In pursuit of a fairytale romance with the man of her dreams, Layla must race through New York City to get her hands on the hottest ticket in town: the sold out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert.
From recent memory, not many romantic comedies have hit the large or small screen, which is a shame because the genre is such a powerful draw as far as potential viewings go. However, Christina Milian’s latest feature, Meet Me Next Christmas, hitting Netflix has filled the romantic comedy gap that exists on the screen. Not only is this film funny, but it contains some emotional weight that could’ve easily been brushed aside, making this another forgettable film that gets lost in the cloud of online content. Milian’s last romantic comedy, Resort To Love (2021), was decent, but there wasn’t anything memorable about it. It’s also hard to recommend for someone to dedicate at least ninety minutes of their lives to consuming it. It may not be worth it, but this time around, Meet Me Next Christmas, may be.
When it comes to romance, most people are entertained by the labyrinth of a love triangle. This particular movie starts out as a love square, so you’re instantly drawn in wondering how things will play out. During the relationship discoveries, Layla (Christina Milian), the main lead, presents herself as a classy professional. She has a great career, is very kind, and isn’t the type who thinks she’s entitled to happiness. She’s willing to work hard for it all, but unfortunately, just hasn’t found that perfect match made in heaven. After her current relationship sours, she believes that fate will guide her to a land of happily ever after, and she’s willing to do nearly anything to achieve it. She meets the guy of her dreams and agrees to meet him a year later at a concert if single at the time. It’s a cute gesture that’s somewhat relatable because everyone has imagined at least once what life would be like if they found that special someone. The dialogue between her and her best friend to navigate to this point is a bit forced and unrealistic in a real-life situation, but it gets the job done to keep the narrative flowing in the right direction for the film. What I like about Layla is her loyalty. She’s not one to cheat or even flirt with the idea of it, even if it falls on her lap. Layla may not be everyone’s type as far as looks or personality (that’s in the eye of the beholder), but all can agree that they want a partner that will respect their relationship during the good and the bad and that is a large part of our main character, Layla.
A lesson could be learned here as far as the pacing of the story goes though. During a certain scene in the first act, drama fails to unfold where it should have. The scene is rushed through and treated as a gage, which is a mistake that should’ve been taken more seriously during the film. Slight spoiler here, but Layla is cheated on by her current boyfriend in the beginning. The film only dedicates sixty seconds to this revelation and then moves on as if nothing significant happened. This doesn’t ruin the film at all, but it takes the stakes away, making you feel as if no matter what, Layla will find love toward the end of the film. You wouldn’t be frowned upon if you mentally checked out of the film at this point, writing it off as just another silly comedy.
Surprisingly, that emotional weight or connection between the characters is found a little after an hour into the film. Teddy (Devale Ellis) becomes more prominent in the film and is also a hopeless romantic. His relationship with Layla is adorable, and the adventure these two embark on to help Layla find her Pentatonix concert tickets is a blast. They’re racing throughout the city as if this is a game, and it’s all adorable to be a part of. Another addition that makes this film funny is Milian’s personality. Not speaking of her character, but herself and the rest of the crew are fully aware of what type of film this is, and the audience they’re trying to reach. The film achieves this successfully as well. But back to her personality, there are multiple scenes where Milian is acting out her character bits, but laughing on the inside knowing how silly and fun the situations are. It’s as if she has an inside joke with all of her fans watching the show/movie saying, “Oh, just look how silly this scene is, but we’re having so much fun.” She’s able to communicate this without speaking a word, and also not breaking character. It just makes the entire scene that much more fun.
This film has also now made me a fan of the real-life vocal group Pentatonix. Their addition may be one of the best aspects of the film. Their voices and chemistry oozed high-quality entertainment. You could also tell they all were having so much fun on set being themselves. This film was a true jam session as well, and not just from the Pentatonix group but from Christina Milian as well. She is also a recording artist in real life, and she for sure shows the audience all of her musical skills when the story/plot of the film organically calls for it.
Layla and Teddy are so cute together in this film, and you’re always wondering if these two should be together, or if Layla is better off with James (Kofi Siriboe), whom she met a year ago. Whoever she ends up with, either choice would be a splendid one, but it goes to show how complicated dating can be and how it’s also about timing. That’s something we’ve all been through and have to learn to deal with as adults as well. Yet, this movie was a fun ride, with countless jokes, great characters, a compelling story, and overall, a feel-good time. Don’t sleep on this one because you’ll be missing out on something good. This film would be nearly perfect though if it took the drama toward the beginning of the film a little more seriously.
Video Review:
Official Trailer:
