Movie Review: 'Falling For Christmas' Reignites Lindsay Lohan Romcom Spark
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Falling for Christmas , which premieres Thursday on Netflix, is cliche and cartoony, but there are entire networks selling these kinds of Christmas movies. So Falling celebrates and unites the formula.
Sierra Belmont (Lindsay Lohan) is the heiress of the Belmont Summit Resort. Her father Beauregard (Jack Wagner) wants to get a job online and her influential boyfriend Tad (George Young) proposes to her.
After an accident in the mountains, Sierra breaks up with Tad and wakes up with amnesia. North Star Lodge owner Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet) allows him to stay in his cash-strapped home while he regains his memory.
Falling in Love with Christmas combines many elements of romantic comedy and Christmas into one story. In the first three minutes, Sierra is afraid to tell her father that she doesn't want to work in the hospitality industry, but she's not quite sure what she wants.
A little later in Act I, Beauregard denies Jake an angel investment that might save his clothes. Tad is also portrayed as the head that the audience expects Sierra to overcome.
The daughter of a famous tycoon that no one in the hospital, the police or the city will recognize is now a total failure. Keep going because Sierra does.
Before she lost her memory, Sierra had an amazing wardrobe that Lohan still rocks. A red pantsuit and a purple snowsuit stand out along with lipstick.
Now she has to wear lost and found Christmas sweaters and vests. She has enough rich spoiled brats to complain about, so maybe it's more in her bones than her memory.
The animals in the forest terrorize Sierra, and she is shocked to learn that she cannot make her bed or cook eggs. He remembers not eating bacon, but then reveals he likes it, so hopefully it wasn't good in the first place.
Sierra tries to do chores at the shelter to remind her of normalcy. Lohan does good tricks with sheets, bathroom cleaners and laundry accessories.
When Sierra feels comfortable helping out with Jake's Christmas activities, Lohan and Overstreet have great chemistry. He also has a sweet relationship with Jake's daughter, Avy (Olivia Perez).
By the way, Sierra gets her fabulous outfits back in the third act. In fact, they don't put Lohan in a jersey for the entire movie.
Meanwhile, Tad is in a relationship with Ralph (Sean Dillingham), a mountaineer trying to reintegrate into society. The only thread left is that the hotel staff is looking for Sierra, who does not leave the resort grounds for four days.
Viewers getting into the holiday spirit will likely understand as you read the first three paragraphs above. The Christmas rom-com formula is all about a sense of familiarity, and Falling for Christmas throws viewers into the inevitable.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a Los Angeles-based UPI Entertainment writer. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012. Learn more about his work in entertainment.Continue reading
