Some years are far better than others for new Christmas content. I know this because I consume them in the same way that I do my mom’s raspberry thumbprint cookies: until I am so sick that I don’t want to see another one for 10 more months. So far, 2023 has been pretty bleak when it comes to the genre. Sure, there have been occasional flashes of merriment and good tidings here and there—like in Ludacris’ holiday film that’s also somehow a political thriller, or in the Fellow Travelers Christmas episode that’s far more naughty than it is nice. But for every decent entry into the Christmas canon, there’s a moldy fruitcake wrapped in a gaudy bow. The less we talk about the bizarro Best. Christmas. Ever! or It’s a Wonderful Knife, the better.
Thankfully, one movie has arrived to tip the scales, and it’s the one that no one could’ve expected: EXmas, starring Leighton Meester and her blunt bangs. If you’ve watched the trailer for this movie, which is now streaming on Amazon FreeVee, you know exactly why: It looks like a mawkish, sparsely plotted rom-com that would be another egregious misuse of Meester’s effervescent star power. But being the Gossip Girl devotee and Christmas connoisseur that I am, I was prepared to endure. To my delight, EXmas is one of the year’s most unexpected holiday surprises, a warm and highly amusing comedy that genuinely feels like a 90-minute glimpse into a big family holiday.
That recognizable sensation of domestic hearth makes it easy for viewers to see why Meester’s character, Ali, is so eager to spend the holidays with her ex-boyfriend Graham’s (Robbie Amell) family, despite the fact that Graham and Ali have been broken up for nearly a year. Their relationship lasted a solid half-decade, during which time Ali became a real part of Graham’s loving, dysfunctional brood. Without much family of her own—and with Graham unable to make it home for the holidays because of an unexpected work obligation—Ali accepts an invitation from Graham’s parents, Jeannie (Kathryn Greenwood) and Dennis (the always hilarious Michael Hitchcock), to enjoy Christmas with them. They all think it’s the perfect plan, one Graham never has to know about as long as everyone keeps their traps shut, at least until Graham makes the last-minute decision to fly home for a surprise.
