Director: Andrew Lawrence
Writer(s): Kaylin Richardson
Starring: Danielle C. Ryan, Joey Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Andrew Lawrence
Mistletoe Mixup is that perfect example of what not to do with a holiday movie; it has the kind of story that becomes flat-out creepy the more and more you think about it. There are a lot of holiday rom-coms like that, actually, where characters are so full of Christmas cheer you know the only thing actually running through their mind is suicide. This isn’t like that though; it’s a kind of unnerving where it feels like something isn’t quite right underneath the surface. Parts of it would actually make a solid basis for a horror film.
And yet it manages to be just charming enough to not be a complete waste of time; in fact, I’d dare say that it’s “decent” given the circumstances, at least as far as these sappy holiday romances go.
The more popular Lawrence brothers (Joey and Matthew) play Tom and Austin, respectively: two brothers who just so happen to catch the attention of an available blonde named, of all things, Holly. But the catch is, they don’t know they’re both vying for the attention of the same woman. How does that happen? Well sit down, because this is a hilarious tale that I just couldn’t make up.
It all starts out at a Christmas tree farm, where Holly is looking for the perfect tree. Tom spots her and, even though he doesn’t work there, offers her advice on which one to pick, helps her chop it down, and affixes it to her car. But on the way home, the tree flies off, pinning a man under it in the middle of the road. Well would you believe it if I told you that man is none other than Austin, the other brother?! He even unknowingly ends up one-upping his brother by getting invited into her home, accompanying her while she goes shopping for Christmas decorations, and helping her decorate her tree. (And of course he doesn’t even end up with a kiss to show for it.) Isn’t that a little weird? I mean what single woman would not only invite a man she doesn’t know into her home, but also invite him to spend the entire day with her?
Clearly, she is smitten with the young man, but starts to lose interest when he ignores all of her texts. Hmm…I’m sure there’s not a good reason why he’s not responding!
Anyway, Tom is a creepo and basically invites Holly to meet his family within a day or two of meeting her. You know, because that’s normal behavior for someone you haven’t even kissed, let alone spent any sort of one-on-one time with. Even more bewildering: She agrees. Man, if this woman isn’t desperate, I don’t know who is. All of the characters in these sappy love-fests generally come off as women who need a man in order to function, but poor ol’ Holly here takes it to the next level.
Well, of course Tom’s family is also Austin’s…and that’s when the shit really hits the fan. With the three of them under the same roof, they must duke it out with each other to win her heart once and for all. Gee, I wonder if they’ll learn a little something about the importance of family in the process?
This just is all sorts of nope on paper, but thankfully the cast is (mostly attractive) enough to overcome some of the more eerie aspects. I mean, just the basic premise of having two brothers go after the same girl…isn’t that a little bizarre? Of course, most people will immediately go to the intimate possibilities…even kissing the same girl seems a little weird to me. But maybe it’s more morally accepted these days (after all, I have no siblings whatsoever, so I have no personal attachment to that feeling).
Obviously, since this is a Hallmark-style movie, we don’t have to worry about the seedier side of the equation. Instead, we’re still faced with a whole slew of dilemmas: How can she pick one without hurting the other? If things didn’t work out, then would she always wonder if she picked the “right” one? (Oh wait, in this case, the “Wright” one, because of course that’s the brothers’ last name.) If she picks Austin, will Tom stalk her and eventually kill her for rejecting him? Or has the competition heated up so much between the two that they lost sight of what they were even fighting for?
Without giving away spoilers (because we’re always on the edge of our seats to see how these bubbly stories end), let’s just say the ending wraps everything up with a nice little bow, ensuring that no one is left empty-handed, and no one is left sad on Christmas day. Aaah, if only real life was this simple.
I mentioned that parts of the story are unnerving, and exhibit A is Tom’s character, who comes off almost as desperate as Holly. I mentioned he invites her over to his family’s house immediately after meeting her, but he seems a little too intense even beyond that: He's virtually everywhere she is, and is always asking her to accompany him somewhere. He’s never forceful about it, but that’s exactly what makes him so eerie. I mean, after all, Ted Bundy knew how to charm his victims before brutally offing them, and while comparing Tom to Ted might be a little too far-fetched, it doesn’t feel as far off as it should be.
The movie derives much of its humor from watching the ridiculous (and childish) lengths the two brothers will go to win the heart of a girl whom they both just met. Needless to say it gets a little old after a while, even for the desperate Holly, who is so fed-up with their shenanigans that she threatens to leave their family estate, and go home single, where she will probably take a bottleful of sleeping pills to ease the pain of another holiday season spent alone.
Actually, that would be a better ending than the one we’re presented with.
ENTERTAINMENT RATING: 5/10
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