How To Ruin The Holidays: Review

27th October 2023

How To Ruin The Holidays: Review. By Richard Schertzer.

This was not the Happy Holiday welcome that I had in mind.

With this movie out, we not only know how to ruin the holidays but also ruin the structure of a good movie. Writer and producer Kevin Gillese tries to weave a Christmas tale of joy and togetherness, but the film cannot be saved.

In this yuletide slump, Michelle, a struggling comedian, comes back home for Christmas to her elderly father, mentally challenged brother Mark and slightly annoying sister Andrea. Michelle is waiting on a call back to be signed on for Saturday Night Live as a cast member while she attempts to hold her family together, or at least what’s left of it.

The film tries to juggle family drama and comedic timing but doesn’t seem to have any handle on either subject, as it isn’t dramatic enough to be considered soulful and not funny enough to maintain any consistent laugh. The tone of the film is almost as uneven as the gravel on a dirty street. In some scenes, I don’t know whether or not to laugh or be sad as the writing doesn’t seem strong enough to emote either emotion.

Moreover, the cast seems almost mismatched as if the filmmakers threw a group of names in a jar and randomly picked out and cast those specific actors without giving it much thought. There is no denying that the actor’s certainly gave it their best shot but it just doesn’t seem to translate into something solid.

At times, the film feels like a melodrama and at other times, the movie feels like a youtube sketch video that was made for a very small and niche audience, which just adds to its jumbled execution.

For a movie that’s all about the holidays and family, it seems to miss the marks on all fronts. I’m not sure if Freeform will be having something like this on their platform.

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