The Lost Holliday

I absolutely loved this story. The writing genuinely tugged at my heartstrings had me in tears, resonating deeply with its emotional depth and authenticity. The cinematography was a visual feast, beautifully shot with meticulous attention to detail that captured the essence of every scene. The actors delivered phenomenal performances, bringing their characters to life with incredible nuance and conviction. Each moment felt real and impactful, making the entire experience unforgettable. The combination of stellar writing, breathtaking visuals, and outstanding acting made this story truly exceptional.

The Lost Holiday is a meandering, pretentious mess masquerading as indie charm. It's like someone found a half-finished student film and said, "Yeah, good enough." The characters are insufferable, the dialogue is painfully forced, and the plot - if you can even call it that - stumbles around like a drunk at closing time. Watching this movie feels less like entertainment and more like being trapped at a party you desperately want to leave, but the hosts just won't stop talking about themselves. A complete waste of time that somehow manages to feel both hollow and smug.

Spend your hours watching something else.

The Lost Holiday, offers an emotionally rich and deeply nuanced story that explores themes of family, love, grief, and reconciliation. The film is centered on Cassandra Marshall, played by the legendary Vivica A. Fox, who learns of her estranged son Damien Holliday's (Jabari Redd) death and travels to Los Angeles to handle his arrangements. However, Cassandra is shocked to discover that her son's husband, Jason Holliday (portrayed by Smollett), has already taken care of everything. Cassandra not only grapples with her son's death but also the revelation that he was gay and had a life - including a husband and a foster daughter - she knew nothing about.

Vivica A. Fox commands the screen as Cassandra, a character that blends fabulousness with moments of being a bit over-the-top. Her performance is both spunky and heartfelt. Fox's impeccable comedic timing brings levity to the heavier aspects of the story. She masterfully conveys a mother grappling with the shock of discovering her son's hidden life, all while grieving and undergoing her own journey of personal growth. This subplot of Cassandra's evolution injects a sense of hope into the film, serving as a reminder that life, even in the wake of grief, continues.

Smollett's direction shines, particularly in his ability to tell a story that authentically captures the experiences of Black LGBTQ+ individuals. The relationship between Jason and Damien is portrayed with respect and depth, avoiding stereotypical narratives, and instead focuses on love, care, and partnership.

Overall, The Lost Holiday is a solid, heartwarming, and often humorous film with a stellar cast and a script that skillfully weaves humor with heavy emotional moments. Smollett's performance as Jason is a standout, as is Fox's award-worthy portrayal of Cassandra. This film is not only about family and love, but also about coming to terms with the past and finding healing in unexpected places.

Man, I love Vivica Fox but woosh, girl, what were you thinking? I also like Smullet on Empire but the guy really messed up his whole career with the fake attack incident so he's now "directing" movies that he is funding and putting together and as a result, you get this mess.

The characters are contrived - I mean really forced and a predictable. She finds out her son is gay and has to deal with new emotions - emotions that don't ring true in this awful attempt at being a "Christmas movie" that people may want to watch during the holidays every year. There are other folks in this who are good actors but wasted on a terrible script and direction.

Again, I love Fox but she's got to stay away from terrible stuff like this. And of course, there are a few 10 star reviews here, all written the exact same way "it's emotional depth and authenticity and the cinematography was a visual feast!" I think they're reviewing Lawrence of Arabia, definitely not this movie. Of course the "people" have one review - this movie. I think we've gotten to the point where you come in here to see what people say about a movie but if there's a bunch of ten star reviews, you need to look at the person's account to see if it's a real person with multiple reviews or Jussie Smullet.

At the time I'm writing this it's a 2.2 rating but I suspect that will still go down. Avoid.

I had my doubts when we chose to watch. It was actually worse than I thought it was going to be. The acting was just bad and the story was not interesting whatsoever. I had hoped the director/actor would have a comeback that would be great, but wow it is an absolute bomb. This movie is awful, awful, awful!