Interprete Me

We always know end of year parties are coming when features like The Holiday Calendar begin to appear on schedule. Netflix also bets on that niche. Most of the time they are innocent movies with a good message that also involve the so-called “Christmas magic”, a magical time period where dreams come true. The movie in question addresses all these stereotypes, forming a sympathetic and consistent work with its thematic proposal (watch here).

However, it can’t be said that The Holiday Calendar brings something new to the genre. This is a romantic comedy with magic touches, since in the story there is a kind of “magic calendar” that predicts the events in the life of who owns it. This is where such “Christmas magic” comes in. Somewhat predictable, but good to watch.

An unexpected gift

The plot of The Holiday Calendar begins when a woman gains from her grandfather an Advent calendar, a Lutheran tradition that serves to count down for Christmas. This girl has faced problems in her life, both on the professional and personal side: at the same time that she can’t stand as a respected photographer, she remains single and without prospects of dating someone. However, by earning the object that belonged to her grandmother, things begin to change for her when discovering that it has the power to predict the future.

The actress, singer and dancer Kat Graham was cast to play the main character. She is best known to audiences for playing Bonnie Bennett in “The Vampire Diaries”, and here she gets a chance to be the lead star. Graham doesn’t do bad: at the beginning of the movie she really seems to be a loser, who has let her dreams go by to conform to her situation; as she gets carried away by the events predicted in the magical calendar, she gains more confidence to find herself in life and to have the strength to fulfill her desires.

This includes, of course, a love interest. This one is interpreted by Ethan Peck, which his main work is the escalation for Mr. Spock in “Star Trek: Discovery”. It is one of the unexpected gifts received by the protagonist in her days before Christmas: she knows the boy suddenly, who shows interest in her – and the reciprocal seems true. However, we also have the person who acts as a “friend” (in quotes), played by Quincy Brown. He is on the so-called “friendzone”, but over time turns out to be a love interest, forming the triangle that shapes the movie.

Valued clichés

In Christmas films, there is no getting away from the clichés. The Holiday Calendar is no different: we have the story of the girl who ends up discovering happiness and her place in the world through the magic of Christmas, which also brings her the discernment about true love. We have seen this in several other movies of the kind, but the vast majority do not know how to work with these elements, leaving the final product very tiring.

Here, The Holiday Calendar has its merits. It’s a lightweight movie, so light that when it’s over we get caught up in the story. No doubt it’s a great movie to see on Christmas Eve, with the family reunited, because it is, after all, a tale about unity. And it is further proof that the clichés, when valued and worked well on, still give a good result.

Trailer and additional information about The Holiday Calendar Netflix

Synopsis 1: She’s waiting for her real life to begin. Witch a little Christmas magic, and her best friend back in town, she may get her wish.

Synopsis 2: A talented photographer stuck in a dead-end job inherits an antique Advent calendar that may be predicting the future – and pointing her toward love.

Age rating: Everyone

Release year: 2018