Adam and Alison Watch Christmas Movies: MEET ME NEXT CHRISTMAS

 by Adam Thas & Alison Thas

Back for the 2024 Holiday Season!

Adam: We are barely into November and Netflix is dropping Christmas movies daily, so we decided to get in on the action with 2024’s Meet Me Next Christmas. Let’s talk about screenplays real quick. In a basic screenplay, your main character goes through a life-changing event that alters their normal world. You then give them an objective and place hurdles in front of them on their way to the objective. It’s a formula that has worked for a hundreds of years, and Meet Me Next Christmas is no different. Within the first few minutes, Layla (Christina Milian) has her life change and needs to obtain a Pentatonix ticket. Along the way she meets interesting characters that aid her in her journey. Some of these characters work (like the cousin who performs in drag) and some of them fall flat (the rich socialite couple), but the movie mixes enough of it in that it’s entertaining. When following this simple screenplay format, Meet Me Next Christmas was on a fine trajectory, but then they add the “twist.” I put “twist” in quotations because it really is a twist you see coming from several miles away; however, I think we should add some points for creativity and veering off the normal path of so many of these movies. 

I do wish I had a nothing but positive things to say, though. Most of my issues besides some characters or jokes that don’t land have to do with the Pentatonix. For clarity, I think the Pentatonix themselves were great and were able to poke fun at themselves for laughs that were among the best in the movie. It feels like in the original draft there was no band and that the ticket was an item to drive the plot forward because the entire Pentatonix storyline feels jammed in. In the movie, the Pentatonix follow the drama of Layla and the pursuit of her ticket through a series of text messages apparently sent to them by Teddy (Devale Ellis).  While it works as a way to get the band involved with the plot, it is forced to the point of absurdity.

Normally I would put Meet Me Next Christmas in the “fine” category but I’m attempting to update my lingo so we will just call it “mid.” If you like these type of holiday rom-coms, you’ll like this one.  There is dancing, Christmas music, great decorations, a nice performance by Pentatonix, and a plot that is more unique than most of the other movies in the genre.

Alison: For the first movie of the season, this wasn’t a bad way to start. The movie exudes holiday charm, thanks in part due to the many Pentatonix Christmas songs sprinkled throughout the film. The two main characters, Layla and Teddy, are likable from the jump. Their motivations and actions are easy to understand, which isn’t always the case. As the movie went on, I found myself looking forward to scenes with the secondary characters, such as Teddy’s cousin or the Pentatonix, and growing less interested in Layla and Teddy’s storyline. Like most holiday movies, the plot hits the traditional beats with a twist or two thrown in for good measure.  Layla is so focused on getting the Pentatonix concert tickets that she inevitably puts herself and Teddy into some undesirable situations. Teddy, driven to get a good review so that he isn’t fired, allows himself to go along on these crazy escapades. As each mishap occurs, we viewers are supposed to see just how sincere and kind these two are as well as why the two of them would make the perfect couple. I think this predictability weighed the movie down, causing it to drag at times.  We all know where the movie is heading and we all have a pretty good idea of what the eventual resolution will be. The only thing missing is how those pieces are going to move into place and the extra scenes in the second act of the movie do nothing to develop or flush out the third act. While this movie lacks some zip, it is enjoyable and would be a great movie to be on while wrapping presents or addressing holiday cards.

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) Holiday in the Vineyard (2023, Netflix)

13) Meet Me Next Christmas (2024, Netflix

14) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)

15) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)

16) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)

17) A Christmas Vintage (2023, Amazon)

18) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)

19) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)

20) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)

21) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)

22) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)

23) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)

24)  A Perfect Christmas Pairing (2023, Amazon)

25) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)

26) 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) Holiday in the Vineyards (2023, Netflix)

10) Meet Me Next Christmas (2024, Netflix)

11) Midnight at the Magnolia (2020, Netflix)

12) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)

13) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)

14) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)

15) EXmas (2023, Amazon/Freevee)

16) Snowed Inn (2017, Hallmark)

17) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)

18) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)

19) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)

20) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)

21) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)

22) A Christmas Vintage (2023, Amazon)

23) A Perfect Christmas Pairing (2023, Amazon)

24) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)

25) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)

26) Best. Christmas. Ever. (2023, Netflix)