Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas

"Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" is a delightful film that beautifully blends themes of holiday cheer, personal growth, and emotional connection. With a gentle pace, it explores the complexity of relationships and the significance of celebrating life's milestones. The performances are sincere and engaging, drawing viewers into the characters' world, while the cinematography creates a cozy, festive atmosphere. The film's subtle yet powerful storytelling resonates long after the credits roll. A perfect choice for those seeking a feel-good, thought-provoking movie that captures the true spirit of the season.

"Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" was another Christmas movie that I had never even heard of prior to sitting down to watch it.

I am sure that the storyline in the movie was written with the best of intentions, but it was so brutally slaughtered in execution from script to screen that it was just an unwatchable movie. Everything just fell to the floor and utterly failed to entertain me. So I can't claim that I was the least bit entertained by what writers Elgin Cahill and Kate Mobley delivered.

The acting performances in the movie were a bit strained, wooden if you will. Leading actor Scott Mitchell and leading actress Aeon Cruz weren't exactly delivering fully convincing performances in carrying the movie. It was very forced and staged, and didn't really come off as being natural or particularly believable. But many of the actors and actresses on the cast list weren't exactly delivering top notch performances, and it was holding the movie back.

I sat through a staggering 16 minutes of absolute pure boredom here before I tossed the towel in the ring. The movie was fully and wholly devoid of an interesting storyline, interesting characters, proper acting, and most importantly devoid of a Christmas spirit. I will never return to attempt finish watching the movie, because I was almost bored to tears the first time around.

Of all the Christmas movies I've sat through so far this December, "Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" takes second place in terms of being a heap of rubbish, only surpassed by the 2024 movie "A Holiday for Harmony".

My rating of director Elgin Cahill's 2024 movie "Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" lands on a two out of ten stars.

This film had a clever plot as reflected in the title. It was sweet and funny, and was the perfect blend of a traditional Christmas movie and a 90's rom-com. It seems that lately most Christmas movies are heavy on the romance but pretty light on the comedy, so when I find one that delivers on both, I tend to enjoy it more. Merry Birthday Happy Christmas definitely checked both boxes for me.

There aren't any a-list movie stars here, although it looks like the lead actress, Aeon Cruz, Has appeared in several other Christmas movies. The cast does a good job of delivering the comedy, and the tension when needed. There are some pretty funny supporting performances. And, fun fact but not a spoiler: Kevin Maginnis who plays the dad, is the guy who went viral for losing more than 50 pounds after eating nothing but McDonald's for 100 days.

I love the way this movie starts off, with the main characters as kids, and brings us up to speed, so that we are watching present events unfold when the opening credits end. The female lead (Aeon Cruz) is fun and quirky, and although she does seem to over-act a bit at times, she does a good job portraying a typical conflicted Christmas movie heroin. This is definitely not an award-winning type of film, but it is certainly on par with most of the Christmas movies we are used to seeing throughout the holiday season. Kari White, who plays the main character's boss, is hilarious, and it looks like she clearly had fun playing her role. If you are in the mood for a feel-good rom-com to put you in the Christmas spirit, I would definitely say that "Merry Birthday, Happy Christmas" is worth a watch.

Bad script, worse acting and the weird interviews from random people were painful and a waste of time. Did they just need to fill the time because there is no actual plot or conflict in the film? There was no comedy in this "Rom-com" movie and even less romance. The leads had no chemistry and were not bekievable as friends or a couple. The lead actor does this annoying giggle after everything he says and everything any other character says. The supporting cast were worse then most high school students at line delivery. The father was the only one not over acting the entire movie...just parts.

Minor complaint but it drove me crazy that the female lead slept on top of her made bed with a throw blanket multiple time...why?

Also one of the most poorly decorated christmas trees i have ever seen on screen.