So I saw the trailer for this on Quincy’s Snapchat story the day before it debuted on Netflix. Well it was more like a clip. From the clip, it seemed like a cute film. Here’s what sets it apart from the typical Christmas film.
Abby (Kat Graham) is an aspiring photographer who works as a holiday photographer. She likes her job. It pays the bills and it puts a smile on everyone’s face. As a surprise, her best friend, Josh (Quincy Brown), comes back in town after traveling the world as a backpacker. Before Christmas, Abby’s grandpa (Ron Cephas Jones) gives her an antique advent calendar that belonged to her grandmother (picture of the calendar below).
She’s skeptical of the calendar at first but she accepts the gift. At the stroke of midnight, a door opens on the face of the house and reveals a toy boot. Later, Josh gives her a pair of boots. The next day the toy is a tree. Later that day, she almost runs over a Christmas tree that fell of a cute dude’s car. It seems as though the calendar is predicting her life…for the month of December. The calendar seemingly leads her to the perfect man…or does it?
Here goes my honesty. There are a couple of things that make this movie stand out among all the other Christmas movies. One, there is a diverse cast. Abby is a biracial character. We see her white mom and black dad in the film. The mayor of the town in Hispanic. Now that I think about it, there was only two main character white people in the film. Two, they added the whimsy of this magical calendar. Other than that, it’s pretty much your typical holiday movie. Confused girl add holiday and handsome man and stir. Personally, I enjoyed the film. Both main characters shared a passion for photography which added another unique layer to the movie.
Here’s what I didn’t like about this film, the timing. I enjoy a film that is evenly paced. This was not that movie. The beginning of the film had no conflict or set up to conflict. It took entirely too long for the conflict to arise between her and her best friend and her and her new beau. Then, what made matters worse, the conflict was resolved too quickly. Literally, the last fifteen to twenty minutes was her realizing what she was neglecting, getting the shop she dreamed of and her making up with her future boyfriend who we didn’t see for a length of the movie. I hate movies that end like that. Life doesn’t work that way and movies are supposed to, in part, imitate life. I get it, it’s a holiday movie and I shouldn’t put too much stock in how it’s put together, but it’s Netflix and I thought their holiday film would be different.
So…
Should you watch this movie?
I usually don’t watch Christmas movies before Christmas but I made an exception for this one only because I saw a clip on Snapchat fro Quincy. I was a really good holiday movie that I approve of.
Where can I find this movie?
Netflix!
Would I watch this movie again?
I actually would and I don’t even rock with Christmas movies like that. Enjoy!
BLACK WATCH 