A singing sensation in need of a new tune and a sweltering single dad in need of a key change make a decent duo in Netflix's seasonal offering.
As sweet, gooey and bouncy as a candy cane, "Christmas With You" provides a refreshingly sugary boost to any Netflix subscriber's movie diet. Centering on a burned-out pop star seeking creative inspiration and finding love, this holiday offering welcomes co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. to rom-coms, a genre he's been absent from for the past two decades. It also offers unexpected seasonal delights with an authentic and universal appeal. The ease with which he presents moving and comic hijinks allows specific aspects of Latin American culture to shape and amplify his genuine emotional impact. And what a beautiful gift that turns out to be.
Director: Gabriela Tagliavini
Writers: Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson, German Michael Torres
Stars: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., Deja Monique Cruz
Recording artist Angelina (Aimee Garcia) has been conquering the charts for decades, but she finds herself stuck at a creative crossroads. The industry at large and hers record producer Barry (Lawrence J. Hughes) are determined to pit her against her labelmate/naive Cheri (Nicolette Stephanie Templier), who has stronger songs, knows social media and looks radiant. Angelina's struggle to stay relevant, coupled with the passing of her mother a few years earlier, has affected her creative output. She's also trying to get out of a bad romance with narcissistic soap opera star Ricardo (Gabriel Sloyer), whom she stays with solely to boost her weak Internet presence. Her insecurities are further shaken when Barry gives her an ultimatum: she comes up with a Christmas theme that will top the charts in a few days or she'll be fired from her.
Seeking solace and a renewal of her seasonal spirit, Angelina and her firecracker assistant Monique (Zenzi Williams) travel to upstate New York. Her plan is to surprise a young fan, 15-year-old Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz), whose cover of one of Angelina's songs touched her heart. Once they arrive, a snowstorm breaks out, forcing them to stay at Cristina's house with her widowed father, a music teacher, Miguel (Prinze, Jr.) and her grandmother Frida (Socorro Santiago). It turns out that Miguel is also a composer in trouble. Angelina believes that if they can work together, she can get her career back and he can get her much-needed money. Only she didn't bargain that she would fall in love with her, and that complicates her career aspirations and the beautiful music they're creating.
Director Gabriela Tagliavini finds the strong rhythmic pulse of the narrative almost immediately in the striking opening credits, which show the strength and strength of her heroine to sing. She even brings the glare to the interstitials between scenes, using the glittering New York City landmarks and the welcoming winter chill of small-town suburbs. The incorporation of cultural heritage, from scenes featuring food to those celebrating special traditions, adds to the rich and heartwarming thematic underpinnings and character design.
Technical craftsmanship also earns its place as a stocking filler. Tagliavini and editor Michael Jablow have a proper understanding of the film's energetic ebbs and flows, cutting with comedic beats in mind and knowing exactly how long to keep the sentimental ones. Despite a noticeable flattening of imagery depth and dimension (a quality all too common with movies of its ilk on broadcast), Wing Lee's production design is full of life, where a teenage room feels tangibly inhabited. and the family dining room. and the living rooms are decorated with twinkling lights of jolly holly.
Screenwriters Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson and Michael Varrati artfully construct searing sentiments about legacy and longevity in the business, shown through the prism of the evolving supportive relationship between two female artists. But they forget to properly develop Cristina and Miguel, instead front-loading and back-loading their conflicts, respectively, and wrapping those conflicts in too neat a loop. Cristina's riddles, mainly related to inviting a cute boy to her quinceañera, are treated with little attention. Also, she is only affected by the death of her mother for about 5 minutes in the first act, in a tender but fleeting moment of bonding between her and Angelina. It's not clear what Miguel's obstacles are until the third act, when he lets them get away in a clumsy exposition.
Watch Christmas with You 2022 Movie Trailer
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