Holiday Movies/TV 2023: Bleak Winter Holidays

Well it’s that time of year, to watch a bunch of holiday movies. While the header still reads Movies/TV, there hasn't been a good tv show that featured the holidays in good significance since 2021’s With Love on Netflix. I still hope there might be a new series to pops up to entertain us all. Netflix released a show that we as a family fell in love with, right off the bat with the first episode. Dash & Lily was based on the Young Adult novel series by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. It was such a perfect adaptation according to Paley who had already read several of the books. I believe there were three books in all. The show was such a new take on the holidays, molded with a mystery of hidden clues between to characters, who slowly fall in love. In the end of all the releases this season, it was bare season for quality shows and movies. This post took a while, to drum up the energy to write it.

Candy Cane Lane (Netflix) Staring Eddie Murphy, this is only holiday film to date. The story is set in a neighborhood competition of the best dressed house on the lane, mixed in with some pretty adventurous dialogue. The kids enjoyed the movie, but it was not a total hit for parents. I think the highlight of the movie was seeing Eddie Murphy getting back into the world of cinema, but I think Tracee Ellis Ross and David Alan Greer stole the movie. They were great! I even enjoyed Nick Offerman short time on the screen. It’s a great movie to watch as a family.

Genie (Peacock) Who doesn’t like Melissa McCarthy, I will say I’ve been waiting for McCarthy to do a holiday film. Written by the amazing Richard Curtis who has given us Love Actually and Four Weddings & A Funeral. I really wanted to get classic holiday feeling of comedy and strong, layered storytelling that Curtis is gifted at. Listen, I love Curtis work. I mean his holiday episodes for Vicar of Dibley are classics. The Christmas Lunch episode from 1996 was actually a Christmas Special that aired on Christmas day in 1996. I was living in SF at the time and got to watch it right from the start. I digress, the kids watched the movie as well and were not sold unfortunately. They said, “she’s much better in Thunder Force and Spy.” It is funny and worth one watch in your life.

Dashing Through The Snow (Disney+) staring rapper turned actor, Ludicrous and a cast of actors giving it their all. Especially the young Madison Skye Validum, who has not just one Holiday Movie Release but two. I am skipping that second one. Focus on the good is my moto. Madison is great in the movie, and she does soften Ludicrous sometimes, too serious acting. It was a fun story and the kids even enjoyed the movie. But it got three votes no for the holiday playlist. Overall, it’s worth watching at least once.

Best. Christmas. Ever! (Netflix) Brandy and the perfect family. Honestly, I actually like this movie. There is some truth to the Jones’s! My favorite line, “who sends Christmas Letters anymore?” This is not your unique holiday movies, it’s a basic story, acted by some really fun actors. Yes I know, Brandy isn’t really an actor, but she’s done her fair share. Brandy does a great job being the perfect, perfectionist. Then there is Heather Graham and Jason Biggs, both actually pull off the troubled married couple, not communicating. This was a fun watch in the end, not a add for the holiday watch list. Maybe next time Brandy.

A Sudden Case of Christmas (Hulu) This was a interesting storyline to start with. Danny DeVito, Andy McDowell and Wilmer Valderrama costar alongside a cute cast. The story is young family visits a grandfather during the summer and are faced with family issues that envelopes extended family members as well. Lucy Devito stars alongside her father. I think where I got list with this film is the storyline being centered around the adults, so the Christmas magic, all-be-it was summer, just never manifested itself. It was an entertaining watch, but not sure I would say it’s a kid movie as it deals with divorce and infidelity.

Family Switch (Netflix) Jennifer Garner and Fortune Feimster, sign me up. This is about as cookie cutter as it gets. The kids enjoyed the movie and the story was ripped right out of Freaky Friday. In the end, its a great watch for the kids, once. I don’t think one can really get in the holiday spirit watching this film. Yes it’s set during xmas but that’s more of an after thought in the writing and setting.

It was a dark holiday season with no new additions to our holiday list. There is hope for 2024. Maybe getting further away from 2020 and COVID will help.