My Dad's Christmas Date (2020) User Reviews

Jeremy Piven

[jespor · 6/10 · 12 November 2020]

The movie itself is bang average. But Jeremy Piven is really good in it!

This is not a Christmas movie or a Rom-Com!

[jagfannn · 6/10 · 9 November 2020]

This movie has some really funny parts, Jeremy Piven is funny and has good chemistry with his daughter played by Olivia-Mai Barrett, it's both strained and loving at the same time (which couldn't be more real). If however, due to the title, you begin watching it expecting a Christmas movie or Rom-Com (as I did), you're very likely to be disappointed. This is a Drama/Comedy, so if you're in the Christmas movie mood this isn't the one, perhaps that's why it's rating has dropped lower than what is deserves, for what it is. It's worth watching when you''re in the mood for a funny Drama.

Just no

[joelle-jeremie · 4/10 · 25 November 2021]

Man,... this was so boring. I tried watching this last year when it came out but never got passed the first 10 minutes. Now I remember why. The editing and soundtrack were so badly done it made it completely distracting and painful to watch. Thiswasn't even good enough to be cheesy, it was just not good. The 4 stars are for the actors and the beautiful backdrop that York provided for this movie. Save yourself the time and watch anything else instead.

Dad and daughter deal with mom's absence.

[TxMike · 30 January 2021]

Going into this viewing I sort of expected a Hallmark type of story, light and breezy where single man and single woman meet. But it is far from that, it is an examination of the difficulty overcoming a sudden loss.

Jeremy Piven is dad, David, an American working in York, England as an attorney. His daughter is high school student Olivia-Mai Barrett as Jules. They have a good father-daughter relationship but since losing mom two years earlier in an auto accident each of them has difficulty adjusting to life without her.

Jules is not doing so well in school, there is some tension in the household, but she still has a soft spot for dad's loneliness and in a misguided attempt to fix him up for Christmas establishes several "dating" accounts for him. Then she picks a boyfriend who she later finds cheats on everyone.

Some of the scenes are difficult because of the friction between dad and daughter but overall it is a good story of how they work to come to grips with life after mom. A worthwhile 90-minute movie.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library. We visited York, the walled city, some years back and it brought back good memories to see scenes there.

No Comedy or Christmas

[CraeMo · 1/10 · 16 December 2021]

The description makes this appear like a romcom but it was all over the place and not a Christmas movie at all. It started with some wit from the characters and then the movie added so many subplots that I think they forgot the direction. The title and description is her finding her dad a date but the actual dating process maybe was 1/4 of the movie. The rest of the movie turned into a drama and the actions of the characters didn't flow from how they were first presented. I had to just fast forward to see if he ever got a date and because I had already watched too much to turn off. If you want to repeatedly say "wait, what?" for an hour and a half then this movie is for you.

You got to love York...

[toddsgraham · 7/10 · 26 November 2020]

I must say, I really enjoyed this film. It had a lot of things going for it. The story and script were strong. I had a bit of an emotional roller-coaster with this one. The first 30 minutes or so were quite funny. I found myself laughing out loud several times (e.g., when the daughter was setting on the online dating profiles for her dad; the Aunt's Christmas party; the dates the unknowing father went on). The dialogue between the father (played by Jeremy Piven) and the daughter (played by Olivia-Mai Barrett) was witty and insightful into the father-daughter relationship, I thought. The character development of David and Jules was also pretty good for a Christmas film. The acting was great. Piven had a good performance, quite believable in his role as a father. Barrett was very good too. I have never seen her on-screen before; she impressed me with her performance here. The dialogue and relationship between the two worked on screen, well, it did for me, at least. The supporting cast performed well. The music was very good; some great music selection in this film. The scenery, props and sets were well done. You got to love York at Christmas. It is such a cozy and pretty city, a nice filming location. Overall, this Christmas film is a great. I highly recommend it.

Merry Nothing

[laragi · 3/10 · 24 November 2021]

First it was boring, then it became long and boring. After that an hour of sap. The ending was ridiculously soapy and again, boring.

Why can't someone make a decent holiday film?

I wanted to rate this higher, but...

[kathi-22236 · 7/10 · 25 November 2021]

The movie was just so uneven. I really wish I could've given it a 10, just based on how many tears I shed. But there were some real continuity issues despite the great production values, some excellent performances, and sweet storyline. And the song track was really irritating.

That said, I loved the overall story, the main characters were endearing and well-done, and I did cry a lot toward the end (in a good way).

Definitely worth one's time to watch.

Not a Comedy... Wandering Plot

[sara-216 · 3/10 · 29 November 2021]

Like other reviewers, I thought this would be a frothy holiday rom-com. It's really, really not. I can't even really say it's a "heartwarming father-daughter" story because it lacks any sort of chemistry between the father and daughter characters. It starts out sort of comedy-ish, but then takes all these unearned turns of plot that simply don't have any basis, reason, or compel me (the viewer) to care. The performances were...okaaaayyy... but ultimately felt contrived. Bottom line: this film doesn't really know what it wants to be. Script should have been workshopped more before filming.

Could have been better with a matching soundtrack

[StarbucksBatman · 6/10 · 8 November 2020]

There's huge potential in Jeremy Piven, anyone can see that after watching Entourage. The story and the directing was OK, the acting was excellent, but the atmosphere was totally ruined by the poor selection of soundtrack. The songs should have supported the acting but they simply didn't match the scenes and the feelings, at all.

Worst movie I have seen in a long time!

[adansantos · 1/10 · 17 January 2021]

So bad, it merits one of my very few reviews.

First of all, there's barely explanation for the actions and behaviours of the characters. Things just 'happen, and you're left wondering if you somehow missed 5 minutes of the film, but no, it's just a really bad script and awful directing.

I am not British, but I lived there a long time, and the girls accent, doesn't sound quite right.

I couldn't finish the film, as one of the last scenes is beyond cringeworthy, and had to turn it off.

Awful. The good reviews must have been paid for, as usual.

A sweet Christmas movie

[reillyloretta · 8/10 · 8 November 2020]

I enjoyed watching this movie, it has an interesting story line and the acting is excellent. I wish the movie was longer, I think they could have added more scenes to add depth to story. This is the perfect movie to put you in a holiday mood and it is fun watch over again.

Not a Christmas Movie

[jrbusiness-64499 · 6/10 · 9 November 2020]

I had hoped for a good new christmas movie but this wasn't it. Yeah I enjoyed it for what it was. I liked the acting and the story between the father and daughter that also had some funny parts in it, but I'd say it was more of a drama than anything else.

Terrible across the board

[barrie-english · 1/10 · 7 December 2020]

It's seems no budget was left after spending most of it on Jeremy Piven and Joely Richardson, both of whom are not money well spent. I watched this for Jeremy Piven thinking it would be a nice Christmas movie with a Quirky lead performance Piven. None of which materialised. Piven looks awkward in all his acting and his comedy is forced. As for Richardson. Why they didn't hire a Yorkshire actress, I dont know. Her accent evolves from generic northern to a mix of a debatable Scottish and Irish. She never nails it and her character is pointless. The script is terrible. Trying to be a comedy but failing so the director tries to inject the comedy into the physical acting which doesn't work either. The actors struggle with the dialogue constantly. The cinematography is terrible with endless drone shots of York and cheap soap style shots. The music and score is terrible. None of it lends itself to the film and is ultimately misplaced. The story is terrible. No set up of the dad and daughters previously life and nothing really happens. The casting is terrible. Everyone is miscast. Why they didn't just hire Yorkshire actors to give it even a sprinkling of realism. An American dad, an London daughter, a don't know what friend (Joely), and a plethora of upper class characters all seriously out of place in the story. Oh and the art direction and sets are terrible. Nothing works. The actress playing the daughter is probably the only ember in the fire which will probably go on to ignite and do good things. She's a good actress but that's it. I couldn't wait for it to end. York looks lovely though.

A great family film for Christmas time!

[roger_2020 · 6 November 2020]

This film definitely deserves higher marks, I don't know why anyone would give it a 1??? I was going to give it a 9, but decided on a 10 because My Dad's Christmas Date was that good.It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It's one of the best xmas movies I have ever watched. The acting is also wonderful the actors are nice and sweet. if you love xmas then you must watch My Dad's Christmas Date

One Star because they won't allow none

[colinmardell · 1/10 · 13 December 2020]

Truly dreadful. No doubt the cast will be doing their best to ensure that it doesn't appear on their resume. Insulting portayal of British people.

No spoilers because it is not possible to spoil this movie.

Emotional drama masquerading as a Christmas Movie!

[ukxenafan1 · 7/10 · 5 December 2020]

This popped up on my Amazon video time line and a damp Saturday afternoon in December seemed like a good time for a fun Christmas film. However don't be fooled, this is much more like Ricky Gervais show After Life. It is more about how a father and daughter struggle in the aftermath of the death of the mother. There are some funny moments but this is really a quite painful look at grief. However, York is pretty and the leads are good. Less convincing from the supporting cast at times - Joely Richardson's accent is distracting and the daughter's best friend and other school pals are not great actors. Not very warm and fuzzy but an ok film

NOT a Christmas movie!

[askglenna · 1/10 · 8 December 2021]

Boring, not a Christmas movie, boring, not funny, painful to watch, and did I mention...boring. I can't be bothered to leave more details. I only watched it to start the Christmas season with my daughter - ack! I will not leave our next movie to chance...time to do some research!

Let's Make A Date - Good, but Not Outstanding

[ninjaalexs · 7/10 · 22 December 2021]

I recently saw this on Amazon Prime. I'm not sure what attracted me to it, but it is much better than I expected.

Underrated actor, Jeremy Piven (David) plays a fairly stereotypical, joke cracking American Dad living in York, England. For the unitiated York is a Roman City with stunning architecture in the North of England. He has a teenage daughter, Jules (played by Olivia-Mai Barrett) who is a bratty 16-year-old teenager into typical things like boys, backchatting and choir singing! David is a widow trying to come to terms with his wife's death and Jules' grades are suffering as a result. Jules has the bright idea of setting him up on a series of dates after making an honest online profile on dating websites.

What surprised me most is this film wasn't light-hearted Christmas bants and fairytale romance. It is quite tragic and emotional in places. Also, for anyone expecting something family friendly there is some swearing (no F words) and some sexual references which aren't suitable for younger children.

The film is carried by believable performances from Piven and Olivia-Mai Barrett. Well known British face, Joely Richardson is also good as David's best friend, Sarah. It starts off a bit slow and annoying, but stick with it. All in all this is an enjoyable, but not exceptional film which is more likely to make you cry than wet your pants with laughter.

NOT A COMEDY!!! Depressing

[sherrikorn · 3/10 · 1 August 2021]

I hated this movie. I wanted to watch a nice comedy movie. I watched the entire movie hoping it would have some redeeming qualities. Maybe in the UK this is considered comedy but, I was totally depressed by the end of the movie.

Misleading title, but good flick

[Nathan4 · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Jeremy Piven is charming and funny as always, and his daughter in the movie does a great job, but the title and genre listing (comedy only) are a bit misleading. Nothing about the film resembles a Christmas movie in any way, and even the "date" part of the title is very loosely fitting. It is more a drama than a comedy or anything else, and can even get a bit heavy at times. However, if you can ignore the title and leave any preconceived ideas of what this movie should be, then what you're left with is a solid, enjoyable movie.

Embrassing

[badmaz · 1/10 · 13 November 2021]

Its embracing for Yorkshire. Joely Richardson fake accent was a poor do. The script writer should have checked facts..biscuits not cookies!

The men at the party with insulting language was ridiculous.

Could have been done with more thought and care and then maybe could have been half decent.

Nice Christmas film.

[missundaztood9 · 9/10 · 15 December 2020]

I was flicking through the streaming services for something to watch and I came across this little gem. I didn't read much about it, the title sort of said enough, I just clicked to watch. I remember the father being from the Ellen sitcom too, so that was another pull.

I was surprised to find that it was all in England, I thought it would have been in America. There are some lovely father and daughter scenes, funny and emotional at the same time, and some really nice winter scenes in and around York. I didn't expect it to have me crying as well, but it did.

Nice acting, good cast, good script, some beautiful locations. Would highly recommend. A nice warm Christmas film to snuggle up on the sofa with.

raising a teenager issues.

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 8 December 2021]

Jeremy piven (probably best known for the ellen show) is david, father to jules ( olivia barrett). Jules lost her mom a couple years back, so she's determined to find another mom, and companion for dad. They are on the left side of the road, so clearly, we're in england. The usual communicatin issues between father and teenage daughter. Add deceased mother. So jules creates a profile for her dad on a dating site, but hasn't told david. The usual issues.. pre-occupied dad not paying attention to the daughter; when he finally does, she resents it, and yells him so. Its okay. Directed by mick davis.

Trite and Not a Christmas Movie nor Anything Really Date-Related

[thosspot · 4/10 · 1 December 2021]

It started off ok. Accurate father-daughter bickering etc. Decent character development. But then it slowly crumbled into a snooze fest that then turned into harsh daddy-daughter clashes and finally, sort of quickly, to a jerk fest with the dad being a jerk to his daughter and a particular jerk to a woman he knew from his past, for no good reason. He lost his wife two years before which does allow for some poor behavior but this movie seemed to be a weird place to flesh it out. Not a Christmas movie at all. It's a movie that takes place around Christmas.