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Meet Me Next Christmasis the latest in the ever-expanding collection ofNetflixChristmas movies. Over the last several years, the streamer has gotten deep into the Christmas movie game. They still have some work to do to catch up to Hallmark, at least in terms of quantity (Hallmark is premiering32 new Christmas-themed moviesthis year!). But the Netflix Christmas movies have a very similar vibe. They’re cheesy, corny, fluffy, cute, predictable. They’re comfort food movies, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. EnterMeet Me Next Christmas.
Meet Me Next ChristmasPlot
Layla (Christina Milian) meets the charming and handsome James (Kofi Siriboe) during a layover at an airport lounge. They have an instant connection, but there’s only one problem: Layla has a boyfriend. As James leaves for his flight, he makes an offer. If she is somehow single at the same time next year, they’ll meet at the annual Pentatonix Christmas Eve concert in New York City.
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Cut to one year later, and Layla does find herself single. She frantically tries to locate a ticket to the now sold-out concert, leading her to a high-end personal concierge service. Teddy (Devale Elllis) – who, as fate would have it, she also met at the same airport lounge the same day she met James – is assigned to work with her. Together, the two race across the city, trying to locate the elusive ticket that might lead Layla to the love of her life. Though maybe, just maybe, it’s not who she suspects.
Meet Me Next ChristmasReview
So many of the movies likeMeet Me Next Christmastend to follow a very similar outline. They have all the same basic plot points, they feel quite similar. The Christmas rom-com is one of the few genres that can get away with that. On the downside, it makes it harder to differentiate one from the next. It may often feel like you’re watching the same movie over and over.
But on the other hand, that means it doesn’t take much for one of these movies to set itself apart, or at least give it a slightly different feeling. And what setsMeet Me Next Christmasapart is simple: it’s fun, and the characters are having fun. It hits all the same beats, features all the expected tropes. But the adventure-like setup of Layla and Teddy running from place to place, getting themselves into various precarious situations, makes it so much easier to inject fun into the story, without feeling so manufactured.
Each new task or attempt at getting the ticket also provides insight into who both Layla and Teddy are as characters. It’s nothing groundbreaking, by any means. But it’s refreshing to see. So many similar movies try to just get by on their charm. Showcase two attractive leads with no real risk of things not working out for them in the end. The added fact of taking place around Christmas provides more natural charm and comfort.
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To be fair,Meet Me Next Christmasalso trades in on that strategy, and to good enough effect. Milian and Ellis have good, not great, chemistry. But it works well enough. And they manage to turn up the heat when it matters most, so the more important and emotional scenes are able to hit a little harder.
Meet Me Next Christmasalso has strong supporting characters in its arsenal, another area where these movies often struggle. First up is Kalen Allen as Teddy’s cousin Jordy. There are some “cute laughs” throughout the movie, but Allen is legitimately funny. When we meet Jordy, he’s an instant shot of adrenaline, giving both the movie and the audience a nice boost to see us through to the finish line.
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But the not-so-secret weapon is Pentatonix. Teddy is busy DMing their manager, giving her the play-by-play of his efforts to help Layla, hoping it might help score him the ticket. The group becomes interested and follows along as they go.
Director Rusty Cundieff and the screenwriting team of Camilla Rubis and Molly Haldeman use the band sparingly, and perfectly. They don’t focus too much on them, which would have been an easy crutch to lean on. They effectively act as the audience surrogate, invested in Layla and Teddy’s journey just like we are. This is also where they have the best running bit of the movie, having the group members randomly sing on-the-spot lyrics and verses together. It’s the kind of cheesy inclusion that can only work in a movie like this. And it works every time.
IsMeet Me Next Christmasworth watching?
Sure, give it a shot. It’s the same no-stakes Christmas romantic comedy thatNetflix, Hallmark, and other studios release multiple times every year. But there’s a simple reason they can keep doing that. It works. There’s a dedicated, voracious audience that can’t get enough of them.
Meet Me Next Christmasmay not be a “good” movie in the traditional sense. But within its genre, where movies often feel interchangeable with each other, there’s enough here to give this its own identity, and that’s something worth praising.
Meet Me Next Christmasstreams on Netflix beginning November 6.
Meet Me Next Christmas Review – Netflix Rom-Com is Charming and Fun
Matt Hambidge
Film Critic
Articles Published :119
Matt Hambidge is a film critic based in Minneapolis, and is a member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance.You can also find him covering SURVIVOR on the Talking Llama podcast.
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ChristmasChristmas movieNetflixromantic comedy
