When poor writing ruins a promising premise, it looks like A Merry Little Ex-Mas

A Merry Little Ex-Mas could have been a fun festive watch if it wasn’t in such a rush to reach the finish line, padding the story with unnecessary characters who add nothing to the narrative.

What do we really want from Christmas films? Bringing alive the Christmas spirit, music we associate with Christmas, that feeling of 'everything being right and jolly' in the air, an idyllic setting with eggnog, hot chocolate with marshmallows and snuggles. In short, we're looking for these films to mirror how we want Christmas to feel. While it doesn't seem much, in actuality, we're putting a lot of pressure on holiday films because for us folks who don't get to live a white Christmas or any Christmas at all, this is all we've got year on year for it to feel like Christmas, the most magical time of the year. Hence, nothing we watch today is able to live upto these expectations, just like A Merry Little Ex-Mas.

I wished this was the only reason this holiday rom-com doesn't work! With Jameela Jamil, Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson and Pierson Fode, all of whom you've seen in previous projects, this one felt more like a parody than an earnest Christmas film made with the purpose to keep you hooked to Christmas. Given how interesting the plot was - separated parents trying to make sure "nothing has changed" in the way they celebrate Christmas as a family while both of them are harboring secrets of their own, the execution was unbelievably flawed. You're constantly watching the story seeping through the cracks of a done to death plot with characters who are caricatures at best. Everyone looks like they're performing their daily lives, nobody is seen feeling things even when the script demands them to be.

Also Read: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie review: This 2025 version of the Jonas Brothers show lacks Christmas miracle!

Watch the trailer here!

Yes, you don't have to look for logic in Christmas films but given the genre these belong to, you can't not look for heart. And this Steve Carr directorial definitely lacks that amongst everthing else which is infuriating this time of the year when we anyway have a shortage of quality films to watch despite tons of content being released every December. 

This film is currently streaming on Netflix!

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