‘A Merry Little Ex-Mas’ Overview: Netflix’s 90s Christmas Nostalgia Journey with Alicia Silverstone Is Well worth the Watch

From one of many present champions of the Vacation Film trade, Hartbreak Movies, and the mother-daughter group of Paula & Melissa Joan Hart, A Merry Little Ex-Mas is, on paper, the best younger Gen X / elder Millenial Christmas movie, full of 90s leisure icons taking up the more and more widespread concern of divorcing in your mid-to-late 40s – if solely we might do it in an idyllic small city wonderland described as rising up “in a Yankee Candle”.

Written by sitcom author/producer Holly Hester (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Grace Below Fireplace), the story facilities across the remaining phases of “aware uncoupling” for separated spouses Kate & Everett (Alicia Silverstone & Oliver Hudson respectively) as they try to have one final Christmas with their youngsters earlier than their divorce & their explosive hidden intentions will change every thing for good.

Alongside Silverstone & Hudson, the film additionally stars the aforementioned Melissa Joan Hart (Melissa & Joey, Drive Me Loopy), Jameela Jamil (The Good Place, Love at First Sight), Derek McGrath (My Secret Identification, Cheers), Geoffrey Owens (The Cosby Present), & The Flawed Paris standout Pierson Fode.

Those that delve into the trendy TV/Streaming vacation motion pictures yearly know fairly nicely what it takes to make a profitable one and the best way to steadiness the Christmas magic with cosy, easy genre-specific storytelling. Sprinkle in a notable star from an period extra relatable to the age demo that consumes most of this specific content material, and you’ve got a recipe for achievement.

With A Merry Little Ex-Mas, former music video director turned household filmmaker Steve Carr (Physician Dolittle 2, Daddy Daycare), the Hartbreak Movies crew, & actor/producer Silverstone deliver a divorce-centered rom-com with simply sufficient household custom & Christmas sentimentality to go for a extra real effort inside the style.

Set within the aptly named small city of Winterlight, the film charms you with its tactile homegrown really feel; a one-doctor, small enterprise, “everyone is aware of your title” kind of place. The principle household dwelling, fondly named “The Mothership”, seems like a Gingerbread home with its extravagant decorations and distinctive character. The mayor even conducts divorce discussions on the native espresso store, for goodness’ sake.

However whereas the Lacey Chaberts & Andrew Walkers of the world have carved their very own careers on this area, there’s something to be stated about having a cultural touchstone like Alicia Silverstone main your film.

As a 43-year-old white straight male, you realize rattling nicely that, between the Aerosmith movies, Clueless, and a touch of The Crush, Silverstone meant rather a lot to a coming-of-age model of myself. With this movie, she completely reveals that she will be able to nonetheless be the middle of the body star together with her identical approachable sensibility, plausible energy of character & mind, & a smile that’s drawn us in since she was Kevin Arnold’s dream woman in “The Marvel Years”. In Kate, she sells intelligence, sentimentality, adorableness, & a caring motherly heat multi function package deal. Whereas her character could also be a tad cliche as a girl who needs all of it however doesn’t understand she already has all of it, Silverstone offers a presence all her personal; one which may give a stage of chemistry and playfulness with a number of suitors whereas additionally displaying the wrestle together with her character’s station in life and the newfound challenges of a failing marriage with younger grownup kids.

The remainder of the forged nearly looks as if a cheat code for a Netflix vacation film as nicely: Jameela Jamil as a excessive class, too good to be true, Ted-Discuss titan of feminine empowering enterprise suits like a glove together with her putting model-like options and posh accent; Pierson Fode doubling down on his down dwelling honey pot efficiency in The Flawed Paris by being a extra excessive & comedically dimmer character that steals scenes left and proper (The Massive LePLOWski, am I proper?!); and Dawson’s Creek alum Oliver Hudson going arduous for the Christmas Dad brass ring after his past the grave affect function in The Christmas Chronicles.

Even for its high quality casting & good dangle vibes, the movie does have a few drawbacks that will flip off the much less jolly of us all this vacation season. At 90 minutes, it’s arduous to imagine that the film could seem to tug at any level, however the climax of the movie seemingly ends repeatedly for much too lengthy. After untangling the romantic inevitabilities, the story appears to need everybody in Kate’s life – irrespective of how insignificant – to comprehend how a lot she meant to them, together with a borderline “It’s A Fantastic Life” second late within the film with all the city gathering in her dwelling. The script additionally doesn’t appear to wish to problem the previous flame very arduous in any respect, both, with Kate BARELY doing something romantic with Pierson Fode’s Chet and being performed for cringe more often than not, previous their Christmas Tree meet-cute. Every little thing feels fairly surface-level and predictable, as many on this group are likely to do with characters, persona, & charisma buoying the writing. This movie isn’t proof against that criticism.

However total, A Merry Little Ex-Mas is a strong begin to the Netflix vacation season slate as a movie that is aware of precisely the best way to make the most of its deep forged’s strengths, winter wonderland aesthetic, & comedic quirkiness to create the kind of heat Christmastime feeling you want this time of 12 months. Alicia Silverstone & Oliver Hudson are nearly too plausible as longtime lovers that the drama that threatens their future might get eclipsed, however their lived-in performances assist deliver the very best out of a extra customary TV film script.

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Watch A Merry Little Ex-Mas If You Appreciated:

• Our Little Secret (2024)
• All I Need For Christmas (1991)
• 4 Christmases (2008)
• Expensive Christmas (2020)
• The Royal Remedy (2022)

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MVP of A Merry Little Ex-Mas

Alicia Silverstone as Kate aka Al

What a 2025 for Alicia Silverstone: a supporting (although largely comatose) function in a possible awards participant in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, a starring function in an novice detective television collection, the announcement of her involvement within the Peacock revival of Clueless, and now the romantic lead in a Netflix vacation film.
Silverstone’s newer profession resurgence is a testomony to what we already knew from her breakout iconic standing within the entirety of the Nineteen Nineties: she will be able to do absolutely anything.

Mixing the grit & energy of a Jennifer Jason Leigh with the appeal & fantastic thing about a Reese Witherspoon or younger Drew Barrymore, she has the depth and ability to captivate in roles large and small and maintain our hearts & consideration even in additional primary fare. Whereas I’ll probably be there for the brand new Clueless enterprise, I’m way more eager about her working with administrators like Yorgos or darker genres just like the crime thriller Reptile and the psychological horror movie The Lodge. Her real efforts to steadiness this level in her profession between the roles & genres that made her, and the problem of the genres & character varieties that didn’t make her a star, are value noting.

Come for the 90s nostalgia, keep for the charming household Christmas story with sufficient humor & persona to rise above any predictability and structural points that will come up. Nice to see Silverstone in one of these lead function once more.