Directed by: John Whitesell
Written by: Tiffany Paulsen
Starring: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Kristin Chenoweth, Jake Manley, Cynthy Wu, and Julien Marlon Samani.
A feel-good comedy type romance film about a single woman who is fed up with being reminded about being single by her mother, particularly during holidays, who ended up meeting a tall, handsome stranger at a department store, where they both end up agreeing to become each-others “plus one’s” during holiday seasons throughout the year, but, like any no strings attached relationship, they catch feelings during this agreement.
After their first meet, both Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) agree to meet properly for a first date on Valentine’s Day, but Sloane backs out and decides not to contact Jackson. However, she ends up bumping into him anyway when he sees she is in an awkward situation being faced with her ex and his new Girlfriend. Jackson comes to the rescue and pretends to be Sloane’s boyfriend, ending up with both of them spending the rest of Valentine’s Day together and then making a new agreement to pay all holidays together. This is not a “friends with benefits” proposition, and both agree it will be both intimate and affectionate, but nothing sexual.
Upon seeing this film, I had already guessed how things would turn out by the end, as any film that introduces a similar plotline to this one always ends with the two characters ending up together because they fall for each other. The slow process between Sloane and Jackson creates space for their emotional connection, ultimately leading them to want to be with one another, despite desperately convincing themselves they don’t like each other in that way.
A romantic feel-good comedy, which was a delight to watch and regardless of knowing how it will end up with both characters, I enjoyed the way the film made me feel, with the holidays and how fast each holiday approached, as it somehow, to me, felt relevant, particularly during the time we are in at the moment with COVID-19, the time has really passed a lot of us by, as I am still mentally in March even though it is now November. (This film was filmed before COVID-19!)
The Halloween scenes and Christmas scenes put me in the mood for those holidays, and made me excited for Christmas, even though it is going to be very different this year.
An all-round feel-good movie, with comedic elements thrown in for people to enjoy. Oh, and there is a mention of Ryan Gosling in this movie, which gave me the feeling of wanting to know if he does his own shopping or if he is too cool for that, as stated in a cameo clip from the movie.
This movie is now available to stream on Netflix. Let me know what you think of this film and if it gave you a sense of Christmas early.
I give this film a 5 star rating!
Room For A Review 