Meet Me Next Christmas… Or Not?
- w v
- Nov 9, 2024
- 2 min read
A holiday rom com that had so much potential, but is quite a let down
Netflix has been going all out with its holiday releases for a while, so I thought I’d check out the one vying for my attention.
Meet Me Next Christmas has a simple yet promising premise. An ill-timed airport meet cute leads two travellers – Layla and James – to plan a future date at the Pentatronix Christmas Eve concert, if they are both single the following year. Why Pentatronix? She introduces him to the band during their two-hour wait when sparks fly.
A year later, the newly single Layla (Christina Milian) decides to meet the handsome stranger (Kofi Siriboe) as planned, but the concert tickets are all sold out. Her friend recommends a personal concierge service to help source one.
When Layla meets the concierge, Teddy (Devale Ellis), we realise that they have already met… at the airport… on that same fateful night. Theirs was the first meet cute. Nicely set up, Molly Halderman and Camila Rubis.
We now know how it’s going to end, but it’s the journey from here that could have been more engaging.
I like that the acapella band is invested in the love story, thanks to socials and the concierge’s DMs to their manager. The story, the moments, the peripheral characters all seem fine at the idea level, but the script/ lead characters feel a little undercooked. There was so much scope for witty dialogue and clever conversation as Layla and Teddy criss-cross across New York City in search of a ticket. But the lines are disappointingly on the nose, reminiscent of a Hallmark film.
And some bits just seem too convenient. If you meet an interesting stranger and decide to meet him or her at a concert, will you not check their socials? Not even once, out of curiosity? That detail could have been handled better.
Meet Me Next Christmas could have been less slapstick and more heartwarming – at the script and performance levels. I missed chemistry between the characters – conversational and otherwise – so Layla reluctantly falling for Teddy is not believable at all.
I really want to like this true-blue romantic in search of a fairytale, but Christina Milian’s limited acting chops make this film a disappointing watch. Her pleasant face did make me press play, to be fair.
Devale Ellis is more honest in his performance. Kofi Siriboe was barely even there but was fittingly cast as James aka Mr Airport. Director Rusty Cundieff should have pushed for better performances. He did not seem to have much trouble with the peripheral characters, except maybe that poor idiot at the Chanel store who wants to give his dying wife a luxury tote instead of better medication. Choices!
If you’re a sucker for rom-coms and game for some cringe, this could be a one-time watch. Else you can easily give it a miss. It’s unbelievably quite disappointing.
Visuals Courtesy: Netflix
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