more than a little forced at times, but for what it is I’d have to say it was a success.

5/10 on the Christmisometer

1. The Christmas Drop

The Christmas Drop is probably the movie that fits most into the Hallmark category of Christmas rom-coms. It follows the story of an actual US air force initiative to provide gifts and aid to Pacific Islanders in isolated US territories like Guam, based in the Pacific during Christmas. In the movie, Christmas loving, all American hero Captain Andrew Jantz meets with Erica, who has been sent by a nefarious congresswoman to find ways to eliminate costs with Operation Christmas Drop. However, while spending time on the island bringing joy to the less fortunate, falling in love with the anti-Grinch, and having her black, she gets a Christian savior moment when she realizes the magic of Christmas and does her best to avoid cutting the budget so she can help the poor little brown girls of Guam. Despite the overused city girl falling in love with a country boy, who realizes the magic of Christmas trope, I have to say I feel it is more than a little uncomfortable to see the way the movie treats the Native characters. The seemingly pro-colonization, pro-missionary stance the movie seems to take makes it difficult to watch for anyone sympathetic to or from a formerly colonized country. It is for those reasons that this movie comes off as poorly filmed propaganda, and why I would not recommend, and in fact, strongly discourage others from viewing it.

-1/ 10 on the Christmasometer

1. Jingle Jangle

Because what we needed more than anything in 2020 was a Netflix Original movie for children that shared the name of the illegal drug in the Netflix adaptation of Archie Comics, Riverdale. In all seriousness, this was a really sweet kids movie, but it will probably bore anyone old enough to have seen Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. The cast is diverse, the message lies somewhere in between pro-capitalist and pro-communist ideology, and the only truly coherent theme is that copyright laws are important (especially when tied to toys that contain Christmas magic).

5/10 on the Christmasometer

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Taylor, Melissa. “What's Coming to Netflix for Christmas 2020.” What's on Netflix, 28 Nov. 2020,

www.whats-on-netflix.com/coming-soon/whats-coming-to-netflix-for-christmas-2020/.

NETFLIX. 20 Dec. 2020, www.netflix.com