Yes, Christmas is just around the corner and we all know what that means, right? Your presents is requested! Okay, that was a bad pun, I’ll admit it, but Christmas is always a Claus for celebration. Okay, okay, I’ll stop, I promise!

Christmas means…Christmas movies, of course!

And while you may automatically sit down to perennial favourites such as Home Alone, Elf or, yes, even Die Hard, there is also a plethora of rom-coms dropped every year for your seasonal viewing pleasure.

This year I was tasked to watch EXmas, a movie about two exes reunited during Christmas. And you can thank the writers for that pun!

The gist

Ali Moyer and Graham Stroop were once engaged, but six months after breaking up, they are unwittingly reunited when Graham surprises his family by returning home for Christmas only to discover that his ex-fiancée is there too! At the behest of his own family!

To be fair, he did tell them he wasn’t coming home so they decided to invite Ali instead, which is fun for us but for Graham, not so much! We also discover that his family has stayed in touch with Ali for months, and she never returned the engagement ring! Oops!

The ramifications

Well, there are a few, to say the least, because Ali and Graham decide to stay put, wagering that whoever can force the other out by Christmas morning will be the winner and get to spend every holiday thereafter with the Stroops.

Ali isn’t related so she should have technically bowed out, but her competitive streak knows no bounds. Graham is equally determined to show Ali up, but their rivalry just felt contrived.

There are also two new love interests, which is where the movie fell flat for me as they came across as just, well, unnecessary. Sure, they upped the angst by making Ali and Graham obviously jealous, but it truly wasn’t needed.

Thankfully, the Stroop family were there to save the movie, with some surprising laugh-out-loud moments and one anxious scene that had me chanting It’s a Christmas movie, he can’t die for about thirty seconds!

The Exes

Are played by Leighton Meester (of Gossip Girl fame) and Robbie Amell (of nothing I have ever seen in him fame). Their chemistry is believable, and they portray their characters well.

What it is.

Cheesy, yes. Predictable, yes. But it’s light and nice. A typical Christmas rom-com with guaranteed happy ending.

What it’s not.

Memorable enough to make me want to watch it again.

In saying that…

I suggest watching it anyway, especially if you’re looking for some feel-good fodder, some hilarity, or you have a spare ninety minutes free.

EXmas is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Written by Jo-Ann Milne