What I noticed about this year's new HolRom movies: Ion channel featured a few crime-themed movies this year. There are more movies are featuring characters that are in their 30s on up. I like that. Representin' the 30+ crowd!
A Christmas Witness (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄
A man with connections to the mafia gets placed in the witness protection program until he’s scheduled to testify at a trial the day after Christmas. A single, childless with a strained family dynamic (free for the holidays!) deputy US Marshal is assigned to protect him. The man turns out to be uncharacteristically Christmassy and the usually very focused deputy marshal starts to melt. This movie gets points for a storyline that strays away from the regular tropes. I haven’t seen a mafia-themed HolRom before this one. I knew it! I recognized this actress from somewhere and YES! She played one of Dwayne Johnson’s character’s love interests on Ballers.
- Production: Authentic. Filmed in Chicago.
- Tropes: Enemies to Lovers · Workplace Based Romance · Scars of the Past • Criminal-Law Enforcer
- Diversity: One supporting POC
- Production Co: Thriller Films • Chicago Media Angels
- How'd you watch it: Ion Holiday Romance Marathon
A Castle for Christmas (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄
The premise is similar to a book by one of my favorite authors (Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips). An American bestselling author has a fall-from-grace moment and decides to lick her wounds and find inspiration in the countryside of Scotland. When visiting a castle that her father told her about, she runs into a curmudgeonly aristocrat who is trying not to sell his ancestral estate, but failing. The author offers to buy, then ensues the push-an-pull of falling for each other while deciding the fate of the estate. This movie features Brook Shields and the guy from Princess Bride, Cary Elwes, and is another rom flick featuring mid-to-older adult characters. Albeit to long (The snow-playing scene should have been cut shorter and the post-fight-to-make-up events should have been tighter), this movie was still entertaining and fun.
- Production: Ample budget. Filmed on location in Scotland at Tantallon Castle.
- Tropes: Enemies to Lovers • Royalty/Nobility • Save the Business • Family History
- Diversity: POC!
- Production Co: MPCA • Netflix
- How'd you watch it: Netflix
This movie is a HolRom + noir - the noir aesthetic. A private investigator who’s questioning her career choice goes home for Christmas and gets involved in the investigation of a series of thefts plaguing her parents’ neighborhood. The police detective (and love interest) she is assisting is clad with a 5 o’clock shadow and tosses out classic detective quips. Does she end up with him or her hometown ex who’s trying to rekindle their old flame? Who is the neighborhood thief? This is a fun and different HolRom.
- Production: Authentic.
- Tropes: Love Triangle • Crime • Questioning Career Goals • Modified Office Romance • Return to Hometown
- Diversity: Not really.
- Production Co: Thriller Films
- How'd you watch it: Ion Holiday Romance Marathon
Love Hard (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
Funny. Cute. Different. I loved it. A woman who writes about her bad dates thinks she finally found the perfect guy. She flies across the country to meet him and discovers…Catfish! He is not at all who nor what he portrayed himself to be. She and her catfisher end up striking a bargain that she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend and he’ll try to hook her up with the person whose identity he borrowed.
There are some truly funny moments in this movie… at one point I was laughing so hard I had to walk it off. And of course, it ended sweetly. I want to watch this again.
The female lead played by Nina Dobrev looks familiar, but I haven’t seen anything listed in her IMDB profile. The male lead is played by the comedian, Jimmy O. Yang. The third in the love triangle, is played by Darren Barnet, who I’ve also seen on Never Have I Ever.
- Production: Ample-budget authentic.
- Tropes: Love Triangle • Catfish • Friends-to-Lovers • Opposites Attract • Fake Relationship • Cyrano
- Diversity: Chock full
- Production Co: Wonderland Sound and Vision
- How'd you watch it: Netflix
Love, Lights, Hanukkah! (2020) 🎄 🎄 🎄
Super syrupy sweet cheesy! A chef and restaurant owner who grew up with an adopted mom finds and contacts her biological family who welcome her with open arms. They are a Jewish family and decide to share some holiday traditions with their new relative and a guest who’s staying in the family home, who turns out to be an influential restaurant critic, played the adorable Ben Savage. Mary Lou Henner plays the matriarch of the biological family.
- Production: Ample-budget authentic.
- Tropes: Mild Enemies-to-Lovers • Cultural Exchange
- Production Co: Lighthouse Pictures • Hallmark
- How'd you watch it: DVD checked out from the library.
Mistletoe & Menorahs (2019) 🎄 🎄 🎄
A toy designer wants to impress a potential client with her knowledge of Hanukkah. A history teacher, who is Jewish, wants to impress his girlfriend’s Christmas-fanatic family. The two characters trade holiday tutorials while they both realize their romantic relationships aren’t as fulfilling as they thought. This is a cute, not-cheesy romance, but a good story that didn’t rush to love. The characters felt authentic, and the side stories all got sorted out, too.
- Production: Authentic.
- Tropes: Friends/acquaintances-to-Lovers • Modified Office Romance • Shared Goal
- Diversity: Nope.
- Production Co: Lifetime • Neshama Entertainment
- How'd you watch it: Hoopla
A Welcome Home Christmas (2020) 🎄 🎄 🎄
A military transition counselor is assigned a recently discharged veteran only to discover his handy skillset can help with some of her charitable work. A nice smooth story with little complications.
- Production: Authentic.
- Tropes: Military • Shared Goal • Modified Workplace Romance
- Diversity: Colorful supporting cast
- Production Co: Johnson Production Group • Nook Lane Entertainment • Lifetime
- How'd you watch it: Hoopla
Boxing Day (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄
A British writer who moved to the US to escape his family returns to England with his new girlfriend. Turns out his ex (who he still have feelings for) is a famous pop singer and his mom is dating someone new. A British-Caribbean family dramedy that ends with a Soul Train line. Enjoyable, but a little long.
- Production: Authentic.
- Tropes: Love Triangle • Return to Hometown •
- Diversity: Colorful cast
- Production Co: BFI • DJ Films • Film4 Productions
- How'd you watch it: Amazon Prime
The Happiest Season (2020) 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
The tagline for this movie is “This holiday, everyone’s secrets are coming out.” And that about sums it up. Most of this movie centers around a highly toxic, judgmental family that expects its members to represent their perfection, so its comprised of people who lie to each other and judge, judge, judge! But there’s also the opposite… the person who is so free they judge anyone who doesn’t also feel free to live their truth. Throw in the pressure of the holidays and some funny antics and we’ve got this here dramedy with a message. Kristin Stewart is one of the leads in this movie. Her bestie is played by the funny Dan Levy.
- Production: Authentic. Filmed in Pittsburg, PA.
- Tropes: Return to Hometown • Modified Fake Romance/Fake Just Friends • False Front Family
- Diversity: Colorful cast
- Production Co: Temple Hill Entertainment
- How'd you watch it: Hulu
Picture Perfect Holiday (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄
A fashion photographer goes on a photography retreat and is accidentally placed in a shared cabin with a wildlife photographer whose personality clashes. They find themselves on the same team during the retreat and despite their very different styles they work together to meet the challenges and, of course, spark some romance. It’s a standard opposites-attract story, but is made interesting with the diverse cast and an the photography angle.
- Production: If they’re not on location, they made it look like a high-end resort.
- Tropes: Opposites Attract • Enemies to Lovers
- Diversity: Colorfully and LGBTQ+ diverse cast
- Production Co: Wholesome Movies • Hybrid • Lifetime
- How'd you watch it: Hoopla
A Naija Christmas (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄
This is a Nigerian-Nollywood movie? A mother of three adult single sons pledges her house to the son that gets married first. All kinds of antics to try to get married ensue: the good the bad and the ugly. The movie peels back the veneer of Nigerian classism just a little bit. Overall enjoyable.
- Production: Mid-level Nollywood? I’m not sure because this is my first Nollywood.
- Tropes: Wedding Challenge • Class Warfare • Disguise •
- Diversity: Nope…. All the actors are Nigerian.
- Production Co: Golden Effects Pictures • KAP Motion Pictures
- How'd you watch it: Netflix
Single All the Way (2021) 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄
A guy goes back home to visit with the fam for Christmas with his long-time best friend in tow. They intend to pull a fake relationship, but that is derailed when mom sets the guy up on a blind date The date went well, but he soon realies he want to move back home and his fam realizes their mistiske and tied to stoke the fire between him and his BFF. Good conflict. Good resolution. Great writing. Good comedy. Authentic, believable acting.
- Production: Creatively and believably staged.
- Tropes: Fake Relationship • Friends-to-Lovers • Return to Hometown • Family Hijinks
- Diversity: Colorfully and LGBTQ+ diverse cast
- Production Co: Muse Entertainment
- How’d you watch it: Netflix
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