There isn’t a day that I don’t get the allure of having Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea in a movie together. Sabrina the Teenage Witch forever, am I right? I would love to say that anything that has to do with them would be great. But, nostalgia going out the window and reality setting in, Holiday Mismatch just wasn’t matching for me.
When I watch Countdown to Christmas, a lot of the time, I know that it’s going to be a love story, inspired by the meaning of Christmas. It is something that I really appreciate and even though I am the biggest cynic of love, it’s something that I truly start to believe in when watching Countdown to Christmas movies.
Holiday Mismatch had a love story element, but it was more about friendships, judgements, and really seeing the good in people.
Kath and Barbara are exact opposites. They really deal with life differently and are set in their ways. Both are volunteering for the Christmas Committee in the town. Kath is a fly by the seat of your pants, put receipts in a shoe box, just know that she did it kind of person. Barbara is a tell it like it is, spreadsheet, organized person. They don’t know how to communicate and they definitely are annoyed by each other.
The thing is though, they have more in common than they think they do. It’s something that they are going to have to learn the hard way and that may be part of the fun of this movie. Though many enjoyed the movie, I will have to admit that for me – it wasn’t something that I enjoyed.
Kath and Barb are both meddling mothers who seem to think that their children don’t know how to develop relationships. They want them to have love – which is great, because like what parent doesn’t. So, in an effort to do this, they sign them up on a dating app.
Now, where I know that parents do this, it just is weird. Even weirder to me is that the kids decide in order to make their Moms calm down, both of their kids decide to go on a date. Of course, without the Moms realizing it, the kids are set up with each other.
Holiday Mismatch is so cliched that I had to laugh, but not because I minded it. I love a cliche and I love a trope. What I didn’t love was that no matter what happened Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea seemed to rely too much on the characters that they once played versus being new ones. They feel no different than characters I have seen them play a million times.
And I had to wonder am I the only person that felt that way?
Watching fake dating – I don’t normally mind it. You know that it’s going to result in the fake daters falling for each other. It’s the journey that they go on that is part of the charm. Fake dating isn’t my favorite trope, but that’s in part because i feel like it messes with peoples feelings and I don’t like that per say.
The kids, Lauren and Shane are cute together. The two challenge each other and make each other rethink their dreams. They push each other to not be ones to give up and I do love that about them. Maxine Denis and Jon McLaren are great in their roles, but I do feel like their chemistry was completely lacking. That pulled me out of rooting for them as a couple.
The two had agreed to “fake date” to get their mothers off their back and it does work, but for reasons that they don’t realize. Their Moms are supportive because they want to break them up.
Of course, the Mamas get Lauren and Shane to break up, only to find that their kids really like each other. Having to put their differences aside is hard for them, but the Mamas do it.
Holiday Mismatch wasn’t horrible, but it was predictable and to me… boring. My reality is that I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t. Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea just pulled me out of it and I didn’t enjoy them in the film.
And I hate that for me.
The love story element was mediocre. The rivalry between Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea‘s characters was predictable. The twists and turns were predictable.
But I can appreciate the nostalgia, which is why I will give it ★★★.
