I have read a couple of reviews for this movie where they obviously didn't get that this is a deliberately awful movie encased in a deliberately cheesy Christmas movie. I admit that the first ten minutes were going hard until I realised the intentional cheesiness, and also thought that Anissa Borrego's fake voice was wonderfully awful, until I realised it was her real voice, I'm so sorry! This is simply a comedic look at Christmas movies, but done in an interesting way. Yes, it's not to everyone's taste, but when you realise how over the top it is you've got to find it funny. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I liked it.
13 Reviews
a few lines survived.. but still has a Christmas vibe we love
jungminyoonk5 December 2022
Christmas in the summer. You can enjoy 2 different Christamas movies in a shot. A bit childish to be honest, but totally agree to the protagonist's line that Christmas was her safe space. That she does this because had chosen the job, not just because it was her next step on "wherever my skills take me" unexpectedly inspired me, the quote I needed just at the right time. A few lines survived... but it still has a 90 minutes worth of Christmas vibe we love!
P. S. But I guarantee this could be done much better than this... maybe the budget cut in the movie is a metaphor of the movie itself...? Maybe or maybe not.
P. S. But I guarantee this could be done much better than this... maybe the budget cut in the movie is a metaphor of the movie itself...? Maybe or maybe not.
Too on-the-nose for me. An insult to bad Christmas movies.
jenny-yellowstar15 December 2022
I enjoy a cheesy bad Christmas movie, but this one went too far with force-feeding you the "formula." I think if the writers took out the role of the PA spelling out the analogy between the Director's real-life interactions and the happy-ending Christmas movies then it could have really saved the movie. I hate it when scripts are too on-the-nose and GOD that assistants voice was annoying which only made it more excruciating. I think in any real life scenario, if someone behaved like that regarding another persons love life it would have immediately shut down any chance of romance. The second-hand embarrassment I got from her pointing out the chemistry in an unnatural way was out of control. I didn't hate the acting, which is typically the issue with these types of movies, but I couldn't get past how much they shoved the plot in your face. Let me live in the fantasy that the characters have no idea they will have their predictable happily ever after.
Swing and a miss
Huck_Haines4 December 2022
As someone who has watched dozens of these Hallmark Christmas movies (ok, been in the same room while the wife has watched them), I thought this idea had promise; unfortunately this movie just didn't deliver. The writing was flat, and the acting wasn't any better. Honestly, this should have been on the Hallmark Channel. For HBO to release this seems hard to believe. The lead actors seemed wildly miscast. The character of Reena, who played the perpetually optimistic sidekick, was about the only good thing about the movie. I was honestly disappointed to see the always fun to watch Missy Pyle in this. This could have, and should have been much better.
Difficult to watch
daphmartin3 December 2022
This movie is awful! The actors are terrible. I'm looking forward to Hollywood getting their act together ... there needs to be better writing at least. And less annoying characters and less corny acting and noises, the squeaky sidekick was the most annoying a awful character but they were all pretty bad. It felt like a hallmark lifetime corny movie. Why would you think this is good enough for the big screen!!?? Cmon, where are the next Scorsese!? I don't see any around in this generation. So sad. These people need to go back to school. I'm very disappointed at this movie and the time I took to watch it, be warned it was not good.
It is fun when a film can poke fun of its own genre.
cgvsluis12 December 2022
This was a Christmas movie around the making of a Christmas movie, which was a clever way to both make fun of the trope and explain why we need it (aka why people like it).
It tells the story of a female director who is directing a Christmas movie and gets caught up in her own Christmas movie as a financial guy shows up from the studio telling her that the Christmas movie division is being shut down and then that they have to cut their budget on this...the last Christmas movie for the studio. The first person to realize that Jessica was in the middle of her own version of a Christmas movie is her assistant Reena (played by Anissa Borrego), who is a real scene stealer.
The two actors playing the lead characters in the movie Jessica is directing where fantasticly over the top...almost cliched version of b-movie actors, but my favorite character was the completely nutty dog trainer and handler (maybe I appreciated that because I know some really nutty dog breeders).
The real story is the romance between Jessica and the studio's finance guy Christopher (Jessika Van and Josh Swickard), these two were just the right amount of sweet and played off each other well.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to and recommend it to Christmas movie fans and romance fans everywhere.
It tells the story of a female director who is directing a Christmas movie and gets caught up in her own Christmas movie as a financial guy shows up from the studio telling her that the Christmas movie division is being shut down and then that they have to cut their budget on this...the last Christmas movie for the studio. The first person to realize that Jessica was in the middle of her own version of a Christmas movie is her assistant Reena (played by Anissa Borrego), who is a real scene stealer.
The two actors playing the lead characters in the movie Jessica is directing where fantasticly over the top...almost cliched version of b-movie actors, but my favorite character was the completely nutty dog trainer and handler (maybe I appreciated that because I know some really nutty dog breeders).
The real story is the romance between Jessica and the studio's finance guy Christopher (Jessika Van and Josh Swickard), these two were just the right amount of sweet and played off each other well.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to and recommend it to Christmas movie fans and romance fans everywhere.
A huge WOKE disappointment
violinjoe25 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Everything wrong with Hollywood, all in one short movie. Attempts to have every possible race of people included for no discernible reason, and of course the white males are the dumbest characters. The lead actress's assistant talks like an anime character - on PURPOSE - it is seriously the most grating sound I have ever had to sit through. And she is in multiple scenes.
The problem with this movie is not the cheesy or campy acting, or the genre it pokes fun at, or its attempt at self-awareness. I've seen dozens of Hallmark Christmas movies and the genre is what it is. The problem is that it's the movie is attempting to make some social statement. The white guy is a privileged Ivy League grad, the female Asian director is just a regular person who had to actually work to get where she is.....yea, we get it. Rinse and repeat woke nonsense. This is not what people sign up to watch when they turn on a Christmas movie. Avoid this movie at all costs.
The problem with this movie is not the cheesy or campy acting, or the genre it pokes fun at, or its attempt at self-awareness. I've seen dozens of Hallmark Christmas movies and the genre is what it is. The problem is that it's the movie is attempting to make some social statement. The white guy is a privileged Ivy League grad, the female Asian director is just a regular person who had to actually work to get where she is.....yea, we get it. Rinse and repeat woke nonsense. This is not what people sign up to watch when they turn on a Christmas movie. Avoid this movie at all costs.
Good For A Bad Christmas Movie
fuzzyleonard5 December 2022
We love bad, formulaic Christmas movies, and this is a movie about making one of those bad, formulaic Christmas movies while (mostly) following the formula itself. It's so meta lol!
It was fun to watch and the people leaving low rating reviews don't get that it is SUPPOSED to be a movie that doesn't take itself seriously with bad writing and "flat" acting! The acting actually is great, especially the actors playing the a lead actors in the "movie." It makes fun of itself multiple times, albeit subtly sometimes.
If you realize what this movie is before you watch it, you'll enjoy it that much more!
It was fun to watch and the people leaving low rating reviews don't get that it is SUPPOSED to be a movie that doesn't take itself seriously with bad writing and "flat" acting! The acting actually is great, especially the actors playing the a lead actors in the "movie." It makes fun of itself multiple times, albeit subtly sometimes.
If you realize what this movie is before you watch it, you'll enjoy it that much more!
A fun Christmas movie, in a movie
rfmil96989 December 2022
I very much enjoyed the movie, and I certainly appreciate the actors who made this "movie in a movie" setting worthy. Well acted and the movie itself moved along well as it riffed on the formulaic Christmas Movie theme. Despite other reviews that dinged the writing, I thought it was well done and entertaining. I know this is not a deep story (and that is said tongue in cheek in the movie), and nor did I want it to be. Some Christmas movies do pull the emotional strings more versus this movie, but I was fine with that, and again quite enjoyable all around. And again cudos to the lead actors for making a Hollywood Christmas Movie better than the rest.
Very heartfelt
marieamber-995062 December 2022
I loved this! I'm picky about my Christmas movies but if you just follow the formula, no matter how cheesy, it's sure to be a success! The characters are all relatable and this movie is trendy and has a good message. I loved the movie within a movie as well. I would even rewatch this film. The little twist at the end had me guessing throughout and I kind of chuckled when it was finally revealed, I should have saw it coming. This movie proves that teamwork makes the dream work and a little Christmas magic can go a long way! If you want to just relax and watch something simple than this is definitely the movie for you!
Get over wanting a 10/10
rcjsheets27 December 2022
You have to get beyond wanting a 10 out of 10 Hallmark movie. If you want a Hallmark movie go to Hallmark. This is on HBO. I stumbled across this one by accident and was pleasantly surprised. I thought the fact that it played off of the cheesy romcom was perfect. It showed the other side of moviemaking, not the three week perfection that other studios give. There was the main character with the flaw they didn't see, the goofy sidekick, the classic misunderstanding, and the unpacking of feelings. Oh yeah, it also had some romance as well. If you can get beyond wanting the perfect movie, this really isn't a bad movie. There are a few familiar faces as well. Just try it and form your own opinion. As a matter of fact, this movie made me hop on here and look for other movies that some of these characters are in.
Goodish For A Bad Christmas Movie
LeatherCajun24 March 2023
First, Josh never removes his shirt. Any movie with Josh where that doesn't happen is already down.
But, the movie kept me guessing just enough to make me keep watching it. Unfortunately, it did not deliver enough surprises, which I guess is to the form on Christmas movies, but again, just 1 surprise might have been nice. Can we not have 1 Christmas movie where it turns out one of the main characters is unknown to be gay, or something. Everyone can still end happy, but some major diversion would have been nice. In this one, maybe the b!tch executive could have wound up with the director in the end and Josh, coming out of the shower in just a towel, could look up and realize he had fallen in love with the all knowing assistant.
But, the movie kept me guessing just enough to make me keep watching it. Unfortunately, it did not deliver enough surprises, which I guess is to the form on Christmas movies, but again, just 1 surprise might have been nice. Can we not have 1 Christmas movie where it turns out one of the main characters is unknown to be gay, or something. Everyone can still end happy, but some major diversion would have been nice. In this one, maybe the b!tch executive could have wound up with the director in the end and Josh, coming out of the shower in just a towel, could look up and realize he had fallen in love with the all knowing assistant.
A Christmas Classic
januszlvii29 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
A Hollywood Christmas is a Christmas Classic. What makes it a classic? Let's start with what it does NOT have. Woke garbage ( just because the woman is Asian and the guy white does not make it woke). A small child ( usually the daughter of the man (usually a widower). The woman ( or sometimes man) going to a small town and falling in love with the small town person of the opposite sex. It is also not "Boy Meets Girl, Boy Loses Girl, Boy Gets Girl Back." Why? The boy (Christopher) never has the girl ( movie director Jessica) in the first place, because of a misunderstanding of a text message ( although they like each other a lot). All of which pop up on Christmas movies and make the film predictable which is why I avoid most of them. What does it have? Reena. She is the cute comedy relief, but steals every scene she is in, without being stupid. She makes you think of a Christmas elf. The main star Jessika Van: Jessika Van is beautiful unlike most of the "Plain Jane" women you see in most 21st Century movies ( as a guy that is a major plus). I actually learned something; I did not know what an "Office Wife" was until this picture. It is also the conflict between Jessica and Christopher. She saw the text message between Christopher and Ms. Frost ( perfect name for a frigid Christmas hating person) and thought they were married; Until he explained Office Wife. Spoilers ahead:, As you can predict, Jessica will be the New Office Wife followed by actual wife ( Christopher instead of being a financial guy, wants to become a Producer just to be with Jessica). I also get the impression everyone involved had fun with this movie. It is a movie within a movie. The plot of the movie is about a rich banker shutting down a cupcake store, just like Ms. Frost assisted by Christopher was going to do to Jessica, shut down the Christmas movie division ( Ms. Frost hated Christmas because as a child she could not sing in a Christmas play. But Jessica talked her into actually being in the movie and singing , so that fixed that). Finally instead of a fake town ( especially bad when movies film in Canada and pretend it is New York), the entire movie takes place on the Warner Bros lot in LA, and there is no pretending it is anywhere else. I have read reviews of this movie and critics do not seem to like it, but I think as this film within a film gets better known it will be regarded as a Christmas Classic. Easy 10/10 stars.
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