I grew up in the 90s, so the second I saw Netflix was bringing a pile of celebrities who hit it big that decade to a Christmas movie, I needed to see it, for better or for worse. Best. Christmas. Ever. brings American Pie’s Jason Biggs, Austin Powers’s Heather Graham, and pop-sensation Brandy to the screen. Why these three? Who knows. But I needed to see how it played out.
Heather Graham and Jason Biggs play Charlotte and Rob Sanders, a blue-collar couple who live modest lives. Brandy Norwood plays Jackie Jennings, an old college friend and Rob’s ex-girlfriend, and Matt Cedeño plays Valentino, her incredibly perfect husband. Every year—aside from one—Jackie sends off a holiday newsletter about how wonderful her life with her husband and two children is.
Charlotte resents this form of bragging and, through a series of mishaps, ends snowed in with Jackie and her family for the holidays, but she is determined to prove that all the perfect isn’t real. But of course, this is a Christmas movie, so there has to be a happy ending in there somewhere.
I’ll start by saying, Best. Christmas. Ever. starts off feeling like it is taking notes from a National Lampoon movie where everything that can go wrong will, right down to slapstick falls and cheap laughs. Nothing new here, and it is never something I love, but it will put smiles on viewer’s faces.
“Best. Christmas. Ever. starts off feeling like it is taking notes from a National Lampoon movie where everything that can go wrong will…”
There are plenty of moments that feel forced and unnatural, like a twirl when the daughter sees a big fancy house, the big attitude on the tiny genius, and literally any moment between Charlotte and Jackie. Jason Biggs is the most believable actor in the movie, and if you know his work, you know that it isn’t a huge sell.
Best. Christmas. Ever. has a story that, in itself, is relatable, especially as a parent. The grass always seems greener on the other side, and even more, what people usually put out there is the best of the best when, behind the scenes, things are actually a mess. Knowing that doesn’t stop us as people from being jealous and nosey, though, and that is what propels the story forward.
What Best. Christmas. Ever. does a little differently, however, is wraps up that storyline about halfway through the movie and begins another. The families solve their differences and then work together to solve their own issues together—part of that happy ending we were talking about earlier. It felt like a film that wasn’t long enough, even with both full plot points, and they crammed in material to make it feature-length.
With all of that in mind, Best. Christmas. Ever. is still full of smiles and small laughs. It embraces being over the top and unbelievable, so if you can sit down and accept that the next 81 minutes will be a bit silly, you can find something to enjoy. The story is heartwarming, eventually, even if it is a bit predictable. The movie hit what it was going for by launching to that Hallmark Christmas Movie market, even if Netflix did pick it up.
Here is my biggest issue, though: why can’t a holiday comedy be good without being cheesy or campy? This film clearly had a bigger budget, and that is clear with the cast and even some special effects. The story itself includes things like crumb-repelling gloves, which clearly need to save the day somehow. Feel-good moments, small laughs, and a touch of Christmas magic should not be the only standards for these kinds of films.
Is the Best. Christmas. Ever. the new gold standard for holiday entertainment? Absolutely not. Is it an entertaining, short movie you can throw on to make things feel a little more Christmassy? Sure.
