I'm not even going to pretend that I don't prefer a good horror flick to a romcom. The former will almost always trump the latter for me. That being said, I'm not so narrow-minded as to completely avoid a potentially cheese-tastic pile of love goo, even if it is packaged for Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I love Home Alone. Love Actually was pretty good. Klaus? I dig it. Holidate? Not so much.
To be fair, Holidate knows it's bad. The premise is what chaps my ass more than anything: people can't possibly be okay without a date on the holidays. Whaaaat? Look, I get it, Christmas and all that can make lonely folks feel even lonelier, but the idea that it's sad or pathetic to be dateless is just...yuck. Love yourself, you know? Anyway, Emma Roberts plays Sloane, an abrasive twenty-something who is still reeling from a short-lived relationship that ended several months previously. Her mother likes to remind her of this, and constantly tries to set her up. Her aunt (Kristin Chenoweth) is what Sloane is destined to become: constantly switching men, and always having a "holidate."
If you're expecting anything more than vapid, one-dimensional characters, a few chuckles, and diarrhea (I'm still haunted by that scene, for some reason), then look elsewhere.
My Grade: C
Kristen Stewart is doing what I hoped she would do and taking more comedy roles. Ever since I saw her in the Charlie Angels reboot (underrated, in my opinion), I've been more excited for her upcoming projects. Unfortunately, while Happiest Season isn't a dud, it does miss the mark.
Stewart plays Abby, a young woman who is planning to propose to her girlfriend, Harper, over Christmas. After being invited to Harper's (rich) family home for the holidays, she discovers that the love of her life never actually came out to her folks like she told Abby she did. Oh, and Abby needs to pretend to be her platonic, straight friend, and yes, we are supposed to still be rooting for Harper and Abby as a couple. I think. And it's supposed to be funny...?
Alas, while I understand the message about acceptance, self-loathing, and being afraid to tell your uptight family about your sexuality, Harper proves to be too unlikeable for me to get behind. She's not a villain, but she consistently proves to be untrustworthy, unreliable, and a gas lighter. And, unlucky for her, we've already met Aubrey Plaza's character by this point, and she is way cool. I ship Abby and Riley. They make more sense, and me, as a member of the audience, felt happier when she came onscreen, as opposed to how I felt when the limelight was cast on Harper. Harper can go suck it.
Overall, it's a watchable film with a great cast, but it leaves a disappointing taste. I'll be blunt and say that it needs more Dan Levy and a better ending. Seriously, more Dan Levy. Like, why wasn't he in more scenes? It's criminal!
My Grade: B
Comments
Post a Comment