We don't watch a lot of black Christmas movies. No, not because we're racist, but for two reasons: 1.) There just aren't that many to begin with, and 2.) We don't really think about it. The two go hand-in-hand, as scrolling through the holiday offerings on any number of streaming sites reveals countless thumbnail images of white families grinning like idiots against Christmas tree backdrops, while minorities seem to be confined to starring in the “crime” subgenres.
So when my wife caught not one, but two holiday movies on Netflix that featured non-whites, they made her list immediately. Miss Me This Christmas is the first one we chose to watch...and I don't know if the fact that it's every bit as bad as most Caucasian-made holiday tales is a small victory, or a huge disappointment. And that's a shame, because it boasts a really good-looking cast (Eva Marcille as the best friend is an absolute stunner), and above-average acting, but it all gets lost in a story that never really seems to understand where it wants to go, much less how to go about getting there.
The main story involves the marriage of Regina and Franklin Young, young lovers who got married on Christmas Day and fell in love with the holiday as a result. But after accusing Franklin of infedelity, Regina decides she wants a divorce...a divorce that won't be finalized until right smack dab on December 25th. Talk about putting a damper on Christmas!
To get some space until the marriage is officially over, Regina moves in with her best friend Trish, a partygirl who lives in a penthouse suite at a fancy hotel, and starts falling in love with an odd, awkward millionaire who lives next door. Every once in a while, Franklin checks in to make sure we still remember that he's a part of the story, but other than that, he seems largely forgotten, as the story weaves along from one poorly-conceived plot point, to the next. This makes the ending—don't think I'm really adding any spoilers here if I mention the former couple decide to stay together after all—seem all the more forced.
Fans of the obligatory sequences where one spouse catches another in a compromising position that isn't at all what it looks like, but walks away in anger before verifying that their fears were actually founded, will find plenty to like here, because that's pretty much all that happens, back and forth, over and over again; it's all a series of half-assed misunderstandings, and incredibly unbelievable actions that sink what could have been at least an above-average holiday romp.
Sadly, the other predominantly-black Christmas movie on Netflix, You Can't Fight Christmas, seems to recycle many of the same characters (though the main stars are different), and looks like it will be just more of the same. C'mon guys, when can washed-up black stars get starring roles in cliched holiday romances like their white brethren?
RATING: 4/10
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