Every single year, it seems like Christmas begins sooner and sooner. We just said goodbye to Halloween a couple of weeks ago, and Christmas has already started. It makes sense, the holidays basically become an excuse to spend time with your loved ones, buy gifts, and eat lots of delicious food. Who doesn’t like that? Netflix is right there with you, and it has decided that Christmas begins now. To do it, they have decided to give Lindsay Lohan her own Christmas vehicle, hoping that will put everyone who watches in the Christmas mood.
Falling for Christmas is a film directed by Janeen Damian, and stars Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, George Young and Jack Wagner. The film tells the story of Sierra, a young millionaire, and heir to the hotel empire of her father. Sierra doesn’t feel comfortable having a job, or having any responsibilities. However, when an accident makes her lose her memories, she will have to begin from scratch and maybe even finding things that she never thought she would want in life.
Falling for Christmas is the quintessential Netflix Christmas movie. It is fascinating to see how Netflix has basically managed to copy a formula over and over again and still make people watch the same movie but with different actors. Falling for Christmas isn’t anything new in the Christmas movie business, it hits every single plot point that has always been hit, and it does it in the same way it has always been done. It is quite scary, though, to think that movies can become manufactured in this way. Nevertheless, movies like this one have an audience.
Brian De Palma, recently, gave his opinion on the state of cinema and the rise of streaming services. One of his observations seems very pertinent to Falling for Christmas and basically most streaming productions out there. He points out how everything is lit up nowadays in these streaming movies. Every movie is not shot digitally, as it is way cheaper than shooting on film. However, for some reason, the lighting has been transformed from an art form to a loadout where every movie seems to be taking place inside a Walmart.
The way things are lit in these movies really makes everything seem artificial. Illumination this perfect tells you on a subconscious level that you are in a set and that these are actors. It really breaks the small amount of immersion that these stories can create, and they definitely end up feeling more like a product than a creative effort. Every movie that is released commercially is a product, for sure, but some of them are certainly trying to go beyond that. Netflix Christmas movies are definitely not going to do that, at all.
Falling for Christmas is as predictable as they come. We have seen this movie countless times before. Some people find comfort watching the same movie over and over again, so there must be part of something like that in this movie. We have seen the same characters, plot points, and conclusion many times before, but seeing them play out with different actors, seems to be enough for a part of the audience. If you are looking for something that surprises you and makes you think, this is not the movie for you.
Thankfully, Lindsay Lohan still has the charm that made a start in the first place. Lohan’s road has been rough, and her behavior in the past hasn’t always been the best. However, in front of a camera, she definitely delivers precisely what you expect of her. There is a sense of coziness and safety that comes from watching her move around this Christmas love story, and that is absolutely something worth watching. If you want those feelings to be ignited in you, then this is the movie for you.
The rest of the cast does a good job, but none of them offer any fantastic performances. Actually, most of the acting is solid, and perfectly in line with what the movie and the audience expect from this kind of production. Overstreet is a perfect vanilla protagonist, and plays perfectly the role of the nice guy finishing last. Meanwhile, Wagner plays the perfect vanilla father as well. There is zero risk taken with any of these characters, and it feels like a wasted opportunity.
George Young is definitely the standout actor in the movie. He goes full for broke with his interpretation of an influencer obsessed with numbers. The actor manages to create one of the most annoying characters of the year, and yet, it becomes worse, and you stop and think about how most of his interpretation completely rooted in reality. There are a lot of Tads out there, people who can never let go of a phone, and whose social media numbers basically define their existence. The movie tries to take a risk with the character at the end, and yet it feels like a complete cop-out.
Falling for Christmas will not win any new fans for the genre of Netflix Christmas movies, and it will not win Lindsay Lohan new fans either. However, the movie delivers on what it promises, and it can even make you laugh once or twice during its runtime. So, the movie becomes a perfect way to kill 90 minutes and start getting into the Christmas mood, right now. Just don’t expect any surprises. This is as old-fashioned as it can get.
