Falling For Christmas: May the World Fall for LiLo Once Again
Photo From Netflix
Lindsay Lohan is making a comeback in the industry after many years of ups and downs. She’s ready to take back her public image and put it in her own hands, and I am rooting for her. She recently sat down with her Mean Girls co-star Amanda Seyfried for Interview Magazine to talk about her new movie, Falling For Christmas, and her next plans. She said she “wanted to come back with something that every age range could watch.” Personally, I think a Netflix Christmas rom-com is definitely something for anyone. She also mentioned how she was able to have more creative control over the project than her previous projects. It felt good for her to have a say even through the editing process.
As someone who grew up with Lindsay Lohan, I was sad to see her gone from Hollywood for years, but I was happy she was able to get the privacy and space she needed. In the past couple of years, we have seen a change in pop culture narrative surrounding the superstar women of the 2000s. Many people have come to realize that the treatment of women like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton was unwarranted and sometimes cruel. The same can be said for Lindsay Lohan. While none of these women are perfect, they deserved better, and it is great to see the rest of the world coming to this conclusion. This means that Lohan is getting a chance to do the work she loves in the ways she wants with the privacy she desires.
Because of all of this, I was very excited to watch Falling for Christmas and write a review. I’ll try to be spoiler free, but I make no promises. As it’s a Christmas rom-com produced by Netflix, it is not supposed to be a profound movie or the pinnacle of cinema. It is definitely an entertaining movie, though, and I enjoyed the lighthearted narrative. For lots of things these days I do not watch the trailers or promo because I find that they give core parts of the plot away too early, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Chord Overstreet popping up on my screen. I thought it was a great pairing for the leads, and they complimented each other well.
With movies like this, predictability is a strong characteristic, but I think there is fun that can be had with this. Watching this movie with a friend and guessing what tropes or plot points will happen is actually quite fun. There is also something comforting in stories that follow this kind of fixed list of events to create an arc. You can lose yourself in the world and use less of your brain to digest the story. You also don’t have to worry about something going wrong because you know there will be a happy ending before the credits roll. The rom-com genre is one for escapism, love, laughter, and relaxation. These movies may not be sophisticated, but they can still be very witty and creative. There is something to be said about a challenge of picking a template and playing within the parameters to see what you end up with.
Lohan said in her interview with Seyfried that she wanted there to be more physical comedy in this movie, so that was one of the things she was able to add in the script. I think this is a very good example of a classic Christmas rom-com because it checks all the boxes you expect while still being charming. It has just enough self-awareness to it that it feels genuine and not artificial. Something that makes these movies so endearing for me is having great side characters to compliment the leads. There was a great group that added to the movie. My three favorite supporting characters were the daughter and mother-in-law of Chord Overstreet’s character and also Ralph (you’ll find out who he is if you watch the movie). The first two mentioned are meddling in the best way, and you can see how much love they have for their family. Ralph is just great; I have no notes that are spoiler free in my opinion. However, while I watched this movie, I did utter the words “is it bad that he’s my favorite part of this movie?” I will say, though, there was something said at the end that made me revoke the statement due to my Park Ranger Siobahn℗ principles.
I think the amnesia trope is one that always adds a layer of mystery to a story because you don’t know how the writers will choose to have someone start remembering again. There is also the question of what happens to the character’s personality and opinions formed during their amnesia once they remember who they were before. I was interested to see how Falling For Christmas would portray Lohan’s character’s amnesia. After watching it, I appreciated the layered approach they brought in. The amnesia was a tool used for comedic effect, as well as to explore her past, ambitions, and abilities. It seemed as if her character would not have grown into the person she needed to be had her accident not happened. I loved that her development mattered greatly to the overall story, and it did not become a sacrifice for the entertainment of the movie.
If you are looking for something fun to watch this holiday season that has a bit of everything, I would give this movie a look. It is lighthearted and fun without any character being a true villain. All in all, it’s just really good to see Lindsay Lohan happy and doing what she loves again. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
