Ghosts of Christmas Past

Like most Christmas movies, this was so predictable and formulaic that it made my blood sugar spike until I passed out.

I'm giving it 2 stars because I was unconscious through most of it, which is the nicest thing I can say about this 1h 27m descent into mediocrity.

I guess.. if you like christmas movies.. you might like it?

Typical cheesy christmas movie.

All the new christmas movies that come out are just so cringy.. including this one imo..

The title might be misleading. I was thinking some variation of A Christmas Carol, but it's not that at all. It's based on the practice of "ghosting" dates. Ellie is told she has to reconcile, or at least apologize, with all the men she has either ghosted online or in real life, or else be cursed. So, she enlists her co-worker to help her track them all down. Meanwhile the two of them are working on a pitch for a game they want to develop.

Ellie and Charlie spend a lot of time together between the two tasks and build a relationship. Dan Jeannotte plays Charlie. Charlie is more laid back than Ellie and almost irreverent about real life. Annie Clark's Ellie is meticulous. Their chemistry together is good as their characters rough out each other's edges.

In some ways it is an unusual premise even though at the roots it is one where two co-workers get thrown together. Tracking down the ghosted men adds something different. It seems like this is going to be an average story with no highs or lows, but then there is a twist. It caught me totally, but I think I should have seen it coming. From the point where the twist is revealed, the story gets interesting with several good moments. Good acting and directing.

Within the genre (Hallmark-ish romance), this movie is a cut above. Actually, it's just a good movie. The writing isn't mawkish and embarrassing, and the plot is sufficiently interesting to sustain anticipation of the inevitable. The leads are great and the character players do their jobs well. If you're looking for a Cohen brothers movie, then no, this isn't it (by the way, the ill-treated Intolerable Cruelty is an absolute delight, probably my favourite comedy-romance film; it's wrongly discounted for not being Cohen-brothers-weird enough, but is grade AAA+ in its conception and execution). And I've hit the minimum word limit. All the best in your life. See you in the great beyond (not a cry for help, just good vibes :).

Completely self-absorbed yet vapid female is sent by a fortune teller, on what feels like *The* 12-step program to apologize to all of the (probably) decent guys she "ghosted" on a dating app.

If you need to be told you're shallow and not only do you need to change your ways, but maybe look around and make amends to the people near you, your conceit is probably a lost cause. Fortune tellers should advise everyone to get off the apps and go meet real people "irl".

Most surprising twist? Not one of these guys says "no worries, I totally ghosted you first." I suggest if this is the only Christmas movie on, turn off the TV and bake cookies for your neighbors.