Certificate: 15
Running time: 104 minutes
Starring: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Jessica Capshaw, Kristin Chenoweth
Directed by: John Whitesell
The story: Fed up of being alone and judged on every holiday, Sloane and Jackson agree to be each other's plus one for special occasions throughout the year.
The verdict: Films featuring Christmas, a slightly more cynical view of romance and Emma Roberts are all things that I really like. With that in mind, I thought that Holidate was going to be a sure-fire hit for me and that is why it is even more disappointing to report that this film was a bit of a turkey.
Holidate completely fails as a romantic comedy, namely because it is neither funny nor is the romance element very convincing. The jokes mostly fell flat for me, relying on cheap gags, and I didn't laugh out loud once. Meanwhile the romance is so contrived that apart from a couple of nice moments, that heart-warming "n'aww" feeling that romantic comedies often inspire is missing throughout and when it finally comes, it all feels a bit too late.
There is nothing wrong with the performances in this and I actually liked seeing Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey together. The problem is that neither of their characters are particularly likeable - they aren't horrible or awful but nor did I ever find myself rooting for them. Unfortunately, the synopsis has already given away what happens (not that it is not already easily predictable for anyone that has ever seen a rom-com before) and so you know that they are going to get together, it is just a case of when. I found myself wishing they would just get on with it.
Overall, yes this film does exactly what it says on the tin but I found the execution dissatisfying. I wanted this film to be the cheesy, romantic, seasonal film that it looked like it was going to be. Sadly, The Holidate definitely belongs on the naughty list.
The rating: ★★
Comments
Post a Comment