Faded rom-com lacking both the chemistry and the comedy

On paper, this rom-com should work. It’s exactly the kind of movie in which Lindsay Lohan has always excelled – where she’s a little awkward, yet charming, making huge mistakes yet it all works out in the end. Like in Just My Luck with Chris Pine (Star Trek reboot, Wonder Woman), the ever-classic BFF movie, Mean Girls, or this year’s Irish Wish with Ed Speleers (Star Trek: Picard S3, Outlander). 

Yet somehow it just doesn’t come together, lacking both connection and great laughs or even giggles. While Lohan looks sparkly the rest of the cast appears nearly sepia-ed and the two realms never quite meet. Lohan shines too brightly for everyone else, making an odd contrast, like she’s the celeb who showed up at your house by mistake. But rather than coming off as fabulous, it instead feels awkward. Still, if you’ve never seen a rom-com before, you will not be in doubt as to the main character of the film.

The little secret lies between exes who re-meet at the family Christmas of their new partners who just happen to be brother and sister in an uppity three-child family. So, the two agree to keep it on the down-low because that could be awkward. Right? Almost instantly the younger sibling of the house finds out, eager to blackmail the houseguests for all it’s worth. 

Lohan plays Avery while Ian Harding (Pretty Little Liars, Long Slow Exhale) is ex-boo, Logan. It’s led by Stephen Herek, a director known for light entertainment including the recent Dog Gone plus classics like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Mr. Holland’s Opus. But even with this well-versed team, including some familiar faces among the parents, the whole thing has a bit of a designer-imposter feel.

While Lohan may forcibly shine through, her ill-fitting and unflattering outfits distract as much as the lighting contrast. But the bigger problem is certainly the dearth of chemistry across any of the cast – lovers, family, friends… For a practiced comedienne such as Lohan, one wonders how this came together as it has.

Even if this precise story hasn’t been told before, it feels like it has, offering little in the way of surprise. Of course, this little secret is the tip of the predictable iceberg, where Logan – current boyfriend of Cassie, played by Katie Baker (The Sex Lives of College Girls) – is tasked with holding everyone’s indiscretions, one after the other, as he continues to hang out in the wrong place at the wrong time just trying to get some work done. 

Of course, in the time-honored tradition of rom-coms, all the way back to Shakespeare, there has to be a mix of misunderstanding, misplaced romantic feelings and tropey circumstances – like when your girlfriend’s mom receives the lacey gift meant for your date. The wall of painted family portraits gracing the family home is another clever if disconcerting touch. Kristin Chenoweth adds energy as the self-absorbed mother but she too is flying solo, disconnected from the rest of the cast. (For a better taste, catch her quick appearance in Wicked: Part 1). I’m sad to say my favorite visual is that of the outside of the enviable family home.

Unsurprisingly, once aligned, Avery and Logan gradually begin to revisit feelings for each other. Yet it’s not an easy road as set up by their public break-up early in the tale. One can’t help but think if less time was spent on whipping through backstory and more on the emotions and relationships between each character in the present, this might have felt a little more charming. The ‘defining moment’ is barely glazed over while the other pairings are an afterthought that seems more like an attempt to tie things with a hasty holiday bow.

Ultimately, it’s got cute moments but lands as banal and disappointing. 

Harsh? Share your thoughts in the comments below. No shade if you loved it…

Check out our Ending Explained story to come. 

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