by Adam Thas & Alison Thas
Alison: Wading your way through the huge amount of these movies that come out every season can be a daunting task and finding which one to watch sometimes just takes something simple. For me, it was a podcast where one of the stars of EXmas, Michael Hitchcok, was a guest. Both Adam and myself were excited as the movie started. It opens with Ali, played by Leighton Meester, explaining via phone call that she has recently ended and an engagement to Graham and is upset she isn’t going to get to see her ex’s family for Christmas. We are then introduced to Graham (Robbie Amell), a game designer who is under the gun to get a new game out by Christmas. Knowing this, Graham tells his family he won’t be able attend Christmas, but at the last minute decides he is going to surprise them instead. When Graham arrives he is stunned to find out that his family has invited Ali to Christmas. What follows is Graham and Ali trying to gain the affection of their families.
As I stated previously, the beginning of the movie is hilarious. Graham’s character introduction and subsequent reactions to Ali being at Christmas were perfectly time and unfold perfectly. After a brilliant setup, the movie degenerates to both Ali and Graham being cruel to each other. Throughout the movie, the mystery of what eventually broke the two of them up lingers. With the cruelty they display to each other one could imagine that what broke them up was pretty significant. Once it is revealed, it just adds to the perception that Ali and Graham are being childish and mean. There are awkward moments where EXmas vacillates between being serious and a childish joke that make it hard to establish any type of tone. Fortunately, EXmas has enough humor in it to save it from being in the bottom of our list, but relies too much on childish shenanigans to being something I enjoyed.
Adam: This viewing experience started with eye rolling. During the opening sequences of the movie, we watch as one of our main characters (Ali) starts baking cookies. I’ve seen this dozens of times in these movies. In rom-coms in general, but particularly in the holiday versions, we see a lot of bakers fall in love. Must be something in the dough. I thought I had this one pegged until we are introduced to our other main character, Graham. After Graham is introduced, what follows is the funniest of all these holiday rom-com’s Alison and I have watched. Whether it’s through the actors, direction, or a combination of the two, just about every joke lands, and some that shouldn’t are delivered in a way that makes them work. When it is first revealed who has been invited to family Christmas, the actual situation isn’t nearly as funny as Graham’s reactions to it. Robbie Amell is great. Veronika Slowikowska, as Graham’s sister, is fantastic and I hope she finds more work. There are fun moments and scenes that I have not seen in any of these movies before.
Unfortunately, though, as hard as it tries not to, EXmas falls into the same problems that so many of these movies fall into, sacrificing common sense and relying on cheap plot devices to create drama. At its worst, one of our main characters, Ali, becomes completely unlikable. As Alison (my wife, not movie Ali) mentioned, Ali has been invited to Graham’s house for Christmas. Ali and Graham then make a bet and the loser needs to leave and never come back. What kind of sick person tries to throw someone out of their own family? I don’t care what that man did to you, that’s cold-blooded. It’s a plot device, though, because without it we don’t get 30 minutes of them trying to sabotage each other with goats and rumors of impotence.
Despite its many issues, I’m going to recommend this movie to pretty much anyone. If you’re reading this and you’re a fan of these holiday rom-coms, you’re going to like EXmas. Yes, I have beef with it, but in terms of overall quality there is enough to like that it’s in the top half of these movies. If you’re reading this and you are not a fan of movies in this genre, it’s a fascinating example of both the best and worst that these movies have to offer at the same time. It will confirm your biases on what there is not to like about these movies, while simultaneously showing what so many people love about the genre.
Adam’s List:
1) Holidate (2020, Netflix)
2) Love Hard (2021, Netflix)
3) Your Christmas or Mine (2022, Amazon)
4) Holiday Calendar (2018, Netflix)
5) Snowed Inn (2017, Hallmark)
6) The Princess Switch (2018, Netflix)
7) Falling for Christmas (2022, Netflix)
8) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, Netflix)
9) EXmas (2023, Amazon/Freevee)
10) Midnight at the Magnolia (2020, Netflix)
11) The Christmas Train (2017, Hallmark)
12) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)
13) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)
14) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)
15) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)
16) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)
17) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)
18) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)
19) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)
20) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)
21) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)
22) Best. Christmas. Ever. (2023, Netflix)
Alison’s List:
1) The Princess Switch (2018, Netflix)
2) Your Christmas or Mine (2022, Amazon)
3) Love Hard (2021, Netflix)
4) Holiday Calendar (2018, Netflix)
5) Falling for Christmas (2022, Netflix)
6) Holidate (2020, Netflix)
7) The Christmas Train (2017, Hallmark)
8) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, Netflix)
9) Midnight at the Magnolia (2020, Netflix)
10) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)
11) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)
12) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)
13) EXmas (2023, Amazon/Freevee)
14) Snowed Inn (2017, Hallmark)
15) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)
16) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)
17) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)
18) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)
19) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)
20) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)
21) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)
22) Best. Christmas. Ever. (2023, Netflix)
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