A Christmas Movie Christmas

Released: 2019

Stars: Lana McKissack, Kimberly Daugherty, Randy Wayne, Brandt Daugherty, and Ryan Merriman

Where to Watch: CBC Gem

Review Overview

Holiday score: 8

This movie tries to hit all the holiday notes at once, like a toddler at a piano, but it actually sounds pretty good.

Romance score: 5

Yes, this movie acknowledges that the romance in most holiday-rom-coms is formulaic, but does it try something new? No, no it does not.

Comedy score: 6

The first half of this movie pokes fun at all the classic holi-rom-com tropes and it's a lot of fun. But then it gives up and falls prey to exactly what it was making fun of.

The Full Review 

Today I am reviewing the movie A Christmas Movie Christmas. The name of this movie may be a confusing, but to us literary enthusiasts (yes, I’m talking about me. Quit giggling!), this name signals that we are in for a artistic treat. A Christmas Movie Christmas is a very meta name for a very meta movie. What is a meta movie, you ask? Well, it actually does mean something, contrary to what one holi-rom-com reviewer said in their review of the movie Christmas Cookies. A meta movie is a movie that is self-aware. It acknowledges that there is something behind the camera and there are people actually watching (well most movies have someone watching). It is a literary device found in the most artsy of movies.

What!?! A holi-rom-com that is also artsy? Who knew it was possible? Perhaps I have become so accustomed to romantic movies being just fluff, that I was a little unsure what to expect from this movie. Sure, other holiday movies have been meta, Hot Frosty references Mean Girls and Once Upon a Deadpool constantly breaks the 4th wall. But, are any holi-rom-coms truly artistic? Well, let me show you. In this review, I won't just give an overview of the movie then lose my train of thought and chase down some odd tangent that barely relates to the movie. Instead I’ll give an overview of the movie and intentionally go off on a tangent to prove that this holi-rom-coms cannot only be meta, but true art. Trust me on this one, it will be great (said the captain of the Titanic).

OK, let’s start with the obvious, A Christmas Movie Christmas is a meta movie because it’s a holi-rom-com about people who get trapped in a holi-rom-com. It stars the sisters Eve and Lacy. Eve is the sweet romantic who loves holi-rom-coms. Lacy is the cynical “playa” who doesn’t believe in love at all. Here we see the second literary device, juxtaposition. We have the sweet and charming Eve juxtaposed with the cynical and jaded Lacy. Opposites often allow a movie to explore different sides of a story or theme and this movie could have done that...but it doesn't. Instead it allows them to follow their own separate stories and misses a golden opportunity to play off the differences in the main characters. So, yes, the juxtaposition exists, but it goes nowhere. You know, that sounds pretty smart. Feel free to say to your friends when watching this movie.

On Christmas Eve, the sisters fall asleep watching a holi-rom-com (of course, who hasn’t done that?) only to wake up in their very own holi-rom-com. Eve is ecstatic. Lacy is worried about getting back in time for work (what, who cares about work!?!). Eve is able to convince Lacy to just go with it by explaining that the flow of time in a holi-rom-com works differently because of the orbit of the Earth in this dimension is affected by the flow of midichorlians…oh look, cookies! Anyway, Lacy does agree to let Eve live out her dream. Lacy's not happy about the whole thing, but she doesn’t go all Rambo and start trashing the town. Hey, now here’s a question, is Rambo a meta movie? No, no it is not. Easy answer, let’s move on.

The first half of this movie is totally meta and actually pretty fun. It tries to run through every holi-rom-com trope in a very short amount of time. This includes the town who loves Christmas a little too much (you know, the one where the mayor says 99% of their budget comes from tourists who come to the tree lighting), the handsome love interest who runs a local inn and is usually a single-father or war veteran (thank you for your service), the handsome love interest who owns a cookie shop (who might be gay), a grandma who lovingly looks after our main characters and provides wisdom and guidance (who is definitely gay), and a holiday festival that needs saving (have you asked Rambo for help? He’s good at saving things). This movie acknowledges that all of these things are standard holi-rom-com tropes and it’s fun watching the movie poke fun at them. Boom, totally meta and totally artsy.

Ok, what next. What other literary devices does this movie use to make it artsy? Metaphors? No, there is no hidden meaning behind Grandma’s terrible exterior decorating. Allusion? Well, kind of. The movie does reference almost every other holi-rom-com, but not in a specific way so it doesn’t count. Motif? Do you really think this movie has a repeated story element that reinforces a theme? Elf, please. Imagery? No. Allegory? Nu-uh. Irony? It’s ironic that I love holi-rom-coms, but trash them in my blog, but it’s a no for this movie. Simile? The Krampus says, “nein”. I could go on and on, but unfortunately this movie does not make use of any other any more literary devices.

I see someone with your hand up? You’ve seen this movie and you think this movie does use another literary device? Oh, you think this movie has examples of foreshadowing because you guessed what was going to happen before it actually happened? Well, I’m sorry, my wanna-be-artsy friend, but a movie that is so predicable that it practically writes out the storyline like subtitles for millennials is not the same as foreshadowing. Actual movies with real examples of foreshadowing include Romeo and Juliet and The Matrix. Yes, The Matrix has foreshadowing it and it actually makes use of metaphors, motif, allegory, and allusion. That's a lot more literary devices than any holi-rom-com I've watched. Now that you know, watch The Matrix again, you’ll see. You could even make it a holiday tradition, like me. I'm not weird, you're weird.

So holi-rom-coms aren’t that artsy after all, but then why do we still watch them? Are we broken people who need something wholesome and true? Are we boring people who like lame stories with boring characters? Are we sadistic people who like to inflict pain on ourselves by watching the same plot in a different movie? I say no! I say artsy movies are for people who need to find some deep meaning in their life and would rather watch the world burn than just enjoy the simple things. For the rest of us who have it all together, have no worries, and just feel peace and love all day long, there are holi-rom-coms.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a holi-rom-com that is artsy because it takes itself very seriously...you should probably look somewhere else.

If you are looking for a holi-rom-com that is artsy because it doesn't take itself seriously...then you should watch A Christmas Movie Christmas.