Best. Christmas. Ever! is the first of very few Netflix original Holiday movies premiering this holiday season.
Disclaimer: When it comes to holiday movies, our standards aren’t as high, and predictability becomes part of their charm. We just want delightful characters, a festive setting, a heartwarming story with a touch of magic, love, generosity, and redemption, and a cozy and cheerful atmosphere that captures the essence of the season.
SYNOPSIS
Every Christmas, Jackie Jennings (Brandy) sends a boastful holiday newsletter that makes her old college friend Charlotte (Graham) feel like a lump of coal.
Charlotte Sander is a pragmatic engineer who had to give up her dream of becoming a famous inventor. She is currently working at a “placeholder” job, which she doesn’t enjoy. On the other hand, her husband, Rob, is a dreamer who hopes to buy a house and make a profit by refurbishing it. He is an optimist who always looks at the bright side of every situation. Charlotte and Rob have two children together, Dora and Grant.
Interestingly, Rob and Jackie used to date back in college, and they were both in a No Doubt cover band.
Dora’s obsession with Marvel leads her to believe that she has superpowers of her own. She’s always on a mission to figure out what they might be.
Grant, on the other hand, thinks he’s a ninja warrior. With his trusty sidekick, a stuffed animal named Monkey Bob, Grant can do anything, including embarking on a Christmas adventure of his own.
In the Christmas newsletter, Jackie reports that her daughter, Beatrix, has become the youngest person ever to be accepted at Harvard University, at only ten years old.
Her oldest son, Daniel, is continuing his work to help avert a humanitarian crisis in Africa.
Valentino, Jackie’s husband, owns a highly successful karate dojo and is currently planning and directing the annual Christmas pageant.
As for Jackie herself, she was able to sell her aviation company for millions of dollars and is now enjoying an early retirement with her loving husband and incredibly smart children.
The Sander family is ready to spend Christmas at Charlotte’s sister’s house, but Grant and Monkey Bob have other plans. The kid purposely put the wrong address in the GPS, and the family arrives at Jackie and Valentino’s home.
Now that they’re stuck spending Christmas with the Jennings, Charlotte sees it as an opportunity to prove Jackie’s life isn’t as perfect as she described in the Christmas newsletter.
OUR TAKE
Best. Christmas. Ever! Is a heartwarming and charming Christmas movie. Although it’s not perfect, and some parts of the plot may seem ridiculous, the script and the acting performances make it an enjoyable movie to watch.
The movie centers around themes of forgiveness, compassion, kindness, and the magic of Christmas while also exploring the sadness that can come with the loss of a child. Charlotte’s character undergoes a rapid redeemable arc, repairing her relationship with her friend Jackie and adopting a more optimistic outlook. Throughout the film, both women learn valuable lessons from each other.
Best. Christmas. Ever! Is an easy, lighthearted story, where the viewers don’t need to be completely invested in to follow the movie along.
WATCH OUR REVIEW
Best. Christmas. Ever! is a family holiday movie directed by Mary Lambert.
Runtime 80 minutes
Best. Christmas. Ever! Drops on Netflix on November 16.
CAST
- Heather Graham
- Brandy Norwood
- Matt Cedeño
- Jason Biggs
- Wyatt Hunt
- Abby Villasmil
- Madison Skye Validum
