Am not somebody who hates Christmas or has a bias against made for television Christmas films. The complete opposite on both counts and have made that clear more than once and will continue to do so if necessary (though am refraining as much as possible from reiterating too much). The premise did sound quite interesting and seemed like it was trying to do something a little different. So watched 'Holly's Holiday' with the intent to like it.
Sadly, there are just too many flaws with 'Holly's Holiday' for me to do that. It's not entirely terrible and has a few good things, but there is a lot wrong with it and it is another film where the worst of the bad things are executed pretty terribly. A case of a pretty decent premise not done anywhere near enough with and with mediocre at best execution. Am usually, or at least there is the attempt to be, a balanced and encouraging person when reviewing films, television etc. but 'Holly's Holiday' is one of those films where it is not always easy to take that attitude.
'Holly's Holiday' is not a complete loss. The best thing about it is Jeff Ward as the only character who is entertaining or likeable, he seemed fully engaged with his role and brought a smile to my face. Also think Claire Coffee did better than expected in a role that is easy to make obnoxious, but she brought the right amount of able charm to it.
The soundtrack is pleasant enough in parts as is some of the scenery.
On the other hand, a lot works against 'Holly's Holiday'. For my tastes Ryan McPartlin was too robotic and one-dimensional, even for the type of character he was playing. He and Coffee don't always seem at ease together and the writers overdo it with trying to make him too perfect (hence what was meant by one-dimensional). The supporting cast are not very memorable, while Gabrielle Dennis tries too hard in her role. The chemistry between the lead actors didn't seem natural, well developed or with much spark, pretty bland, while the characters are basically standard cliches with not much to them and don't feel real.
Didn't think that the script was good either. The more comedic elements were pretty cheesy and lack any kind of freshness, as well as feeling very strained. The drama lacks momentum and tends to be too mawkish. All the different elements in the script and story don't work individually and completely fail to gel together, parts being too jokey and others being over-serious. Add to that inane dialogue, no spark let alone charm, warmth or heart, emotional coldness, quite cheap production values that never look authentic (apart from some of the scenery, the editing is especially shoddy) and contrivance galore and you have a film that really does not work on most levels.
Concluding, weak. 3/10
