Diandra Reviews It All- Netflix's The Holidate Has Naughty, Hallmark Vibes

For all that we judge Hallmark movies and call them unrealistic, cheesy, and potentially toxic in how they frame women to believe love is easy and marriage resolves everything, you bet we are there, every holiday season, to watch two characters fall in love over highly unlikely circumstances. What can we say? Some people just love LOVE and the idea that fate is a trickster spirit on your side to assure you find your happiness. Out October 28, Netflix’s The Holidate gave me total Hallmark movie vibes with splashes of dirty jokes and curse words.

Written by Tiffany Paulsen and directed by John Whitesell, The Holidate felt like a Hallmark rom-com gone naughty or “rogue.” Emma Roberts plays Sloane, a young woman whose super hot ex cheated on her with a Starbucks barista, which has left her feeling horrible, especially because she has to go “single” to her family’s, Christmas reunion. Naturally, bitterness prevails as her whole family uses every second of their reunion to either remind her she is single or gift her incredibly over-sized pajama pants. Luckily, Aunt Susan (the hilarious Kristin Chenowith) is there to give her an incredible idea: The Holidate.
Holidate starring Emma Roberts | Find Your Perfect Plus-One | Official Trailer | Netflix

Just across town, Luke Bracey’s Jackson is being someone else’s Holidate from Hell, and, by chance, meets Sloane, the next day, in a line to return a gift he was given. (Are you feeling Hallmark-y yet?) What are the chances that a woman seeking Holidate potentials finds a Holidater the next day? It is a Hollywood miracle, and, you guessed it, the entire film is them slowly realizing they kind of like each other. The Holidate is not exactly “new” or “unpredictable,” but that might be its very charm. From the beginning, you know this is a happy-ending love story where the leading couple will have one misunderstanding, that breaks them up, and leads to a major “Christmas” scene where they reunite. HALLMARK, PEOPLE! Yet, as I said, it is the naughtiness of this film that distinguishes it.

Now, this film is not rated R, and I am not a prude that can’t handle a sex joke or an “F” word. Yet, the reason The Holidate’s slight raunchiness stands out is because it is the only thing that saves it from being too vanilla. Bracey’s Jackson is 100% self-absorbed and feels himself as much as the ladies do. He falls for Emma Roberts’ Sloane because they are just “holidating,”and he can speak his mind, be crast, and just chill, of which so can Sloane. Emma Roberts uses her natural snark to create another character that charismatically carries misery. When we meet Sloane, she has every reason to feel betrayed, but the reason Roberts centers this film is because she is the one growing in hope.

As Sloane and Jackson go from Holidaters to friends, they realize how much the facades we put on to date chain them down. Because they are not “trying,” they are actually meeting each other and the results are romantic. Moreover, they lead to some serious mishaps involving lost fingers, weed, dance injuries, family invasiveness, hot doctors, and typical Holiday mall scenes. GOTTA LOVE IT!