Has your family ever loved your ex? More importantly … and more relevant to this discussion, has your family ever loved your ex MORE than they love you? Uh oh. I’d say this is rare, but definitely within the realm of possibility, huh? I’m certain that, given the choice, my people would take my ex for the holidays instead of me. Not even sure there would be a vote.
This is the basic premise of EXmas.
Graham (Robbie Amell) and Ali (Leighton Meester) were on the wedding track. They got derailed. We dunno why. Well, we don’t initially, at least. While Graham moved to El Lay to do programming, Ali stayed back in Minneontario and continued chumming it up with Graham’s people. One has to wonder “why?” But not for long, you’ll spoil a Christmas fantasy.
I don’t know the company/boss/CEO who actually needs something on Christmas Eve, but I swear this is a running theme in holiday films I could do without – mainly for the lack of realism. Every company I ever worked for shut down by noon on Christmas Eve, if open at all. The closest I ever came to a Christmas rush was a big project due on December 22 … but in retrospect, that deadline might have been self-imposed. The point is, when Graham’s boss insists upon a project done by Christmas, we really have to wonder if we’re in the multi-verse.
Naturally, Graham tells his people that he can’t come back to middle Amerada for the holidays this year … and then -in a moment of frustration- decides later on that he can, but also decides in that moment to surprise them.
We can all see this coming, right? Graham’s parents have promised his bedroom to Ali for the holidays. Graham shows up and not only has to deal with his ex at EXmas, but doesn’t even get a bed to sleep in. Well, isn’t that a bitch? Luckily for us, these two are catty exes, not dagger-eye exes. They CAN get along; they just choose not to.
So that’s your movie – two pretty people kitten-fighting over his home turf. This is a standard stupid holiday
plot and we know exactly how it’s going to end from the title alone. How does this tale one distinguish itself from other seasonal offerings? Well, for one thing, Meester and Amell are a cut above most holiday couples. Understand I’m not saying they’re a cut above more Hollywood screen romances, but they are definitely a cut above the average Hallmark Christmas pairing.
In addition, there were some genuinely cute moments here: Someone keeps stealing the Jesus from the family creche lawn set and the film has fun getting these two to go find replacement Jesuses. Also, I enjoyed the fact that the film, while giving in to petty, didn’t indulge in bitter. Bitter on screen is, well, you better be making Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? if you wish to tread that path. EXmas started out bitter, having the now-rivals bet one another on who would have to leave first. It gets a little nasty over a game of Werewolf, but then it largely gets forgotten. Instead of cringe-worthy embarrassment, we get pockets stuffed with goatfeed and “my holidate is better than your holidate” stuff. It’s fairly innocuous, which doesn’t make the film any better, but it does make EXmas accessible. Nobody wants a bitter Christmas.
EXmas is a little above standard holiday fare. Unfortunately, the bar is so low for the genre that I still can’t recommend it, but I can tell you your attention won’t wander as much as you would imagine if you’re forced to watch this one. Ho ho ho.
There once was a couple no longer
Who both became something of a hatemonger
Forced, while in phase
To co-habited holidays
My eyerolls now grow ever stronger
Not Rated, 93 Minutes
Director:
Writer: Dan Steele
Genre: :eyeroll:
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Hopeless romantics
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Genuine exes
