Friends & Family Christmas

I very rarely watch Hallmark movies, but I've had this one on my radar ever since it was announced and I'm so glad the premiere date finally arrived! We love a fake dating trope, we love cheesy Christmas content and, most importantly, we love lesbians <3

This film was so cute and fun. I thought the leads had great chemistry (and they were played by two out queer actresses, yay!) and the supporting cast was great as well. No spoilers but the twist toward the very end was sweet and managed to tie the whole film together :)

I can already see myself rewatching this every year around Christmastime!

I'm very happy to see solid sapphic representation from Hallmark! In general, this positive, normalized, lighthearted depiction of romance between two women is refreshing and heartwarming. The plot, however, is not anything revolutionary. I don't think it needs to be though! It's a sweet and joyous Hallmark movie staple that gets me feeling cozy for the holiday season. Moreover, the romance has its naturally awkward moments that make it feel realistic and relatable like not knowing how to start a conversation on the first meeting and not knowing how to bid goodnight. The parents' support and constant presence is entertaining as well. A lovely community for the holiday cheer.

Friends & Family Christmas is everything you want in a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie. It has found family, fake dating, falling in love, and a touch of drama. It showcases friendship, ambition, and different family dynamics while being a love story at heart. Sure it follows the classic Hallmark Rom Com formula, but that's why we watch these shows. Isn't it? We want to see cheesy, happy love stories. We want to feel all warm and cozy inside as we watch two people fall in love. So if you're needing something light and heartwarming this holiday season, I highly recommend Friends & Family Christmas.

As soon as I discovered Hallmark made a queer Christmas movie with 2 female leads, I was excited to watch it. However I was sadly disappointed. The leads were cute but had NO CHEMISTRY WHATSOEVER! The plot was lacking and weak, one of the leads was always taking off leaving her "pretend girlfriend for the holidays only" alone to entertain her parents from out of town. Constantly! They did nothing fun together like you expect in these movies. I felt that the pretend girlfriend was being used and I would have told the other off. This could have been so much better. Try again with a better script Hallmark!

It's not great cinema, because that's not what Christmas movies are about. But it's as solid and enjoyable as television Christmas romances get. The leads are both fun to watch and their chemistry is great. The fact that they are gay is not a plot point - no confusion or coming out of the closet angst - it's just treated as a matter of fact like their hair color or height. It's refreshing to see. And in what I like to think is an homage to "Carol" a pair of gloves is a major plot point. (Not a spoiler, I promise. Just, what is it with lesbians and losing their gloves?) Bottom line, if you want a lighthearted Christmas movie that's not the same old cable holiday movie you've seen a hundred times, give this a shot.