T&K's XMas (2021) Advent Calendar: Day 14 - Holidate

 2020, John Whitesell (See Spot Run) -- Netflix

Kent watched this one last year, intemplaté, but this year skipping the format unless it at least barely attempts to be a Hallmarkie. This is just an Xmas romcom, and really, it's barely Xmas. Sure, it begins and ends at Xmas, but just to have a structure to build the movie around, i.e. the titular holi-date.

What is a holidate? Its when you are expected to bring a date to a holiday event, most often family or friend related. Do people actually do that? If you are not in a relationship, as in having a significant other, are you really going to bring a person you are just dating to a family party or whatever? That is the introduction of the concept, in that Sloane (Emma Roberts, Scream Queens) is feeling the pressure from family for not having a boyfriend to bring the the Xmas Party at the Parents. She's been pining for her french (dick) BF Luc for about six months. She's also working remotely, so her wardrobe has suffered. She prefers Xmas dinner at the kids table.

Jackson (Luke Bracey, Point Break), our Hemsworth-lite male lead, has his own fun holidate, as he attends the Xmas day with a psycho, at her psycho parent's home. That he gives it as long as he gives it, as he just hates being alone during the holidays, is commendable, but he should have bolted as soon as the photo albums were pulled out. But he gets khakis and a BJ.

The next day at the mall, both are attempting to return their shitty gifts. Sloane got PJs from the same shop my grandmother shopped at -- where the only size is XXXL, but she doesn't have a gift receipt and the no-receipt price is about $4. After a bit of bitter repartee between the two, Jackson suggests they do New Year's as a holidate, no strings attached attending of a party, not as a couple but just two people in need of wingfolk. Its mildly successful so they agree to keep it going throughout the year.

Yeah, again, people have this many events througout the year that require dates? Sure, there is Valentine's Day and St. Patricks Day, where friends and relatives will bother you about your single status, but beyond that the movie just shoe-horns in the rest of the dates to keep the premise going.

So, despite my annoyance with the premise, this is a pretty damn good romcom. There are actually funny things happening, only a few that trigger my cringe flight response, and the two do actually show a certain amount of growth that leads to actual attraction. But they are at their funniest when they are not attracted in the slightest. There are some side plots, such as the totally inappropriate Aunt Susan (Kristin Chenoweth, Schmigadoon!), who actually presented the holidate idea, actually finally admitting that she wants love in her life, and not just endless, carefree sex. Of note, I still marvel that Chenoweth is a year younger than me.

As the year closes out, the not-couple, couple-up which only leads to complications. Honestly, any couple that has sex after an encounter with a bottle of laxative deserves Happily Ever After. But they go their angry separate ways until fate brings them back together for that final holidate back at Xmas at her family place.