Movie Review: Holidate

 

Take a look at the above poster for a second. Seems pretty obvious what type of movie Holidate will be right? The corny title/tagline and cutesy "dating is a drag!" looks from the actors seem to be teasing a  Hallmark-esque disgustingly sentimental Christmas romcom that would've likely starred Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon if it was made back in the genre's shameless cash cow era back in the early 2000's. Well, there's a reason why it's wrong to jump to premature conclusions about people or things kids because Holidate is a fun, proudly R-rated ride that subtly subverts the time-tested romantic comedy formula while honoring the best parts of it.

Holidate feels like the result of an experiment where a recent-ish cynical indie romcom like Sleeping with Other People or Destination Wedding was filtered through a palatable mainstream lens. In other words, it has enough of an edge that it doesn't feel like a fairy tale, but still sunny enough to retain the cheery bounce that people watch these movies for. This balance is evident in its plot which essentially boils down to fate bringing a pair of relatively snarky, selfish pricks together (Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey) to be each other's platonic date for holiday gatherings over the course of a year. Their shared contempt for the serial optimism/nagging of the people around them draws them closer together, the past relationship misfortunate that fuels their negative worldview that make them refuse to commit to a relationship and then when all seems lost, the happily ever ending comes in to wrap things up on a high after teetering between both sides of the "will they or won't they" coin for the previous 90 minutes. The structure remains very conventional at its core and the abundant chemistry between Roberts and Bracey remains the primary appeal of the project, but its little details such as an abrupt dismantling of a "someone new comes in and sweeps (insert party) off their feet" subplot and amusing, often obscene fakeouts when a groanworthy cliché moment appears to be on the horizon adds some unexpectedly flavorful notes that helps bolster the effectiveness of this traditional recipe.

Surprises that aren't rooted in some form of tragedy seem practically unattainable these days, so when something positively unexpected like an energetic, funny and pretty clever romantic comedy from the director of Big Momma's House 2 and co-writer of Nancy Drew comes along, it's a tiny blessing that has to be cherished for a moment or two. The best case scenario for this project seemed like it was going to be an underrated talent in Roberts slumming it in a mediocre, dated affair and it ended up being a very solidly crafted effort that's better than a good chunk of the romantic comedies that have been released in the past 5 years. Kudos to the Netflix romantic comedy machine for making this unexpected joy happen and may at least one of the next 25 algorithm-friendly eggs that hatches from it be at least as enjoyable as Holidate.       

Grade: B