Watched: 12/07/2024
Format: Netflix
Viewing: First
Director: Stephen Herek
This is a movie with a great set-up, a terrific cast and mediocre execution. Also, I think I've just seen what Millennial comedy is again, and y'all need to stop explaining your jokes during the joke. And let people be the villain sometimes.
I'm not sure this movie needed the preamble of a scene from 10 years ago to work, but it has it. We find that our heroes - Lindsay Lohan and Ian Harding - grew up together and were young lovers. Tragedy struck as Lohan's mother died, causing Lohan to pursue her dream and leave for London, ie: bailing on Harding. Harding makes an ass of himself proposing to Lohan at her good-bye party, and she does not accept. 10 years later (now), Lohan and Harding are each going to spend Christmas with their current significant others. When they arrive, they discover, the significant others are siblings and they have to spend Christmas together.
Funny! That's awkward! And you can guess they'll wind up falling for each other again, so it's all right there. Of course, they keep their former relationship a secret so no jealousies bubble-up, and because secrets in movies are super important for them to work and a disaster in real life.
To add to the mix, Kristin Chenoweth plays the ultra-high-strung, image conscious mom of the family, who has it in for for Lohan for no reason, adores Harding for no reason, and who has very specific ideas about Christmas. Kind of funny?
The biggest problem with the movie is that it has so many characters, all of whom play a part and are the cogs in the clockwork of the movie, but it leaves people who should be involved and around on the sidelines consistently. And, *sigh* I just always feel like Lohan is an energy black hole when she's on screen, which leaves Harding to do all the comedic heavy lifting with Chenoweth. Which is a choice, because they did bring in Tim Meadows and Judy Reyes as family friends (and Reyes has one bit of business she does that was not the focus, and probably got one of the biggest laughs of the whole movies from me).
It's hard to say exactly why the movie doesn't feel better than what it is. Maybe it's too polite, or kind or something. Certainly to avoid conflicts, Harding's girlfriend is practically a cut-out that could have "girlfriend" written on her, and so obviously disposable, it's impossible to get why they're together or why they'd break up at the end. She just is. As is the dad. And a few other characters.
The movie wants to play nice so hard, I think it bends over backward to make sure that no one is a bad person - not even the cheating boyfriend. Or cheating dad. Or the would-be-Step-Mom-Monster. Which just deflates the stakes and conflict - partially because the movie projects the end at the beginning in almost every way. It ends up toothless and safe. Add in bland set-ups like "she ate THC gummies!" for a ten minute bit, and... man. It's some choppy waters as you cross this pond. Hint: We also all watched Ted Lasso. Maybe don't try to lightly rewrite an iconic scene?
Add in that it's not clear at all that Lohan and Harding are more than old high school chums through the movie - like, no interest in each other, so much so that I laughed when they said "I love you" at the end...
That said, Chris Parnell sliding in as Dr. Spaceman: Veterinarian was gold.
We put this on because I'd lost all energy to think about what else to watch after Texas football lost to Georgia in an overtime defeat, and I didn't care. And watching mid movies is what happens when you don't care.
I'm glad Lohan seems clean and is getting work, I guess. I've literally just never been her demographic or audience, and all I can think of is how the 00's-era internet kept trying to insist I should care about Lohan's private life, so I feel a vague sense of exhaustion when I see her.
No comments:
Post a Comment