When I saw ‘Buzzfeed Studios’ pop up at the beginning of EXmas, that should’ve been my first red flag. This movie is the cinematic equivalent of one of their clickbait articles. I’d compare it to a Hallmark movie, but that would be an insult to the Hallmark channel.
I usually know exactly what to expect from these types of holiday movies. They’re super cheesy, self-aware of their own tropes, and follow a variation of the same cookie-cutter template. They aren’t very good, but they’re warm and comforting in their own way. What I didn’t expect was something so lazy that it failed to even tick those basic boxes.
Honestly, the fundamental framework of a fun holiday flick is here. The premise is sturdy, and there’s potential for some really entertaining situational comedy. There are numerous moments throughout that should’ve been hilarious, but the complete lack of effort in setting these moments up is aggravating. It’s like the writers had a bunch of ideas for funny situations, but had no idea how to get the characters into them, and didn’t care to even try.
The lazy joke setup is nothing compared to the movie’s most fatal flaw - the rickety, underdeveloped, thoughtless relationship between the two leads. Robbie Amell and Leighton Meester play Graham and Ali - a separated couple who now have to spend the Christmas Holidays together with Graham’s family. Not only is their chemistry lukewarm at best, but these characters don’t seem to even know why they aren’t together anymore. Hell, the movie doesn’t seem to know either.
When it comes to cheesy Christmas rom-coms, my expectations are pretty low. Somehow, EXmas managed to crawl beneath that low bar to deliver one of the laziest genre entries I’ve ever seen. Hey Buzzfeed, here are 10 reasons to skip your new Christmas movie. You won’t believe number 7. Link in bio.
0.5/5
Review by: Benjamin Garrett