Falling for Christmas (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Whether you craved her big return or not ... Lindsay Lohan is back! Here, she stars in 'Falling for Christmas', a Netflix Original/Hallmark-like holiday confection directed by Janeen Damian. Set in a luxurious mountaintop ski resort during Christmastime, Lohan stars as beautiful Sierra Belmont, the snobby, pampered heiress to the prestigious Belmont Hotels and, is currently dating pretentious social media influencer Tad Fairchild (George Young) while also being pressured by her dad (Jack Wagner) to become Vice President of Atmosphere for his Belmont hotels, a position that carries basically no responsibility -- perfect for her.
Meanwhile at the nearby North Star Lodge, handsome Jake Russell (Glee's Chord Overstreet), the widowed owner is struggling to keep his resort alive in the face of competition from bigger resorts & Airbnbs. When Jake's adorable, precocious daughter, Avy (Olivia Perez) makes a secret Christmas wish, Sierra gets knocked unconscious after Ted's startling marriage proposal sent the two of them careening - and separated - down a skiing cliff. Jake finds Sierra during a comfy sleigh ride & gets her to town for help, but she has no ID on her and ... has amnesia. With Jake, Avy & his mother-in-law (Alejandra Flores), Sierra discovers life's simpler joys while recouping at the lodge. And while Sierra's father searches for her, Avy wonders if her Christmas wish for his father to find love again could possibly come true?
'Falling for Christmas' is pure Lifetime/Hallmark Channel holiday fluff that Netflix has bolstered to a higher level with some nifty production design. This film is positioned as something of a "comeback" for Lindsay Lohan and, while I've never felt that she was some amazing thespian that so many people have always praised her to be {sure, she was a gifted child actress}, I AM pleased that she seems to have overcome her demons and looks fantastic. She is a steady actress who knows her strengths & weaknesses as a performer and, she acquits herself very well throughout what ends up being exactly what we'd expect from a movie of this ilk.
The plot is implausible & laughable, so critiquing that is a fool's errand. Think of every single cheesy romantic comedy that has existed for the last 90 yrs. & you can find formulaic tropes in this one from all those before it. I wouldn't even say that there is great romantic chemistry btwn. Lohan & Overstreet. BUT. We "like" Lohan's Sierra. We "like" Overstreet's Jake. We "like" Jake's folks. These are all good-hearted people that we want to see overcome their various obstacles amid the Christmas season. And as mentioned above, the production design blew my mind. The film is decorated to within an inch of its life with Christmas joy. For better or worse, this movie is exactly the type you think it is. If you THINK you'll enjoy it, you probably will.
Meanwhile at the nearby North Star Lodge, handsome Jake Russell (Glee's Chord Overstreet), the widowed owner is struggling to keep his resort alive in the face of competition from bigger resorts & Airbnbs. When Jake's adorable, precocious daughter, Avy (Olivia Perez) makes a secret Christmas wish, Sierra gets knocked unconscious after Ted's startling marriage proposal sent the two of them careening - and separated - down a skiing cliff. Jake finds Sierra during a comfy sleigh ride & gets her to town for help, but she has no ID on her and ... has amnesia. With Jake, Avy & his mother-in-law (Alejandra Flores), Sierra discovers life's simpler joys while recouping at the lodge. And while Sierra's father searches for her, Avy wonders if her Christmas wish for his father to find love again could possibly come true?
'Falling for Christmas' is pure Lifetime/Hallmark Channel holiday fluff that Netflix has bolstered to a higher level with some nifty production design. This film is positioned as something of a "comeback" for Lindsay Lohan and, while I've never felt that she was some amazing thespian that so many people have always praised her to be {sure, she was a gifted child actress}, I AM pleased that she seems to have overcome her demons and looks fantastic. She is a steady actress who knows her strengths & weaknesses as a performer and, she acquits herself very well throughout what ends up being exactly what we'd expect from a movie of this ilk.
The plot is implausible & laughable, so critiquing that is a fool's errand. Think of every single cheesy romantic comedy that has existed for the last 90 yrs. & you can find formulaic tropes in this one from all those before it. I wouldn't even say that there is great romantic chemistry btwn. Lohan & Overstreet. BUT. We "like" Lohan's Sierra. We "like" Overstreet's Jake. We "like" Jake's folks. These are all good-hearted people that we want to see overcome their various obstacles amid the Christmas season. And as mentioned above, the production design blew my mind. The film is decorated to within an inch of its life with Christmas joy. For better or worse, this movie is exactly the type you think it is. If you THINK you'll enjoy it, you probably will.