Same Time, Next Christmas (2019 TV Movie) User Reviews

Typical holiday rom com & modern twists

[christa-pelc · 5/10 · 8 December 2019]

This would've been so much better if Lea Michelle sang at least once!! Same love triangle (w/ boyfriend from big city) with modern touches - gay couple, interracial couple, & boy star is a divorced dad.

The couple doesn't have chemistry

[phd_travel · 5/10 · 10 December 2019]

In a change from the usual Christmas movie this one spans some time. Childhood friends from vacation in Hawaii eventually find love after lots of bad timing. Lea Michelle acts well but she doesn't have much chemistry with her smiling costar Chad Davis.

Bryan Greenberg Sold Me

[annaportmanna · 5/10 · 22 December 2019]

Only reason I watched was for Bryan Greenberg. Movie was typical and cheesy but that's expected.

Cute holiday film

[vchimpanzee · 12 December 2019]

I know Lea Michele mainly from "Glee", where she was a mix of appealing an annoying. I liked her character a lot there, and she has had several TV roles since which I didn't enjoy quite as much. Here she is very appealing and still quite pretty. Her acting is good for this sort of movie.

Charles Michael Davis is also quite appealing. I sort of see where he has a different kind of appeal, but I don't really get the full benefit.

Phil Morris does a very good job, but that's to be expected. He was a detective from "The Young and the Restless" and I have seen him in other roles. I do wonder, though, why so many football metaphors when it's baseball he loves.

Bryan Greenberg has a certain appeal and is not a stereotypical bad guy. He just doesn't fit with this group and we know it. His attempt to be one of them is impressive. We just doubt we'll be quite happy with him.

Of course this movie fits a formula. It's a great formula. Sure, there is a little more uncertainty than I would have liked, but the ending is satisfactory. Or maybe it's more than that. I don't want to say too much.

Is this family friendly? I'd like to say so. On ABC it was rated TV-PG-D, and while I don't recall anything of an explicit nature, maybe they were being cautious because there were kids in the cast.

I don't see nearly enough of these movies. Aside from the fact that I don't want to spend the kind of money required to get all the channels, I wouldn't have time for all the movies like this on a certain channel whose name we all know.

But if I had to see just one of these movies this year (and I'm hoping the channels I have will offer more of them later) this is a good one.

It's a sweet film but...

[suzanneg-61508 · 6/10 · 17 October 2022]

Olivia is a great girl and Jeff has already broken her heart twice. She finds someone else who is successful and actually seems like a pretty great guy. He brings thoughtful presents for all her family and gets stuck in with the activities even though it's not really his thing. He's by no means a bad guy or the typical corparate city guy these sorts of films usually have. I felt really bad for him when Olivia changed her mind about marrying him at the last possible moment. He didn't deserve that. The film has the typical predictable format but I really don't think it worked this time. Also, this is supposed to be a Christmas movie but there's only a few scenes where it seems like Christmas at all.

I give up!

[nancyldraper · 4/10 · 13 December 2019]

OK. That's it. No more cookie cutter Christmas romances for me. The writings bad, even good actors phone in their performances, and, the romance never plums any depth. I give this film a 4 (poor) out of 10 and abandoned the search for a contemporary Christmas romance. {Christmas Romance}

One of the better ones for this genre!

[Novelist_ · 8/10 · 7 December 2019]

As far as Hallmark-y type movies go, and especially holiday ones, this one entertained me! I loved the story and I fell in love with the main characters and their families. The love story felt very realistic in terms of real-life issues coming into play. I gave it an 8 because this is a different scale than Hollywood movies. It is a TV movie of course. And quite a good one.

Feels like a parody of a rom-com

[CecilieSHoejberg · 4/10 · 4 May 2020]

This movie is filled to the brim with great actors, but unfortunately that seems to be the only thing great about it. The character writing is generally passable for a rom-com, except for Bryan Greenberg's character, Gregg, who is boring, obsessed with work and so self-obeseed it is a wonder he is ever considered a viable romantic possibility, and Phil Morris' character, Mr. Williams, whose personality is 'sports', and that's it. Although portrayed well by their actors, these characters take the viewer right out of the story. The story is classically rom-com cheesy and predictable, and it guides the viewer through the story in a way that makes it seem like they expect the viewer to be a little slow. Lea Michele is fantastic, although her character also has its issues. Unfortunately, it seems the creators of this piece spent the money on the actors and the locations, and not the writing and editing team.

I loved it!

[gkukumakov · 10/10 · 8 December 2019]

Very beautiful and entertaining movie. Perfect for the holiday season.

SPOILER ALERT: Acting was good, storyline, Eh.

[pitbullcrystalstreamz · 1/10 · 10 December 2019]

I'm always one to love a dreamy love story. For me this film fell short and found me constantly disliking characters that I know the writers wanted the audience to support and root for. I found myself feeling disappointed with all these people who could care less about a guy who truly loved a girl and clearly cared for her. I wondered why family of the characters in the film would want to intervene with and wish for a couple that has been together for so long and were in love to not end up together, because they felt they were all knowing. All because of some Christmas vacation romance that never was, until the male half never met anyone else after giving it a second go with his baby mama. Then the Guy realized his baby mama wasn't what he wanted and he wanted the girl who toyed her boyfriend along for years, decided she wants everyday to be like her Christmas vacations in Hawaii were once a year, so they all of a sudden will have this perfect life together. In real life that couple would end up divorced in less than a year., when they realized they don't know or like each other. There was a weak attempt made to get the audience to want to hate the original boyfriend, because he didn't do the things the other guy did with the girl once a year at Christmas when they were kids. Another weak attempt At drawing support for the characters choice to be together, was showing a year had passed since that memorable day when all the stars lined up and they decided to finally accept that they were Soul mates and be together for ever. The best part was when they were standing at the cliff. I felt a glimmer of happiness, because I finally thought they would both get what they deserved, when they dove head first into the rocks below. Just my review and 2 cents.

Don't be fooled....This is not a Christmas film....it is a Chick Flick filled with metaphors

[Ed-Shullivan · 4/10 · 30 December 2019]

Just because the film takes place around Christmas time each year over two decades of Christmas's in Hawaii this made for TV film is nothing more than every girls dream of a long range romance that simmers and glimmers for a young girl (Lea Michele) named Olivia Anderson. It's a chick flick plain and simple that young girls and (maybe some) disillusioned wives will most likely feel all kinds of butterflies in their tummies over. Will somebody please gag me with a pine cone.

As a married man who enjoys all film genres I despise when a film has "CHRISTMAS" in the film title to which we assume the film must have something to do with the magic of Christmas but such is not the case with Same Time, Next Christmas. Mrs. Shullivan seemed to enjoy it so maybe I have something to worry about with my own marriage????

I blame the deceptive film title for possibly ruining my marriage, but it won't lessen my spirit for enjoying a real Christmas themed movie like Kurt Russell in the 2018 film The Christmas Chronicles. Look for this aforementioned title instead and don't be fooled by Same Time, Next Christmas, as it is NOT a Christmas film, it is a CHICK FLICK!!!!

Great movie

[darlenegutierrez · 8/10 · 14 December 2019]

It's very light hearted movie. I agree with the other person saying it's perfect for the holiday season.

Really Trying Too Hard - Hallmark is Better

[cammietime · 1/10 · 19 December 2019]

This mess of a movie has one goal and one goal only - to imitate and reproduce the magic of cornball Hallmark movies. It fails miserably. Only Hallmark can succeed at sentimental cheese. This movie swings hard and misses every pitch.

I mean come on, we know from the start that the Cincinnati businessman is the wrong guy for Olivia (Lea Michele) just by the plot. But did they really have to make him (Greg) be utterly bofoonish and not even remotely believable. I mean the triathlon scene was idiotic, but the dude....wrote his own racer number on? Like who does that? Hallmark would still make him a dope but just not be so obvious about it. This movie forces you to question why even watch him since he clearly will be sent packing - no suspense AT ALL. I kinda started to feel bad for him after all that was done to him until he got dumped by his fiance' Olivia and could only come up with a banal real estate metaphor in reply. His time in this train wreck is OVER.

The two leads (Olivia and Jeff) have no chemistry , zilch, zero. It's as bad as that Anne Heche Christmas movie from a few years ago. They are supposed to fight for true love but can barely communicate. The movie totally and completely blows their first post time skip meeting, like really bad. She...sigh...drops a bag of presents on the floor of the hotel lobby and he happens to be standing right next to her and helps her pick them up. Really - that"s ALL they could think up with in a Hawaii setting?

Hey on your wedding day make out with your childhood boyfriend a day after you dumped your fiance. Your "real" wedding to the childhood boyfriend will be taken VERY SERIOUSLY....

Honestly had Jeff just answered 8th grade Olivia's voicemails and emails then he would have avoided divorce, being a single dad, and having to fight off the dumkuf Cincinnati businessman for Olivia"s heart. He coulda taken it to the end zone on the first play after kickoff instead of 4th and 1 in double overtime.

Not so Christmasy movie

[Moonicas · 28 November 2020]

Second chance story in amazing natural scenery. It's not very Christmasy, but full of positive vibes (at least in the first half). The premise is original in terms of holiday movies - two people who fancy each other meet once a year on Christmas vacation, but the timing is never right for them. Of course, there is a love triangle and a big city workaholic boyfriend that is supposed to be unlikable, and one can easily argue that heroes don't know each other that well to be called soulmates by everyone since they only meet for a couple of days and don't stay in touch in the meantime. However, it was nice seeing some fresh faces in the genre, especially The Originals' Charles and Glee's Lea. All in all pleasant movie that can disappoint those looking for a movie filled with typical holiday activities, you won't find them here.

Charles is yummy

[alelell · 8/10 · 21 December 2019]

Great cast. I love Charles Michael Davis in Younger and even more in this movie.

no chemistry with really bad acting

[davidkelly-42700 · 1/10 · 25 November 2021]

Seemed like a good Christmas movie and the location and story line seemed okay but after 15 minutes we just couldn't stand the weak acting / story. There's some great Christmas movies out there but this isn't one of them. This is a B movie at best.

Truly bad

[toncincin · 2/10 · 29 December 2019]

DVRd this one since it looked cute. Tried to watch - but it was just so bad. No chemistry between the leads (although both beautiful people). The scenery was nice - but the story was just not there. Fell asleep after 30 minutes. Rewound it back to where I left off. Boom! Fell asleep again. I woke up to the message about deleting the recording. I chose yes. If ABC wants to produce a Christmas movie - they should make sure it's good. This one wasn't.

Loved it!

[hardyr-86606 · 10/10 · 8 December 2019]

As I am a huge Lea Michele fan and a sucker for Hallmark movies, I thought this movie was amazing! Of course it's not Hallmark but had the same concept of those movies! I can watch this again and again!

Worst excuse for a romcom, Christmas, or any other type of movie

[beg37 · 1/10 · 12 December 2021]

If you love watching the good guy get the shaft, you will love this movie about a woman who screws over her fiancé to get together with some guy she only was with a few weeks out of the year until she was a teenager when he stopped coming to Hawaii after his mother died. It would be nice to have a sequel where the guy who was dumped ends up with a worthy woman and the scumbag former fiancée and the equally scummy man she married ended in an ugly divorce, but this would go against the underlying PC millennial theme of the evil white male.

This is the worst one so far

[bigbadbassface · 2/10 · 29 November 2021]

As another reviewer said, I give up. They really aren't even trying anymore. Senseless plot, the "evil" fiancé seems like a great guy, I was routing against the protagonists the whole time. Just the worst Christmas romcom to date, and that is saying something.

Eh

[agibson-97396 · 4/10 · 3 December 2021]

I have to agree with most of the other reviews. The actors were decent - but the whole movie felt rushed & fake. Definitely would not recommend.it was so blah I don't even know what else to say to meet the 150-character minimum for this review.

ALERT ALL PARENTS: AVOID AT ALL COSTS

[Hogan-23018 · 19 December 2021]

More PC, woke messaging from modern day Hollywood. This is on top of a bad acting and a lame plot. Ever wonder what happened to Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding? Well, she plays the mom in this movie. Badly. Same with George Newbern who was in countless 80s cheeseball flicks. If your daughter is less that 16, please don't let them watch this or at least don't make yourself sit through this with them.

Not worth it

[triantafyllia-26080 · 3/10 · 28 November 2023]

Terrible movie to my opinion. I kept skipping parts, I've never done that before. I keep watching even when I don't feel like it. I don't know why this is such a bad movie because I like the actors in it. They just didn't have any chemistry at all and the story writing is terrible. Having your heart broken twice and still calling off an engagement to be with the guy who broke your heart doesn't make any sense. The fiance was the good guy in this story. I just couldn't feel it. I was thinking about rating 4 start, but then I realized there is nothing I like about this movie except for the actor, so I rated 3 stars just for the actors. Honestly, Olivia's parents stole the show. I created an account just to write this review, that's how frustrated I am. The movie has nothing to do with Christmas by the way, just that they are in Hawaii during Christmas time.