5.4
After a twist of fate brings their families together for Christmas, Charlotte sets out to prove her old friend Jackie's life is too good to be true.
Brandy Norwood
Jackie Jennings
Heather Graham
Charlotte Sanders
Jason Biggs
Rob Sanders
Matt Cedeño
Valentino
Wyatt Hunt
Grant Sanders
Abby Villasmil
Dora Sanders
Madison Skye Validum
Beatrix Jennings
Nadia Sine
Rose McCaffrey
Janet Lo
Keiko
Allan Groves
Loan Manager
Randy Mundy
Stranger (Santa)
Paul Kiernan
Workshop Santa
Camille Cadarette
Michelle
Chase Ramsey
Jim
Evan Lai-Hipp
Vacuum Test Center
Jake Mattson
Pully Operator #5
Kylie Rohead
Pageant Mary
Director
Mary Lambert
Screenplay
Charles Shyer
Screenplay, Story
Todd Calgi Gallicano
December 21, 2023
5
Most fitting word to describe <em>'Best. Christmas. Ever!'</em>: lousy.
Nothing about this 2023 production feels organic, every inch of it comes across as unnatural as it even fails to include suitable festive cheer. All of the characters, perhaps aside from the kids (Madison Skye Validum as Beatrix is good tbf), are either unlikeable or uninteresting. The story is so mundane, I got bored by it quick - and the film only lasts around 80mins, so should be a breezy watch but just isn't.
Validum is the only actor onscreen that I would praise, as none of the others manage to stand out; admittedly they are all not helped by what they have to worked with, of course. Heather Graham's Charlotte is pretty poor, quite unlikeable in truth. Brandy Norwood (as Jackie) tries, probably the best of the (not so good) rest.
Possibly lucky to get a 5/10 rating, in truth. The small run time probably helps in that regard, to get below that score from me you kinda have to annoy me - and releases that are short in length don't tend to do that to me. A bad film, all the same.