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Stream It or Skip It: ‘Christmas with You’ on Netflix Casts Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr. In a Holiday Version of ‘Marry Me’

Where to stream:.

• Christmas With You
• Stream It Or Skip It

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Netflix’s holiday content continues with Christmas With You , a star-crossed romance between a falling pop star (Aimee Garcia) and a high school music teacher (Freddie Prinze Jr.). Do these two make beautiful music together, or should you spend Christmas with another movie? 

CHRISTMAS WITH YOU : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist:  Aimee Garcia ( Lucifer ) plays Angelina Costa, a pop music superstar on the level of a Beyoncé — or at least she was. After a catastrophic TikTok mishap, Angelina suddenly looks out of touch and like she’s coasting on a back catalogue of hits. That’s when she’s gifted an ultimatum from her label: record a hit Christmas single or else . Angelina, desperate for any validation, decides to drop in on a superfan (Deja Cruz) that she saw on Instagram the night before. This turns out to be the right move because superfan Cristina’s dad Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is a music teacher — and he has an unfinished song that he’s been working on for fun in his spare time. And since Angelina and her manager Monique (Zenzi Williams) can’t drive back to NYC in a snowstorm, why not spend the night turning an after school project into a potential holiday hit…?

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?:  Okay, this one is the Marry Me of the holiday season. Not only is it about a pop music mega-lebrity dating a teacher, but Garcia’s character toured with J. Lo when she was 15. Coincidence ? I mean, probably, but the similarities are very much there.

Performance Worth Watching: Relative newcomer Deja Cruz lights up every scene she’s in with starstruck optimism — that is, when she’s not crying on command in scenes about her dead mother. She’s got the range, and playing Miguel’s daughter Cristina lets her show it off. Also, Falling for Christmas , A Gingerbread Christmas , Christmas with You — what’s with all the single dads and dead moms this year?

Memorable Dialogue: Angelina explains her latest diet to Monique: “It’s when you only eat lettuce, but you alternate by day the kind of lettuce you eat. It’s much more exciting than it sounds. Mo — the transition from arugula to spring mix makes your whole week.”

A Holiday Tradition:  Every year, Costa performs at the Greatest Gift Foundation’s A Christmas to Remember Gala Fundraiser. Foundation, Christmas, gala, fundraiser — yep, checks all the boxes.

Two Turtle Doves: ‘Tis the season for holiday movies about pop stars and musicians. Hallmark’s In Merry Measure (out now) followed a pop star’s trip back home and her showing the high school choir a thing or two… alongside her old rival. There’s also Holiday Harmony on HBO Max (Nov. 24), which is about a songwriter’s hope of competing and winning in a song contest — but then she gets stuck in a small town. And then in CBS’s When Christmas was Young (Dec. 18), a Nashville music manager needs a hit song and, of course, falls hard for an up-and-coming songwriter.

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: Uh, no , because the song that Angelina and Miguel write is titled “Christmas Without You.” What gives??

Our Take:  Christmas With You is a hard movie to really give a “take” on, I’m finding — primarily because I believe that these kinds of movies should be judged based on what they set out to accomplish rather than comparing them to the entirety of cinema. What does a viewer want when they choose to put on Christmas With You ? They want to be charmed by the performances, swoon over the romance, and be dazzled by the Christmas-iness of it all. If there are a few laughs and even just one legitimately surprising twist, that’s a bonus. So, does Christmas With You deliver?

Aimee Garcia definitely delivers, as she always does. She pretty much steals every scene she’s in in every project she tackles, and that includes Lucifer — a show starring a literal handsome devil. But Freddie Prinze Jr. isn’t able to match Garcia’s energy. There’s a similar vibe at work here as in Falling for Christmas with Lindsay Lohan. Unless you were one of the few who watched the Punky Brewster revival on Peacock, you probably haven’t seen Prinze in live-action in a decade or more (albeit for much more family-friendly reasons than the ones that have kept Lohan offscreen). But Lohan gives Falling for Christmas her all and delivers the kind of over-the-top, campy excellence that you want in a Netflix holiday movie. Prinze’s character, a widowed father and music teacher, doesn’t give him much to play with and he ultimately is just kinda there.

That makes the romance itself a tad under-developed. Garcia and Prinze are fine together (remember how Garcia can do pretty much no wrong onscreen?), but the film takes such a huge leap regarding their relationship for the final act’s obligatory “she was being selfish all along” moment that I had to rewatch a scene three times in order to figure out why Miguel and his daughter Cristina suddenly felt betrayed by Angelina.

As for the Christmas-y wonder… there are lots of decorations and lights — Miguel’s halls have been thoroughly decked — but there’s something off about the production that makes everything feel sub-Hallmark. The lighting is so bright and flat that it doesn’t make the decorations glow so much as just show us that they are there.

All that is to say, Christmas With You is 2/3rds of a perfectly fun watch, primarily due to Garcia and Cruz — and the movie has such a pure heart that it feels super Grinch-y to hate on it. But even though these movies all follow the same melody, it works because that melody is catchy as hell. Unfortunately there are a few jarring moments towards the end of the movie that make you wonder if the CD is skipping.

Our Call:  SKIP IT — but a light skip it. We want to support Aimee Garcia and are waiting for her to get the classic Christmas movie she so deserves.

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‘Christmas With You’ Review: Pop-Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

Aimee Garcia plays a pop star scrambling to write a holiday hit in the insipid rom-dram “Christmas With You.”

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By Ben Kenigsberg

When watching the dullest, most formulaic Netflix fodder, you may find it necessary to fixate on an odd element simply to stay invested. By far the sturdiest component of “Christmas With You” is Freddie Prinze Jr.’s hair. Who sculpted it to such a disconcerting spike? Did it time-travel from the late 1990s? Does gravity apply to it?

Weather seems to exert an only intermittent influence in this insipid holiday love story, directed by Gabriela Tagliavini and set in the run-up to Christmas — at least in theory. Early on, the screenwriters summon a snowstorm to strand the protagonist. But the outerwear in Manhattan looks conspicuously light, nor is there much visible breath. Admittedly, it has been a warm year, and climate change, much more than Prinze’s hair, is something to ponder too.

The movie stars Aimee Garcia, who also sings the big songs, as a pop superstar named Angelina. People keep telling Angelina that she’s becoming irrelevant. Her self-esteem wounded, and up against a deadline to write a Christmas song, she and her tireless personal assistant (Zenzi Williams) pay a surprise visit to a teenage fan, Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz), who charmed Angelina on Instagram. Cristina’s music teacher father (Prinze) turns out to be pretty good at songwriting. He also makes great pozole and has that prominent hair, which no one once remarks upon.

The plot evokes an uninspired retread (or inversion) of “Notting Hill,” and a synopsis bears more than a passing resemblance to that of this year’s Jennifer Lopez vehicle “Marry Me,” which I missed. Owen Wilson supplied the hair.

Christmas With You Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. Watch on Netflix.

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Christmas with you, common sense media reviewers.

Holiday love story has some drinking, body image issues.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Online image isn't real life. Being kind and being

Miguel is a good father and generous person. Angel

The main characters are Latino and Black. Characte

People bond over the loss of loved ones.

Sexy dancing and outfits, kissing, flirtation.

Yves St Laurent, The North Face. Mention or images

Adults drink wine, tequila, and champagne.

Parents need to know that Christmas with You is a holiday-themed romance starring a mostly Latino and Black cast. The main character is a celebrity who sings in a mix of Spanish and English. She's spoiled and a little snobby, but she has a good heart and her better side comes out when she spends time with a…

Positive Messages

Online image isn't real life. Being kind and being with family are important aspects of life. Reach for your dreams. Angelina is on a near-starvation diet (she says she will only eat lettuce for several days) and complains about her weight ("muffin top") despite being very thin.

Positive Role Models

Miguel is a good father and generous person. Angelina has a good heart underneath her spoiled exterior. Ricardo cares more about his image than his real life. The head of the music label gives and takes away opportunities without care or loyalty.

Diverse Representations

The main characters are Latino and Black. Characters often speak a mix of Spanish and English. A family plans a quinceañera party. They cook pozole and tamales.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Yves St Laurent, The North Face. Mention or images of social media sites like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Tinder, Bumble.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Christmas with You is a holiday-themed romance starring a mostly Latino and Black cast. The main character is a celebrity who sings in a mix of Spanish and English. She's spoiled and a little snobby, but she has a good heart and her better side comes out when she spends time with a humbler family in a small town outside the city. There, she's reminded that real life is more important than online image, and that kindness is a better objective than popularity or fame. She's on a near-starvation diet and complains about her weight despite being very thin. Adults drink wine, tequila, and champagne, and there's sexy dancing, flirting, and kissing. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

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What's the Story?

Angelina ( Aimee Garcia ) is an aging pop star who needs a new hit to keep her record contract in CHRISTMAS WITH YOU. When she stumbles upon a young fan's (Deja Monique Cruz) rendition of one of her songs, she decides going to meet her could make for good social media content. What she doesn't expect is that the teen fan and her dad ( Freddie Prinze Jr. ) might help her with her new song. Before she knows it, she's grown attached, but her celebrity life is very far from theirs.

Is It Any Good?

This predictable holiday romance lacks chemistry or much real emotion, but it's pleasant enough. Some of the cultural touchstones in Christmas with You feel very real-to-life, like the family's blending of Spanish and English or the abuela's insistence that guests eat. Others feel a little heavy-handed, like the slow-mo tamale-making that's meant to advance the main characters' relationship. Angelina's obsession with her weight comes across as unhealthy and outdated.

Two supporting actors leave an impression. Zenzi Williams has some great knowing looks as Angelina's personal assistant. We will probably see more of Deja Monique Cruz, who gives a charming performance as the daughter about to celebrate her quinceañera.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what you think attracts Angelina to Miguel in Christmas with You , considering their differences.

What other films have you watched where characters speak a mix of languages? Does it change the viewing experience if you don't speak or understand both languages? Why or why not?

Does Angelina remind you of any real-life celebrities? If so, who?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : November 17, 2022
• Cast : Freddie Prinze Jr. , Aimee Garcia , Deja Monique Cruz
• Director : Gabriela Tagliavini
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Latino directors, Latino actors, Female actors, Black actors, Indigenous actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Romance
• Topics : Friendship , Music and Sing-Along
• Run time : 90 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘Christmas With You’ Review: Freddie Prinze Jr. Returns to Rom-Coms in This Holiday Treat

A singing sensation in need of a new tune and a stifled single father in need of a key change form a decent duet in Netflix’s seasonal offering.

By Courtney Howard

Courtney Howard

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As sweet, sticky and snappy as a candy cane, “ Christmas with You ” provides a refreshing, sugary boost to any Netflix subscriber’s cinematic diet. This holiday offering, centered on a burnt-out pop star searching for creative inspiration and finding love, welcomes its co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. back to rom-coms, a genre from which he’s been absent for the past two decades. It also delivers unexpected seasonal delights with authentic, universal appeal. The ease with which it packages comedic hijinks and poignancy allows specifics of Latin American culture to shape and broaden its genuine emotional impact. And what a lovely gift that turns out to be.

Popular on Variety

Director Gabriela Tagliavini finds the narrative’s strong rhythmic pulse almost immediately in the flashy opening credits, which showcase her heroine’s singing strength and fortitude. She even brings the razzle-dazzle to the interstitials between scenes, utilizing New York City landmarks all aglow and small town suburbia’s cozy winter chill. Incorporating cultural heritage — from scenes that feature food to those that fete special traditions — augments the rich, heartening thematic underpinnings and character design.

Technical craftsmanship also earns its place as a stocking stuffer. Tagliavini and editor Michael Jablow have a proper grasp on the picture’s energetic ebbs and flows, cutting with comedic beats in mind and knowing precisely how long to hold on the sentimental ones. Despite a noticeable flattening of the imagery’s depth and dimension (an all-too-common quality with films of its ilk on the streamer), Wing Lee’s production design is bursting with life, where a teen bedroom tangibly feels lived-in and the family’s dining and living rooms are decked out in twinkly-lit holly jolly.

Screenwriters Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson and Michael Varrati cleverly build in searing sentiments about legacy and longevity in the business, shown through the prism of the evolving, supportive relationship between two female artists. But they forget to properly develop Cristina and Miguel, instead front-loading and back-loading their conflicts, respectively, and wrapping those conflicts up in a too-tidy bow. Cristina’s conundrums, primarily involving asking a cute boy to her quinceañera, are dealt short shrift. Also, she’s only impacted by the death of her mother for about 5 minutes in the first act, in a tender but fleeting bonding moment between her and Angelina. It’s not clear what Miguel’s obstacles are until the third act, when he blurts them out in clumsy exposition.

Garcia turns in a humorous and heartfelt performance, palpably felt in the comedic stylings as well as the more melodramatic chords played. There’s also a playful naturalism to her scenes with Williams, who’s this film’s stealth MVP with her perfectly on-point reactions and charisma. Though as written, Miguel is sadly a little one-note, Prinze imbues the character with a warmth and likable vulnerability. Together he and Garcia create a good amount of chemistry to sell the creative partnership and, later, the love story.

“Christmas with You” is a holiday trifle for sure, but there’s enough to feel satiated — if just temporarily — by the festivities on display. Marking a nice return to form for a star sorely missed from the genre he helped usher into the pop culture zeitgeist, the film displays spirit and soul as infectious as a pop song. And despite being highly orchestrated, this little ditty is catchy.

Reviewed on Netflix, Nov. 15, 2022. Running time: 89 MIN.

• Production: A Netflix release of a GMT Films production. Producer: Lucas Jarach, German Michael Torres. Executive producers: Eric Brenner, Kerri Hundley.
• Crew: Director: Gabriela Tagliavini. Screenplay: Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson, Michael Varrati. Camera: Stefan Czapsky. Editor: Michael Jablow. Music: Pancho Burgos-Goizueta.
• With: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., Deja Monique Cruz, Gabriel Sloyer, Zenzi Williams, Socorro Santiago, Lawrence J. Hughes, Nicolette Stephanie Templier.

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Christmas With You review – Freddie Prinze Jr leads more cosy Netflix fare

The ex-teen heartthrob plays a single father who enters into an unlikely romance with a pop star in a milquetoast yet watchable romance

S ay what you will about Netflix’s latest yuletide offering, you can’t file a truth-in-advertising complaint. Christmas With You could hardly be a more generic title, and the 90-minute bundle of anodyne cheer lives up to its vanilla promise.

As is often the case with low-budget, high-tinsel end-of-year films, it’s more vibe than narrative, more sweatpants than sequin frock. While some holiday specials thrive on the preposterous setups (who isn’t looking forward to Lifetime’s foreign adventure Merry Swissmas, or the Hallmark Channel’s upcoming film about an MI5 agent who goes undercover as the royal nanny over the winter hols?), Christmas With You keeps it simple and sticks with being more or less an excuse to bop around with the jolly trio who anchor the production. There’s Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz), a high school girl about to have her quiñcenera, her widowed father (Freddie Prinze Jr, who’s come into the cold from the voice work that has kept him employed of late), and a Latina pop star named Angelina Costa (Aimee Garcia, of Dexter and Lucifer) who is struggling to compose a new hit or master the internet, and fading into obsolescence. In this version of the B-list celebrity world, musical artists who use Twitter are considered “very innovative”.

Hapless single dad plus pop star with heart of gold is the combination that fueled Marry Me, which came out earlier this year and showed a math teacher plebe (Owen Wilson) somehow get to be a plus one to Jennifer Lopez playing a version of herself. In the more humble Christmas With You, the star is less stratospherically famous. She’s on the verge of losing her record deal and declaring defeat to Cheri, the Eve Harrington-like whippersnapper who’s been nipping at her heels. According to her cabinet of advisers, Angelina’s best bet is “get in touch with your inner Holly Jolly” and write a Christmas hit just like Mariah Carey did. It’s all too overwhelming, so she decides on a whim to pay a visit to the 14-year-old fangirl who posted a barely watched but nevertheless heartwarming tribute video to her favorite singer on social media.

Cristina lives in a cozy pocket of New York state (upstate? downstate? who knows!) that is a world away from the rough and tumble enclave of Rockefeller Center and its environs. When Angelina sets off from Manhattan, the streets are sunny enough for crop tops, but by the time her car rolls up to her fangirl’s home town, the roads are piled with snow. It’s amazing how Christmas can come to those who need it! Her hospitable fan’s household is a Christmas lover’s paradise, and a perfect environment for an impromptu “collab” with the widower of the house (he’s a sensitive music teacher, as it happens). Co-writing is generally a gnarly business, but there’s something about the mistletoe hanging overhead. The pair write a smooshy Christmas song that might just save the day.

The composition isn’t what we’d call a “banger”, but no worries. The tune is in keeping with the ugly sweaters, sparkly dresses and mugs of hot chocolate that turn up the cozy factor. There are contemporary touches, too: a Saturday Night Live subplot, Latin beats and a sassy tequila-swilling abuela . Thankfully, she shares her tipple with the ever perplexed-looking Prinze Jr. It’s Christmas, and he has co-written a No 1 hit, snagged a lonely celebrity and found himself at a table with a big, juicy ham. Dude could stand to relax into this winter wonderland.

Christmas With You is now available on Netflix

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Christmas With You Reviews

It really is a very sweet movie, and the music is … listenable!

Full Review | Dec 17, 2022

A cheesy yuletide musical/romance story that's uninspired and dull.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Dec 16, 2022

Christmas With You is the realistic, emotional alternative for people who just want to feel like the holidays can still be a magical time, even in the very real world we live in.

Full Review | Dec 4, 2022

This predictable holiday romance lacks chemistry or much real emotion, but it's pleasant enough.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 28, 2022

Garcia and Prinze are so likable that it’s satisfying to see them spend an hour or so of screen time figuring out what the audience knows right away.

Full Review | Nov 25, 2022

Even though I'm absolutely excited to see Freddie Prinze Jr. on my screen again, I wish it was in a better movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Nov 24, 2022

It’s got some flaws that will likely keep it out of the year’s Top 10 Christmas movie charts, but it’s refreshingly warm and sweet like a nice mug of hot apple cider.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 23, 2022

Sadly, Christmas With You falls into the “bad” category, never quite finding that niche beyond its lack of chemistry and stiff dialogue.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 18, 2022

Christmas With You isn’t going to win an Academy Award but will win your heart. It’s the right kind of corny holiday cheer that hits the seasonal assignment.

Full Review | Nov 18, 2022

Even though these movies all follow the same melody, it works because that melody is catchy as hell. Unfortunately, there are a few jarring moments towards the end of the movie that make you wonder if the CD is skipping.

The film shines when it comes to its messaging of putting yourself out there and women supporting women. Unfortunately, the original music isn’t very strong.

Not even Santa Claus can save Christmas with You, and he wasn’t invited to make an appearance in this cheerless reminder that sometimes it’s better to have a Silent Night than a crappy movie.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Nov 17, 2022

Christmas With You tells a sweet romance with great chemistry between Freddie Prinze Jr and Aimee Garcia, but what sets this romcom apart is its focus on family and the importance of embracing culture.

Full Review | Nov 17, 2022

It’s cheesy in all the right places and serious in very few, but Christmas With You is reliably sweet and sincere when it needs to be.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 17, 2022

By far the sturdiest component of “Christmas With You” is Freddie Prinze Jr.’s hair. Who sculpted it to such a disconcerting spike? Did it time-travel from the late 1990s? Does gravity apply to it?

Christmas With You could hardly be a more generic title, and the 90-minute bundle of anodyne cheer lives up to its vanilla promise.

It's a holiday trifle for sure, but there’s enough to feel satiated — if just temporarily — by the festivities on display.

Screen Rant

Christmas with you review: aimee garcia exudes star power in genuine holiday rom-com.

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It’s that time of year again, when people trade in their Halloween decorations for Christmas ornaments and replace their scary movies with jolly romantic comedies filled with holiday spirit. Streaming service giant Netflix is no stranger to the genre that brings in the cheer, laughter, and occasional romance. Its latest, Christmas With You , sees Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr. join forces to create Christmas magic through song. Gabriela Tagliavini directs the screenplay from Paco Farias, Jennifer C. Stetson, and Michael Varrati. It’s cheesy in all the right places and serious in very few, but Christmas With You is reliably sweet and sincere when it needs to be.

Aimee Garcia stars as pop superstar Angelina, whose career takes a turn for the unexpected when her label brings on rising star Cheri Bibi (Nicolette Stephanie Templier). Left with limited opportunities to advance her career forward, Angelina must show her label that she’s still got the star power by bringing them a hit Christmas song. Feeling low on inspiration, Angelina escapes to a small town, where she meets her number one fan Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz) and her songwriting single father Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.). Together, they set out to create music magic, where love is in the air and hope is right around the corner.

Related: 10 Best Movies Like Netflix’s Falling for Christmas

Christmas With You is everything one would expect from a Netflix Christmas movie . It’s predictable, a little farfetched, and it often leans into cringe territory. Yet, everything about it makes the film a perfect watch for this time of year as it reliably navigates feelings of love, loss, and new beginnings. Through Angelina, the script nicely conveys these sentiments and experiences in a way that audiences would find significant. Even though Angelina is a superstar, she is a person with normal hopes and dreams, which humanizes her character. And seeing her character navigate this point in her career with the heavy burden of loss creeping up at every turning corner enhances the script, making the feature more than meets the eye.

While Tagliavini’s direction never overpowers the sincere nuances of the storyline and character relationships, she nicely showcases the importance of simplicity. This is mostly demonstrated through Angelina and Miguel’s growing relationship, as they develop a stronger bond through songwriting. While any other rom-com would seize the opportunity to generate overly romantic scenarios and obnoxious dialogue, Tagliavini practices restraint, relying on her actors’ chemistry and focusing on the heart of the film. This decision results in sweet interactions between the film’s leads, making it all the more enjoyable overall.

Almost every point of Christmas With You is predictable, and even somewhat conventional by rom-com standards. And yet, there’s no true barrier to enjoyment thanks to the touching script and great cast. Aimee Garcia simply rocks as Angelina, exuding true star power just like her character. Her chemistry with Freddie Prince Jr. simply works, even though his approach to playing Miguel comes off a little stiff and awkward. Oddly enough, it works for the character, and truly enables viewers to cheer on this unlikely pair. Then there’s Deja Monique Cruz as Cristina; Cruz’s resume may be short, but her performance here really showcases her talent well. It wouldn’t be surprising if audiences saw a lot more of her in the coming years.

Full of love, laughter, and holiday spirit, Christmas With You is this season’s rom-com that is bound to pull on the heartstrings of its viewers. Not only does the script provide a touching tribute to chasing one's dreams no matter the age, it also beautifully rationalizes the need for human connection even amidst the loss of a loved one. It doesn’t break any genre barriers, nor does the film offer anything new to say about these respective topics. However, Tagliavini nicely crafts a Christmas rom-com that is funny and sincere — a feat with which many other holiday romantic comedies have struggled.

Next: Falling For Christmas Review: Lohan Dazzles In By-The-Numbers Christmas Rom-Com

Christmas With You releases on Netflix on Thursday, November 17. The film is 89 minutes long and not rated.

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Christmas with You review – Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr make music and find love at Christmas

We review the Netflix film Christmas With You, which does not contain spoilers.

There’s a point around a third of the way through Christmas with You , the latest Yuletide concoction to be unleashed this year by Netflix , where you might be questioning just how it is that Freddie Prinze Jr ‘s character Miguel is able to pay for his electricity bill. If the credit sequence with its depiction of a Christmas-flavored New York doesn’t already scream out to you that ‘this is a Christmas film,’ then the large number of decorative lights that surround the interior alone of the house that Miguel and his family live in will certainly do so.

Of course, it’s a question that is never even raised within the film, and to be fair, nobody is going into Christmas with You wanting to ask those questions. Like so many romantic comedy dramas that take over our streaming services and television schedules this time of the year, any notions of realism are vanquished as soon as the upbeat New York City-set opening credits begin.

Those opening credits introduce us to Angelina ( Aimee Garcia ), a successful pop star struggling in an era of social media and upcoming younger talent who only has a week to write and produce a hit Christmas pop song. Discovering a video online from a younger fan named Christina ( Deja Monique Cruz ), Angelina decides to surprise Christina in her hometown, meets her family as a result, and ends up writing a hit song with Christina’s dad Miguel . Will Angelina and Miguel find love with each other amongst their songwriting? It’s a rhetorical question, let’s be honest.

Following only a week after the premiere of Falling for Christmas , the heavily hyped latest in the Brad Krevoy universe of Christmas movies, Gabriela Tagliavini brings a more gentle and refreshingly Spanish flavor to her film in comparison to the white privilege fantasies that one gets with Krevoy’s productions. Make no mistake, this still takes place somewhat in a fantasy world where everyone and everything is either upper class or middle class and nobody has much to worry about in terms of their finances, which makes these types of Christmas films weirdly fascinating this year in terms of them being released during the cost of living crisis. Declarations of love are just around the corner and the streets are snowy and picturesque, but it’s still a world away from the castles, fictional royalty and opulence within every inch of the production design that populates the likes of A Christmas Prince or The Princess Switch .

Instead, Tagliavini’s movie finds charm and joys in the minutiae of the lives of its characters, most prominently in the quinceañera that it builds up to in the final act, itself subverting the notion that the song that is being written throughout the film will be the third act set-piece, which instead acts as a catalyst for the drama that will take the movie to its upbeat conclusion. It’s a nicely different notion for a film in a sub-genre that is frequently criticized for portraying Christmas in all too caucasian ways, usually adorned with red and white jumpers.

Christmas with You is not going to be an award winner, but it is a nicely charming concoction that does the cheesy Netflix Christmas thing in such a way that you can’t help but enjoy the charms. Garcia and Prinze Jr are a lot of fun, have nice chemistry and at ninety minutes it passes the time nicely, and while no Christmas movie cliche is left unturned, it plays the hits in an entertainingly enjoyable way.

What did you think of Christmas with You? Comment below.

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Article by Eamon Hennedy

Eamon Hennedy joined Ready Steady Cut in September 2022 as a Film and TV writer. Coming from Northern Ireland, Eamon calls himself a “Film and Television” buff, fuelled by his addiction to coffee.

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Christmas with You (2022)

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Movie Review: Christmas with You

Following in the tradition of Notting Hill , where a big star and an ordinary person cross paths unexpectedly, comes Christmas with You . While not as star-studded as a Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant movie, or directed by maestro of mush Richard Curtis, Christmas with You holds up. More closely mimicking another Hugh Grant movie in Music and Lyrics , this charming and entertaining romcom is heartfelt and spirited as a pop star struggling with career burnout escapes to a small town only to find true inspiration and the love she never knew she needed.

Directed by Gabriela Tagliavini, this sweet Christmas music romcom stars Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Deja Monique Cruz. It’s good to see Prinze Jr. graduating to the next phase as a dad, retaining his breezy trademark charm. Top billed Aimee Garcia has star quality, channeling a sort of Jennifer Lopez vibration as referenced or confessed by a previous collaboration. Together these likable acts make magic, forming the warm core of Christmas with You , not just on the keyboard but with a skip in their step.

Picking up on a fan’s stirring video message and tribute, Angelina (Garcia) decides to make a house visit to a fan to stoke up social media in the wake of a snub and a few snide comments about her star power and relevance. Trying to deal with a complicated high profile celebrity romance, she escapes the city to land at the home of Cristina on the verge of her quinceañera. An unexpected spark with her music teacher dad, Miguel, kickstarts her creative juices in the hunt for an elusive Christmas hit.

“You had me at ‘can I borrow your reindeer antlers’…”

Christmas with You is lifted by its cast chemistry. While this comes through particularly well between its delightful co-leads in Garcia and Prinze Jr, they’re wonderfully supported by an earnest ensemble that carry the hope and goodwill of Christmas. The feel good story and Christmas miracle undertone may be well-worn as with many movies within the genre, but it’s this warm sense of predictability that adds to one’s satisfaction.

Composed of many sweet characters, the demands of a highflying celebrity lifestyle becomes the antagonistic force as a former glory pop star gets a chance to re-examine her life and priorities. While centred around the unexpected romance between a pop princess and a music teacher, Christmas with You also serves as a commentary on social media, ageism and our toast-of-the-day culture.

Embodying a cute and sweet-natured tone, this Christmas romcom plays it safe, steering back to mainstream to satisfy its audience with a “will they, won’t they” romantic tug-of-war with an inevitable outcome. A gentle, enjoyable and amusing entry into the genre, good chemistry, holiday spirit and heartfelt sincerity resonate in this grounded albeit predictable fairytale.

The bottom line: Sweet

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Christmas with You (2022) Netflix: Movie Review & Ending, Explained – Do Angelica and Miguel reunite after the gala?

Christmas with you (2022) netflix plot summary & movie synopsis:.

Angelina (Aimee Garcia), a pop star, who once enjoyed her years of fame, is now seeing her popularity fading with every passing day. With the music industry preferring younger talent, and the audience wanting their music to be consumed in a certain way, she is not getting the spotlight that she was once used to. Whenever she goes out on the stage, she performs only her old songs. Her assistant, Monique (Zenzi Williams) picks up on that and suggests she create a Christmas-themed song as per the industry demands. The audience expects something new and fresh from every artist. So, a Christmas song can reclaim her position of fame owing to the nature of such music quickly gaining popularity.

Along with Monique, Angelina starts driving outside the city. While the number of her fans is fading, she notices one loyal fan of hers – Christina (Deja Monique Cruz), who has a great voice and singing skills. She decides to do a meet-and-greet at her school since she could see her name and the school’s location from her Instagram post. While Monique is reluctant to the plan at first, she eventually agrees to it. They go to Christina’s school and she gets to meet this pop star in person, along with her father – Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who is the school’s music teacher. While Angelina had planned to leave right after meeting her, the snowfall makes Miguel advise her to wait for a while. He invites her and Monique to their home to stay until it settles down.

Later at night, Angelina sees a composition written by Miguel and starts playing it on his piano. She finds the melody impressive and starts impromptu working on it. While playing it, she realizes that this music could help her with getting the Christmas song as Monique suggested and gain the spotlight. As a result, she asks Miguel if he would like to be her co-writer for his song. He finds this request unbelievable. Why would a pop star like her want to work with a non-professional like him? She however keeps insisting on her, to the point of revealing the urgency of her need due to her creative block. So, he agrees to it.

After returning to the city, Angelina starts working on her gala performance. Since she had worked on a Christmas song with Miguel, she decides to play the same on the piano. She also invites both Miguel and Christina to the gala as her VIP guests. The father and daughter get starstruck by the glitz and glamour of this event. While she is about to start performing on the stage, Angelina invites Miguel to play the piano beside her. He is initially scared to go up on the stage in front of a big crowd. However, he eventually goes there and she sings a romantic song with all the romance imbued in it.

Christmas with You (2022) Netflix Movie Review:

A christmas family film that manages to strike a chord or two despite a myriad of cliches.

Frank Capra’s ‘ It’s a Wonderful Life ’ is quite easily my favorite Christmas film. While it is seeped into optimism and shows a cynic’s journey toward understanding the value of togetherness, it uses its coming-of-age trope in a way that does not feel insincere. We believe in the chap’s struggle to make peace with his present. Besides, it also has values and morals with an idealism that may feel utopic but has a well-intentioned charm to it. Christmas with You has some of these elements, although not executed with nearly the same level of wisdom.

So, when we are very well aware of the film being another formulaic affair, it becomes of utmost importance whether it still manages to make you feel something. The chemistry between Aimee Garcia and Freddie Prinze Jr. is occasionally convincing to buy into the idea of these two people falling in love. The arc of romance is generic, which can be unflattering because of the familiarity with all the narrative tropes.

Christmas with You (2022) Netflix Movie Ending, Explained:

Do angelica and miguel reunite after the gala.

Miguel returns from the gala to his home, while she keeps going along with her routine. Soon after, on the day of the SNL performance, Cheri Bibi pops by and mentions her admiration for her. She also notes that she expected her to perform with her boyfriend. Angelina assumes she means Ricardo, who recently broke up with her, publicly. However, she means Miguel. That makes her want to leave everything behind and head right towards the person who gave her this comforting feeling after a long time.

In the end, they all start living as a happy family together. While the family gets their big wishes fulfilled, she finds the warmth that she was seeking, for a while. The lack of the same warmth had made it impossible to continue creating anything new. After all, you need the emotions to connect with people more than just the craft.

Read More: A Christmas Story Christmas [2022] ‘HBO MAX’ Review

Christmas with You (2022) Netflix Movie Links: IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes Christmas with You (2022) Netflix Movie Cast: Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., Deja Monique Cruz, Gabriel Sloyer

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CHRISTMAS WITH YOU

"celebrating christmas with family changes lives".

What You Need To Know:

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse: No smoking or drugs; Miscellaneous Immortality: Light miscellaneous immortally of female wearing extravagant, promiscuous outfits for attention and to help define her brand and image, which doesn’t set a great example for young girls navigating how to find their self-worth.

More Detail:

Aging popstar sensation Angelina learns that her songs aren’t relevant anymore. Her record label threatens to drop her, unless she can write a hit Christmas song. A beloved Christmas song is a sure way to regain the support of her fans and help her career. There’s one problem, though. Angelina hates Christmas. This was the holiday her mom died, and she has never enjoyed anything about Christmas.

Feeling lost and discouraged, she continues to go about her life, dressing in her flashy outfits and playing the game of doing social media videos with A-list actor “Ricardo” to increase their social following. When she shows up for a photoshoot for a magazine, she’s heartbroken after the record label informs her they’ve deiced to put a younger, rising pop sensation on the cover instead.

With this news, Angelina decides on a whim to travel to a small town, two hours outside of the city to meet Cristina, a committed fan. Angelina watched Cristina sing one of her songs on social media and express how much it meant to her because her own mom, who also passed, used to sing it with her. So, Angelina decides to surprise this super fan with a personal visit.

She shows up at the house with her quirky assistant, Monique, who might be the most enjoyable character to watch in the movie with her fun facial expressions and witty side comments. After Angelina spends some bonding time with Cristina, she learns she can’t go home because a huge snowstorm has trapped them inside. Monique and Angelina are forced to stay overnight.

That night, Angelina learns Miguel is a music teacher, who has a natural gift for music. They begin to write a song that night together, heightening the sparks between them. Over the next couple days, Angelina learns how much love and happiness is found within a simpler life and with being in a family. She shares homecooked meals, helps Cristina and her friends with the choreography for her upcoming Quinceanera, and goes on romantic trips to see Christmas lights with Miguel. With Angelina’s fear of Christmas finally cured, Angelina must return to the city to sing the new song.

Angelina’s career is revived, but she’s invited to go on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, the same night she promised to attend Cristina’s upcoming Quinceanera. Will Angelina break her promise?

CHRISTMAS WITH YOU is a sweet family movie that highlights the Hispanic culture and traditions in a natural, inviting way. Also, the movie promotes love, family, compassion, and honoring one’s parents. In the end, the pop star learns it’s more important to put loved ones and family before career success. However, Freddie Prinz, Jr. as the father seems too old for Aimee Garcia, who plays the pop star. Their romance seems forced. Also, the movie is sometimes too melodramatic and, despite a prayer in the movie, Jesus isn’t overtly mentioned. Finally, the pop star wears flashy, midriff-revealing clothes. So, young girls may get the wrong idea watching CHRISTMAS WITH YOU.

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In Netflix’s Holly Jolly ‘Christmas With You,’ Freddie Prinze Jr. Rallies For the Rom-Com

BACK UNDER THE MISTLETOE

With “Christmas With You,” the 2000s heartthrob is back in the business of making cheesy rom-coms.

Fletcher Peters

Entertainment Reporter

Jessica Kourkounis/Netflix

Netflix is all about the comebacks this holiday season. First, the streamer brought back Lindsay Lohan for a chalet romp with Falling for Christmas . Now, because they couldn’t get him for He’s All That with Addison Rae , here comes Freddie Prinze Jr. , back in all his c heesy rom-com glory with holiday music flick Christmas With You .

Christmas With You is a glorified Lifetime movie, taking notes from Marry Me and adding a festive dusting of snow to the mix. Washed-up pop star Angelina ( Aimee Garcia ) can’t be bothered to compose a Christmas song, though her label says that’s what she needs to stop herself from becoming totally irrelevant. Bah, humbug! Angelina refuses to whip up a Mariah Carey-style classic, instead thrusting herself into a real personal crisis.

Here’s where the Marry Me similarities kick in: Feeling so hopeless about her life, especially missing her deceased mother, Angelina resorts to the “tagged” section of Instagram, to see what her fans are saying about her. One fan, high school kiddo Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz), posts a particularly heartwarming video—she’s performing an Angelina song dedicated to her mom, who also passed away.

Instead of liking the video or reposting it to her story, Angelina opts to visit this girl without any warning, ditching her entire glamorous NYC lifestyle just days before Christmas. Thank goodness the girl not only lives within driving distance, but also attends a performing arts school, where her handsome father Miguel (Prinze Jr.) teaches music. The stars have aligned for Angelina, who might just be able to plunk out a Christmas song with this sweet little man.

Netflix always seems to blend the right amount of cheesiness with just enough tenderness in its Christmas slate. Christmas With You , which would pair perfectly with some mulled wine for a Falling for Christmas double feature, is no different. When you press play on a Netflix holiday rom-com , you should not expect greatness—rather, some silly fun times, a bounty that the baffling plot of Christmas With You has well-stocked.

Once you look past the staged, ridiculous, predictable nature of this movie, Christmas With You becomes perfectly goofy. The title itself isn’t even accurate: “Christmas With You” references the song Angelina sings in the film, but the song’s lyrics are actually “there can’t be no Christmas without you.” The movie dedicates itself to being otherworldly in ways similar to this, like when Freddie Prinze Jr., joins Bumble because he’s “too old” for Tinder. Is that a thing? Is the audience on Bumble older? I’ve never heard this. But, hey, Netflix rom-coms exist in a different reality.

The biggest gripe to have with the film is the lack of effort put into the Christmas side of the storytelling. Christmas With You could take place at any time—again, see Marry Me —but the fake snow and over-decorated house cover up the lack of holiday plot. Further, Christina is celebrating her quinceañera throughout the film; couldn’t this be the celebration at the movie’s core, rather than the holiday season? Nevertheless, Netflix needs to churn out more holiday content to keep us stuffed on Christmas cookies and holiday cheer, so Christmas it is.

Another slight downside: Christmas With You doesn’t offer Freddie Prinze Jr., too much space to swagger around, like he did in Boys and Girls and She’s All That . While he’s naturally charming on his own—that smile !—his character lacks any whimsy. He’s a dad, a teacher, and that’s pretty much it. Where’s the playboy, the suave know-it-all, the goofball we know and love?

He’s still Freddie Prinze Jr., though, and Netflix is doing a great job at garnering all the nostalgia players to buff up its slate this year. That list also includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, his wife, who recently starred as the headmaster of Do Revenge . But if you’ve been waiting for a great feature film comeback from the beloved ’90s star, don’t expect to see him in all his glory— Christmas With You brings him back, yes, but he feels a little like an animatronic rather than his old self.

Still, isn’t that kind of fun? Netflix brings in an animatronic Freddie Prinze Jr., for this goofy Marry Me- Esque movie with a terrible-yet-catchy song (Meghan Trainor, your days as on the Billboard Top 100 list are numbered). This is what the holiday spirit is about! Set up the Christmas tree and remember the good ’ole days, when Prinze Jr., ruminated on Scooby Doo : “It was a talking dog.” What a legend.

Christmas With You does what it needs to do to enter the Netflix holiday rom-com hall of fame. There’s a formula, and the formula works . Equal parts cheese and heartwarming, with one big comeback, an undeniably snappy tune, and a blizzard, Christmas With You will be a perfect backdrop for all holiday parties, Thanksgiving prep, and Christmas decorating.

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Streaming on Max: The 21 Absolute Best Movies to Watch

Here are some highly rated films to check out, plus a look at what's new in May.

Turtles All the Way Down adapts the 2017 novel by John Green.

Wondering what you should watch on the Max streaming service ?

Max  replaced HBO Max last year and streams a variety of titles, including Warner Bros. movies like Dune and HBO originals like Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off. Below, you'll find a batch of can't-miss films on the streamer, plus a look at new releases for this month. (If you're still trying to figure out if Max is for you, skim  our review of the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service ).

New releases for May

Note:  These descriptions are taken from Max press releases and lightly edited for style.

• Turtles All the Way Down  (2024):  Romantic drama. The film tackles anxiety through its 17-year-old protagonist, Aza Holmes. 
• Stop Making Sense (2023 rerelease):  It's the 1984 Talking Heads concert film directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme, newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary.
• The Iron Claw (2024):  Sports drama. The film tells the true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s.
• Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die  (2023):  Comedy special. Glaser dives into a wide range of topics, including why she doesn't want kids, the harsh realities of aging, her sexual fantasies, and plans for her own death.
• MoviePass, MovieCrash (2010):  Documentary. The film is about MoviePass, which in a span of eight years went from being the fastest growing subscription service since Spotify to total bankruptcy.

Read more:   Best TV Shows to Watch on Max

The best movies to watch

The films below consist of notable new releases and blockbusters, HBO and Max originals and Warner Bros. films made exclusively for Max . All score around 65 or higher on Metacritic.

Turtles All the Way Down (2024)

Don't usually dabble in the young adult genre? You shouldn't let that keep you from taking in Turtles All the Way Down, based on a 2017 novel of the same name by John Green. The film stars Isabela Merced (Madame Web, upcoming sci-fier Alien: Romulus) as a teen who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. With elements of romance and a captivating performance from Merced, this straight-to-streaming movie deserves more attention.

Priscilla (2023)

Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, about the relationship between Priscilla and Elvis Presley, is streaming on Max along with other recent films from entertainment company A24. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi star in the stylish flick, which tells things from Priscilla's point of view. If you like new A24 flicks, Max's stash also includes The Iron Claw, The Zone of Interest and Dream Scenario (Love Lies Bleeding and Civil War will hit the streamer eventually).

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar: The Way of Water reintroduced audiences to James Cameron's film franchise after 13 years and won an Oscar for best visual effects. The sequel centers on the Sully family -- Jake, Neytiri and their kids -- and is brimming with adventure and heart. It'll be  at least a couple of years  until Avatar 3 arrives, but you can pass the time by rewatching this on Max.

The Fallout (2022)

After a shooting occurs at her high school, 16-year-old Vada Cavell must navigate friendships, school and her relationship with her family. The Fallout skillfully approaches serious subject matter with realistic dialogue and compassion for its characters. With strong performances from stars Jenna Ortega, as Vada, and Maddie Ziegler, as her new friend Mia Reed, the feature will keep you glued to the screen for the entirety of its 90-minute runtime.

Dune (2021)

Remember 2021, when Warner Bros. movies hit HBO Max on the same day they premiered in theaters? That exciting period may be over, but at least we'll always have the memory of watching Denis Villeneuve's stunning sci-fi epic Dune at home. If you've never seen the film or need to brush up on what "the spice" is before Part Two, stream Dune now.

King Richard (2021)

King Richard is a feel-good biopic about the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. The film winds back the clock to before the sisters became household names, giving us a glimpse of their upbringing in Compton and time spent practicing on run-down courts with their father, Richard Williams (Will Smith). Convinced his daughters are going to be successful, Richard works tirelessly to get their star potential noticed by professional coaches. A complicated man with a tremendous personality, Richard is fascinating to get to know, and his unwavering belief in Venus and Serena is inspiring. 

Son of Monarchs (2020)

A rare (nowadays) 90-minute film, American Mexican drama Son of Monarchs will stay with you long after the end credits roll. This deep character study follows two brothers who are changed in markedly different ways by the trauma they suffered in childhood. This story, folding in magical realism, follows how they move forward in life -- the butterfly metaphors are strong, with biologist Mendel returning to his hometown surrounded by majestic monarch butterfly forests.

Bad Education (2019)

Based on a magazine article by journalist Robert Kolker, this tale about a public school embezzlement scandal and the student journalists who broke the news is captivating from start to finish. Allison Janney and Hugh Jackman are great in their roles as the school officials who took part in the scheme. The drama also won the 2020 Emmy award for Outstanding Television Movie. 

Wonka (2023)

Dune's Timothée Chalamet stars in this prequel to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and it's a total treat. With new and familiar tunes, a committed cast and oodles and oodles of whimsy, the film allows audiences to get to know a young Willy Wonka with giraffe-sized ambition and undeniable chocolate-making skill. It's a quirky, comforting flick from Paddington director Paul King that you'll absolutely want on your plate.

Barbie (2023)

Unless you've been living in Barbie Land (or another place that isn't the real world), chances are you're very familiar with this pink-coated comedy already. The flick -- Warner Bros.' highest-grossing global release of all time -- brings a long list of stars together for a hilarious and heartfelt adventure. Greta Gerwig directs, Margot Robbie plays the titular role, and Ryan Gosling belts out an incredible power ballad as Ken.

Father of the Bride (2022)

Max's Father of the Bride introduces a Cuban American family that includes patriarch Billy, a traditional guy who struggles to digest surprising news from his eldest daughter: She's met a guy, and she wants to marry and move away with him. The third film adaptation of a 1949 novel of the same name by Edward Streeter, the movie is an enjoyable iteration that includes stars like Andy Garcia and singer Gloria Estefan.

Let Them All Talk (2020)

Meryl Streep playing an eccentric author in a Steven Soderbergh comedy. What more do you need to know? If you do want to know more: Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Alice Hughes (Streep) is struggling to finish her next book, chased by her literary agent (Gemma Chan). She boards a cruise ship with old friends, who inspired her best-known work. Tensions are strong. It looks great -- Soderbergh uses crisp, natural light -- and most of the dialogue is improvised. See how Dianne Wiest, Candice Bergen, Lucas Hedges and the rest of the impeccable cast have fun with that.

Kimi (2022)

Steven Soderbergh directs this engaging tech thriller set during the COVID-19 pandemic. Angela, a Seattle tech worker played by a neon blue-haired Zoë Kravitz, has agoraphobia, a fear that prevents her from making it past the front door of her apartment. But when she uncovers an unsettling recording while doing her job, she's pushed to make the leap. Kimi is a stylish thriller complete with eye-catching cinematography, a solid score and a protagonist you'll be rooting for.

No Sudden Move (2021)

A movie from Steven Soderbergh, the great director behind Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven and, more recently, Logan Lucky? Twists, thrills and desperate characters populate this crime thriller set in 1950s Detroit. When a seemingly simple job gets out of hand, a group of criminals must work together to uncover what's really going on. Take in the incredible cast: Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm and Amy Seimetz. While the plot can be a little convoluted and some won't be able to get past the fish-eye lens cinematography, Soderbergh's sense of humor and immersive direction make this crime caper an entertaining night in.

Documentary

All That Breathes (2022)

This captivating documentary is filled with images that will stick with you. It centers on two brothers in New Delhi who run a bird hospital dedicated to black kites -- birds of prey that are a staple of the sky. It was a contender for best documentary feature at the 2023 Oscars.

Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (2022)

Tune into this HBO doc for the gravity-defying skateboard stunts, a time capsule of the '80s skateboarding scene, and a version of Hawk you've probably never seen. We get to know the renowned athlete as a lanky, stubborn but determined kid who adopted his own skateboarding style. Hawk's persistence is something to marvel at, along with all the stunning skateboard moves this film packs in. Hang on for a memorable ride.

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain (2021)

This film about beloved author, chef and globe-traveling TV host Anthony Bourdain comes from documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville, who also directed 2018's Won't You Be My Neighbor? and the Oscar-winning film Twenty Feet from Stardom. In interviews with people who knew Bourdain, like his friends, former partners and longtime colleagues, the doc tracks his career path, relationships and personal struggles. Bourdain fans and those less acquainted with the star will likely appreciate this two-hour look at his life.

The Color Purple (2023)

This movie musical version of The Color Purple is adapted from Alice Walker's 1982 novel and the Broadway play. Set in the early 1900s, the film tells the story of Celie, a Black woman living in the South who faces multiple hardships but is able to find strength in the bonds in her life. The cast includes Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Halle Bailey and Danielle Brooks, who received a 2023 Oscar nomination for her role as Celie's daughter-in-law, Sofia.

In the Heights (2021)

In the Heights  stars Anthony Ramos (whom you might recognize as John Laurens in Hamilton) playing Usnavi, a bodega owner struggling to keep his business afloat while a heatwave strikes Washington Heights. Secretly in love with his neighbor Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), who dreams of getting out of the salon and out of the neighborhood, Usnavi serves the people of Washington Heights with a whole lot of love, lottery tickets and cafe con leche. Between the choreographed twirls and fireworks, In the Heights is an examination of wealth disparity, immigration, classism and the importance of culture.

The Batman (2022)

Robert Pattinson steps out as Batman in this moody superhero flick directed by Matt Reeves. The movie takes place in a perpetually gray and rain-soaked Gotham City, where Bruce Wayne starts to seek out a murderer with an affinity for riddles. Along the way, he meets Catwoman, played by a swaggering Zoë Kravitz. A satisfying dark mystery with great scene-setting and storytelling, The Batman is also getting a Max spinoff series, The Penguin, in 2024.

The Suicide Squad (2021)

Over-the-top violence abounds in this DC film about supervillains who agree to help the US government in exchange for some time off their prison sentences. Their mission is to destroy something alluded to as Project Starfish, harbored in the fictional island country of Corto Maltese. With a notable cast that includes Margot Robbie, Idris Elba and John Cena, 2021's The Suicide Squad is a wickedly entertaining, darkly funny bloodbath that differs from what you usually see in superhero movies. (Peacemaker, a spinoff TV series, is also available on Max.)

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‘Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point’ Review: Michael Cera and Francesca Scorsese Lead a Holiday Movie That Will Keep You Warm All Year

David ehrlich.

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Like any Christmas film worth the time it took to wrap, Tyler Taormina’s wry but melancholy “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” has a bone-deep understanding of why all the best holidays are so painfully bittersweet: They bring the evanescence of our lives into focus, crystallizing the passage of time, while slowing it down just enough for us to appreciate how much of it has already melted into memory. Unlike the rest of its way too crowded genre, Taormina’s contribution has precious little interest in doing anything else. 

Instead of scenes, there are fleeting glimpses. Instead of drama, there’s wonderful production design. Sure, Toarmina includes a few legible character arcs and a handful of moments that evoke a casual relationship between cause and effect, but such things are ultimately just scaffolding to keep his massive cast from flying into each other whenever this snow globe of a movie turns their world upside down. Imagine the first act of “Fanny and Alexander” if Ingmar Bergman had been raised as part of a sprawling Italian family in suburban Long Island and you’ll be on the right track.

Like Bergman, Taormina makes nuanced use of his nostalgia. The lived-in level of pointillistic detail here is extraordinary, which proves key to a movie that’s plotted like an advent calendar. The majority of the action takes place in the kind of house so full that it makes everyone inside feel hopelessly alone; it’s the house where the four Balsano siblings grew up together, and where one of them still lives with their widowed and aging mom (at least for the time being). 

The grandkids play old video games in the basement, so as to enhance the movie’s atemporal timelessness (which is another way of saying that nobody owns an iPhone). A slow uncle sits at a player piano in the living room, while another brags about his job as a volunteer firefighter. The men smoke cigars outside, the women vibrate around the kitchen, and elderly Aunt Isabelle slumps asleep in her stairlift. Everyone is telling stories, and one of the adults is even writing one, though he’s too embarrassed to share his novel with anyone besides his favorite nephew. 

That effect is so palpable and instant that the movie is hardly two minutes old by the time it starts to feel like Taormina is belaboring the point, though it would be more accurate to say that such overindulgence is the point. “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” opens by dedicating itself “to the lost,” and hoping they might “find their way home on Christmas Eve,” and the film that follows is happy to act as a north star of sorts, guiding the audience back to the warmest hallows of their own memories, even if they aren’t Christian. 

Few of these details make a strong impression on their own, but all add their own little shimmer to Taormina’s kaleidoscopic reverie, and even the tedious ones help to recenter the fact that nothing lasts. That’s why we have traditions. And for a certain percentage of wistful Americans, this movie will likely become one of them. 

“Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. It is currently seeking U.S. distribution.

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‘christmas eve in miller’s point’ review: michael cera in a holiday movie that breaks the mold without sacrificing the joy.

A large Italian American family gathers for its annual winter celebration in Tyler Taormina’s latest feature, whose ensemble includes Maria Dizzia, Ben Shenkman and Francesca Scorsese.

By Sheri Linden

Sheri Linden

Senior Copy Editor/Film Critic

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Two features into his filmmaking career, it’s evident that director Tyler Taormina loves faces — though not in the way of Bergman or Cassavetes. Unlike those art house paragons, he doesn’t isolate his characters in order to peer intently into their souls. He collects faces by the dozen and dreams up crowded tableaus.

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Filming in Suffolk County on his native Long Island, with a cast that combines ace character actors and compelling non-pros, Taormina has made a valentine to his Italian American family, set in a fictitious town that’s grounded in everyday tchotchkes and recognizable psychology, but also not quite of this world. This is a place where Santa’s sack of gifts is a bag of discarded bagels, a Roomba and an iguana make memorable appearances, and the useless pair of policemen who patrol the suburban streets like bargain-basement versions of the angels in Wings of Desire might at any second be arrested for impersonating officers of the law.

This is also a story of endings and beginnings, dividing its attentions between the grown-ups’ revelry and worries on the home front and the wild optimism of the teens who sneak away to joyride and shoot the shit and dream. There’s also a boatload of adorable kiddos who aren’t called upon to “play cute.” The screenplay by Taormina and Eric Berger deals in rather generic storylines without dragging them through the formulaic beats of explosion and resolution.

To the buoyant ’60s pop of Ricky Nelson’s “Fools Rush In,” the film opens with a rush of upside-down Christmas lights, a kid’s POV through the rear windshield of a moving car. The kid is Andrew (Justin Longo), and he’s arriving with his parents and sister at “the old house,” the place where his mother, Kathleen ( Maria Dizzia ), and her siblings were raised. Dad Lenny (Ben Shenkman) practices his “extended-family face” in the car and, throughout the night’s doings, delivers the wry glances of an adored in-law, in the fold but still observing it. A frenzy of kisses greets the arriving foursome, with Andrew a particular target of lipsticked aunts. The love overflows.

But the movie has already established one of its central conflicts: the friction between teenage Emily (Matilda Fleming) and Kathleen, the exasperated target of her daughter’s endless hostility. There’s also a notable impasse between Dizzia’s character and her mother, Antonia (Mary Reistetter): The hesitation with which Kathleen first approaches her suggests the trepidation of a daughter-in-law who has never met the impassive woman’s expectations. But no, she’s just the kid who doesn’t visit enough.

Not all the conversations are as urgent as this one. With an Altmanesque overlap of half-heard and half-finished dialogue (but without the Altmanesque ennui), the film’s first half rotates through yakking about real estate, law and order, love of country, love of family, and kids today, with random philosophical asides. And sometimes Taormina just observes the body language of the interactions, the dialogue replaced by the energetic soundtrack playlist. Coursing beneath all the imbibing and games, the mile-long tables of food, the yuletide decorations without end, the VHS trips down memory lane, is the gradually revealed understanding that this will be the last such gathering in this house.

The screenplay doesn’t waste time on exposition, and, like any first-time visitor (Brendan Burt plays such a bemused outsider, eyeing the ornamented house’s cornucopia of kitsch with appreciation and disbelief), you probably won’t grasp all the relationships in this multigenerational get-together on first viewing, at least not until the helpful visuals-equipped closing-credits sequence.

With such a talent as Dizzia on board, wordless reactions at crucial points make explanatory exchanges unnecessary. (My Christmas wish, if anyone’s asking, would be more movies with this magnetic performer at their center.) Take the moment when Kathleen catches her resentful daughter’s affectionate — and perchance performative — ease with ebullient Aunt Bev.

Early in the evening, Kathleen tells Elyse that Emily needs “a little bit of magic.” And Taormina will certainly provide that, when, about halfway through the movie, Emily and her older, more sophisticated cousin Michelle ( Francesca Scorsese ) sneak out of the tradition-bound festivities with a couple of friends, gabby Craig (Leo Hervey) in the back seat and Sasha (Ava Francesca Renne) at the wheel of a vehicle she hasn’t quite yet mastered. Their group of Christmas Eve renegades expands with a stop at a bagel shop that’s a teen hangout — linking Miller’s Point to the sandwich-joint setting of Ham on Rye . What unfolds from there begins with crazy driving and turns into a midwinter night’s fantasia, complete with picture-perfect snowfall, a storybook crescent moon and a lone skater on a lake.

There’s also the bookending presence of three 20-somethings (Sawyer Spielberg, Billy Mcshane, Gregory Falatek) who hang out in the cemetery. Craig deems them failures, but Taormina’s affection for them is evident. His knack for observing the offhand ignorance and cruelty of youth no less than its sincere hunger and exuberance makes me eager to see what he brings to the teen-comedy format, which he’ll reportedly tackle next.

Fleming, in her first feature role, hits fascinating notes of adolescent flintiness, yearning and giddy confusion. Whether she’s ready to admit it or not, she wants to be kinder. Emily glances at the family Christmas tree like an unwanted obligation, and she puts on a tough act with her holiday-dissing friends, but the small wrapped present she carries with her through part of the night is a shiny red emblem of contrition. Late in her insurrectionist adventure, Lund and editor Kevin Anton produce an exquisite match cut that connects Emily, in a middle-of-the-night parking lot, and her mother, gazing down at an elaborate doll’s house.

The grown-ups in this Christmas story have let go of the center-of-the-universe sense of immortality that propels the kids, but they have their rites of passage too, their passions and reinventions as well as their closely held traditions. In Taormina’s comic drama of beginnings and endings, there are useless gifts and ones that matter, and it’s hard to have one without the other.

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Review: 'IF' isn't a perfect movie, but it's a great family night out

By john clyde for ksl.com | posted - may 17, 2024 at 4:16 p.m., cailey fleming and the voice of steve carell appear in the movie, "if," about imaginary friends. (paramount pictures).

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

The concept of an imaginary friend always intrigued me as a kid. Someone you could have by your side all the time. Someone who would always have your back and keep you company. But my brain could never quite conjure up that friend. My imagination was fine — overactive if anything — but my ADHD was the problem.

I could not stop to think long enough to create a friend. When I tried, I got so hyper-focused on it that I got caught up in the minutia of this friend — his backstory, why he's here and what his goals and aspirations are — and I just couldn't make the friend happen.

Fast-forward a few decades and I am now a grown man, pretending to be an adult with his own kids, and watching a movie about imaginary friends.

" IF " is written and directed by John Krasinski and stars Ryan Reynolds and a slew of voice talent, including Steve Carell , Emily Blunt , George Clooney and Maya Rudolph .

The family movie is inventive, heartwarming and funny, but lacks a certain magic. Here are some reasons "IF" is a great friend of family movie night and a couple of reasons it's not your best friend.

The not-so-good

The payoffs are lacking.

Let's start with the not-so-great. "IF" sets up several characters who we find ourselves heading toward some much-needed payoffs with them. But when all is said and done, those payoffs feel lackluster. I wouldn't say lackluster for every character, but for several the payoff felt like an afterthought.

We get to like some of these characters and care about how their story plays out. But many of them get ample screen time and then vanish for a chunk of the movie, just to pop up again and wrap up their portion of the story with very little fanfare.

Not every character needs a big story arc with a fully-fledged finale. Still, when there is focus on specific characters, to just abandon them and quickly wrap up their storyline leaves the viewer wanting.

It struggles with pacing

For those who read my reviews regularly, you know I'm a stickler for pacing. If it's a slow burn, that's just fine — but that fuse needs to have an end. If it's a fast-paced storyline, you can have down moments but they need to be well-placed and fit the ongoing tone and direction. "IF" struggles to find its pacing, or even what it wants its pacing to be.

The storie starts off slow, which is fine, but then we quickly meet many characters just to hit the brakes again. Then we're suddenly thrown into a surprisingly long dream sequence, followed by a quick-paced montage, and then a full stop into some slower dramatic moments.

I felt like I was on an amusement park ride going from 100 to zero in the blink of an eye. The starts and stops are OK when planned correctly, but "IF" appeared to be a 15-year-old learning to drive and figuring out the right touch for the gas and brakes.

Now, it's time for me to put away my pretentious and over-critical movie critic hat and put on my let's-go-enjoy-a-movie hat. "IF" is a fun movie. It has bright and exciting characters, entertaining story setups and montages, well-timed jokes and a truckload of quirky and lovable IFs.

It's easy to fall in love with all these forgotten IFs and wish you had the imagination to create them when you were a kid, to make them your best buds.

As mentioned earlier, there are some starts and stops to the fun, but overall it's nearly impossible to walk out of the theater without a smile on your face.

It's creative

Whatever "IF" lacks in technical movie-making ability it makes up for with creativity and imagination. From the unique characters to their retirement home, "IF" is a feast for the creative eye.

Krasinski has said this is a movie for his kids and he tapped into his inner child to create a landscape and world that kids — and most of us adults — will love. It feels like you're seeing the world through a child's eyes, and that adds to the magic of the movie.

A certain amount of creativity and clever writing goes into every movie, but "IF" made sure to make that the hallmark of the film, and it pays off.

What my kids thought

I saw the movie with my family, including my 13- and 7-year-old daughters and my 11-year-old son. This is a family movie, after all, and it is made to be enjoyed with your family.

I bring this up because, as we left the theater, my wife and I talked about some of the missteps I have already written about, but our kids looked at us and said, "What are you talking about? We loved that movie!"

The more I saw it through my kids' eyes, the more I realized how much fun this movie was. On the way home from the theater, my teenager passed out cold in the third row, but my 11-year-old and 7-year-old were making up their own IFs and asked if they could stay up late to play.

If a family movie can do that, it's a win in my book.

"IF" is officially rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

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May the 4th be with you! Here’s everything our critics have said about the ‘Star Wars’ franchise

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With “Star Wars” Day looming, it’s an apt time to take stock of The Times’ reviews of each installment — movies and TV shows — in the ever-evolving, paradigm-shattering intergalactic franchise.

Updating our list from 2015 , which came before a new wave of “Star Wars” films and TV series endeared the franchise to a new generation of fans, we’re including our reviews of the latest theatrical entries in “Star Wars” movie canon, and some notable mentions of the TV, streaming and serial projects that gave us backstories for Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Mandalorian and his beloved Grogu.

Here, in the order of the action in the “Star Wars” universe, are the reviews and features (some from a long time ago) that appeared in a newspaper in a galaxy not so far, far away ...

‘Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace’ (1999)

Former L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan — who reviewed all three prequel films — didn’t love “The Phantom Menace.” His review said it was obvious that the new addition to the franchise was “aimed at younger audiences” and noted that it “delivers lots of spectacle but is noticeably lacking in warmth and humor.”

Review: The Prequel Has Landed

‘Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones’ (2002)

Turan was also not feeling newcomer Hayden Christensen and his sulky take on Anakin Skywalker: “Judging by his performance here (perhaps not a wise thing to do), young Canadian actor Hayden Christensen was picked for Anakin strictly on his ability to radiate sullen teen rebellion, something he does a lot. Anakin chafes like a grounded adolescent at the restrictions Obi-Wan places on him, grousing that the master is “overly critical. He never listens. He just doesn’t understand. It’s not fair.”

Turan dubs the relationship between Anakin and his beloved Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) “High School Confidential in Outer Space” and states that the two are less troubled by their forbidden love and more “burdened by a formidable lack of chemistry.”

Review: “When We Last Saw Our Heroes ...”

‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008)

Times staff writer Michael Ordoña described the feature film that launched George Lucas’ computer-animated TV series as a “theatrical pilot for the upcoming animated television series” and wrote that “anyone older than 8 with the majority of brain functions intact will have a bad feeling about this.”

“But where new characters, plot threads and better dialogue might have made up for much, ‘Clone Wars’ simply doesn’t aim high enough,” he wrote. “For those who had expected improved writing from the last four films [‘Return of the Jedi’ to ‘Revenge of the Sith’], your hopes will be dashed on the ornately realized rocks of Tatooine.”

Review aside, the TV series ran for seven seasons — first on Cartoon Network, then Netflix and finally Disney+ — from 2008 to 2020. Not to mention, “The Clone Wars” (both film and series) introduced its share of key characters and lore that has been indispensable to the franchise in the Disney+ era.

Review: It’s a Weak Jedi Mind Trick

‘Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)

Turan came in with show-stopping pun: “‘Revenge of the Sith’ is a visual stunner, but beware of the talk side.”

Enough said.

Review: It Looks Hot ...

‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)

Former Times film critic Justin Chang took on the newer “Star Wars” installments after Turan left The Times in 2020. His duties involved reviewing the lesser-loved film “Solo,” whose rocky behind-the-scenes story involved the firing of original directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and the hiring of their replacement, Ron Howard. The film details how fan-favorite rogue Han Solo scored the famous Millennium Falcon, met Chewbacca and came by his surname.

“[Howard] and his collaborators (including screenwriters Jonathan and Lawrence Kasdan) have cobbled together a high-speed, low-energy intergalactic heist movie, an opportunity to spend too much time with people you don’t care about and too little time with people you do,” Chang wrote.

Review: ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Never Gets Off the Ground, But Don’t Blame Alden Ehrenreich

Obi-Wan Kenobi has a deep history. Before the Disney+ series, here’s what to know

We look back at the Star Wars history of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, originated by Alec Guinness and played in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ by Ewan McGregor.

May 26, 2022

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ (2022)

The titular former general and Jedi master, introduced in 1977’s “ A New Hope ” and whose backstory was expanded upon in 1999’s “ The Phantom Menace ,” got his own space adventure in this Disney+’s six-episode limited series starring Ewan McGregor.

Times staff writer Tracy Brown explained that for series co-write Joby Harold, part of the excitement of the Disney+ series was exploring what could have happened between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope” for McGregor’s Kenobi to become the version embodied by Alec Guinness. The series is also a touching tribute to everybody’s favorite princess: “Leia’s role in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ both expands her significance in the overall ‘Star Wars’ story and recontextualizes existing canon in a way that deepens Leia’s imprint on the saga,” Brown wrote.

Commentary: How Disney’s ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ changes Princess Leia’s legacy forever

‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2014)

Times television critic Robert Lloyd wrote that the 2014 expression of the “Star Wars” brand seemed “sent to hold your attention until the arrival of the seventh live-action film.” The cartoon series premiered on the Disney Channel and was “the first tangible fruit of the incorporation of ‘Star Wars’ into the Walt Disney empire, and a Disney cartoon is very much what this is.”

“Though firmly in the Lucas tradition, this is also a Disney cartoon, for a Disney crowd and a Disney corporation — watching, you can almost feel the plastic and the plush — and whatever the characters are up to, however cute or sentimental the business, it is smartly designed and cinematically staged, and not hard to enjoy.”

Review: Disney Is the Driving Force of ‘Star Wars Rebels’

‘Andor’ (2022)

The critically hailed Disney+ series “Andor ” tells the story of how Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) transforms from disaffected, self-centered thief to committed resistance fighter willing to die for the cause, Brown wrote.

“Eschewing many of the familiar tropes and set pieces associated with the franchise, the series has pushed ‘Star Wars’ storytelling to new heights,” Brown said, and its political proclivities made the series must-see TV.

Commentary: ‘Star Wars’ Has Always Been Political. ‘Andor’ Made It Must-See TV

‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)

Landing in theaters a year after “The Force Awakens,” the brisk and momentous story was actually set about three decades prior and is a “swiftly paced, rough-and-ready entertainment that, in anticipating the canonical events of ‘A New Hope,’ manages the tricky feat of seeming at once casually diverting and hugely consequential,” Chang wrote.

“With the Death Star undergoing its final quality assurance tests, the evil Galactic Empire is very much in the ascendant. The Rebel Alliance is fractious and disorganized. And what initially seems like a zippy stand-alone adventure soon reveals itself as a grimly exciting prequel to the first, or should I say fourth, film in the series, ‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.’ (Think of the new movie, if you must, as ‘Star Wars: Episode III.V — Dawn of a New Hope.’)”

Review: ‘Rogue One’ Adds an Uneven but Thrilling Wrinkle to the Mythology of ‘Star Wars’

Unlike ‘Andor,’ ‘Mandalorian’ is going all in on ‘Star Wars’ lore. Here’s what to know

Season 3 features protective space dad Mando (Pedro Pascal) and adorable Grogu (Baby Yoda) on yet another journey steeped in “Star Wars” allusions.

March 1, 2023

‘Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope’ (1977)

The first-ever “Star Wars” film from director Lucas — originally titled simply “Star Wars” — was heralded by the late Times critic Charles Champlin as “the year’s most razzle-dazzling family movie, an exuberant and technically astonishing space adventure in which the galactic tomorrows of ‘Flash Gordon’ are the setting for conflicts and events that carry the suspiciously but splendidly familiar ring of yesterday’s westerns, as well as yesterday’s ‘Flash Gordon’ serials.”

Review: ‘Star Wars’ Hails the Once and Future Space Western

‘Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

Champlin really got into the spirit of the Force, praising both the first film and this one for their optimism and more: “‘Star Wars’ and ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ like all superior fantasies, have the quality of parable, not only on good and evil but on attitudes toward life and personal deportment and there is something very like a moral imperative in the films’ view of hard work, determination, self-improvement, concentration and idealism,” he wrote. “It does not take a savant to see that this uplifting tone only a little less than the plot and effects is a central ingredient of the wide outreach of the films.”

Review: In the ‘Star Wars’ Saga, ‘Empire’ Strikes Forward

‘Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

We found someone who loved the Ewoks! The late Times movie critic Sheila Benson called the final film in the original trilogy “frankly irresistible” and heaped tons of praise on the furry fiends from the moon of Endor.

Review: ‘Star Wars’ Continues With an Inventive ‘Jedi’

‘The Mandalorian’ (2019)

The big-budget, live-action series launched Disney’s streaming platform (and gave us the adorable “baby Yoda,” a.k.a. Grogu). Lorraine Ali, who was then a Times’ TV critic, described the show as “‘Star Wars’/Disney right down to its weird sand creatures and blighted outposts, and a safe-but-entertaining start” for Disney+.

“The premiere episode of the first live-action series in the ‘Star Wars’ universe is a direct descendant of the big-budget film franchise in both tone and execution. It’s long on impressive special effects and alien shootouts, and short on a fresh story line beyond the usual unwitting hero with a mysterious family tree and a destiny that involves saving the universe (or part of it),” she wrote. “The feel of the series is blockbuster cinema — action-packed, predictable, entertaining — so it’s jarring when the first episode ends at around 35 minutes.”

Review: ‘The Mandalorian’ Is ‘Star Wars’ to the Core: A Safe, Entertaining Blockbuster

‘The Book of Boba Fett’ (2021-22)

The first spinoff of “The Mandalorian” focuses on fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett, who left a lasting impression despite only six minutes and 32 seconds of screen time and four spoken lines during the original trilogy, Brown wrote. (Hey, the action figure was cool.)

Picking up after the events of “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett” follows Fett (Temuera Morrison) as he establishes himself as the new crime lord in charge among the local scum and villainy on Tattooine, along with his faithful right hand, Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen). The series also filled in some gaps about what Fett was up to between the events of “Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi” (1983) and his appearance in “The Mandalorian.”

Commentary: Boba Fett Had Four Lines in ‘Empire Strikes Back.’ How He Ended Up With His Own TV Show

‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ (2023)

When Ahsoka Tano crashed into Anakin Skywalker’s life as his newly assigned padawan apprentice in 2008’s animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” she changed “Star Wars” forever.

Much like her master, the teen was reckless, impulsive, stubborn and didn’t always follow the rules. She was also the first female Jedi protagonist who audiences got to see in action onscreen in a franchise that until pretty recently held the lightsaber-wielding users of the Force in the highest regard.

The next chapter in the character’s 15-year legacy was “Star Wars: Ahsoka,” which similarly broke new ground on the live-action side of the galaxy far, far away. Starring Rosario Dawson, the series boasts the first nonhuman “Star Wars” title hero as well as a core cast primarily composed of women. Both are representational milestones and examples of how “Star Wars” has become much more inclusive than it was when the original film premiered in 1977.

Commentary: ‘Ahsoka’ Proves That ‘Star Wars’ Has Long Been a Galaxy Where Women Can Be Heroes

‘Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens’ (2015)

Turan wrote that the most hotly anticipated motion picture since “Gone With the Wind” had “an erratic, haphazard quality to it” but was “a definite improvement” on the franchise’s “abortive” second trilogy set, “The Phantom Menace,” “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”

“‘The Force Awakens’ is only at its best in fits and starts, its success dependent on who of its mix of franchise veterans and first-timers is on the screen,” Turan wrote. “But ‘The Force Awakens’ is also burdened by casting miscalculations and scenes that are flat and ineffective. Sometimes the Force is with this film, sometimes it decidedly is not.”

The Force was certainly with it at the box-office. The film grossed $120.5 million on its opening day, and in 2016 became the highest grossing movie in U.S. history (at the time), not adjusting for inflation.

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’: Was It Worth the Wait?

‘Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi’ (2017)

The series’ eighth official episode, directed by Rian Johnson, was hailed as “easily its most exciting iteration in decades” by Chang, who described it as “the first flat-out terrific ‘Star Wars’ movie since 1980’s ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’”

“It seizes upon Lucas’ original dream of finding a pop vessel for his obsessions — Akira Kurosawa epics, John Ford westerns, science-fiction serials — and fulfills it with a verve and imagination all its own.”

Review: ‘The Last Jedi’ Brings Emotion, Exhilaration and Surprise Back to the ‘Star Wars’ Saga

‘Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)

“The Rise of Skywalker,” the frenzied big-bang conclusion of the franchise’s third movie trilogy, “offers itself up in the spirit of a ‘Last Jedi’ corrective, a return to storytelling basics, a nearly 2½-hour compendium of everything that made you fall in love with ‘Star Wars’ in the first place,” Chang wrote in 2019.

“The more accurate way to describe it, I think, is as an epic failure of nerve,” he said. “This ‘Rise’ feels more like a retreat, a return to a zone of emotional and thematic safety from a filmmaker with a gift for packaging nostalgia as subversion. Still, let’s acknowledge [director J.J.] Abrams for the proficient craftsman and genre-savvy showman he is. Like some of his other major pop-cultural contributions (two enjoyable ‘Star Trek’ movies and the twisty TV series ‘Lost’ among them), ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ is a swift and vigorous entertainment, with a sense of forward momentum that keeps you watching despite several dubious plot turns and cheap narrative fakeouts.”

Review: ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Is Here to Remind You Just How Good ‘The Last Jedi’ Was

Former Times staff writer Meredith Woerner contributed to this report.

More to Read

‘The Phantom Menace’ dominated 1999’s box office. History has been kinder to it

May 3, 2024

The unmissable addition to Disneyland’s Star Tours ride? Space whales

April 9, 2024

Ahsoka, Andor and the Mandalorian are coming to Disneyland’s Star Tours

March 5, 2024

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Garden tours, plants sales and more ways to spend time among flowers

Visit Maine's botanical gardens or get a sneak peek of what your neighbors are growing in their back yards.

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One of the loveliest ways to ease yourself fully out of the post-winter blahs and into springtime is to quit being a wallflower and instead surround yourself with living, blooming plants.

From botanical gardens to plant sales and garden tours, it’s time to make like the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” and while away the hours, conferring with flowers.

The waterfall at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Photo by Tory Paxson, Courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

TOTALLY BOTANICAL

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is open for the season, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maine Days are May 31 to June 2, when anyone with a Maine driver’s license or state ID gets in for free. Ditto for dads/father figures on Father’s Day (June 16). Advance registration is required. With more than 300 acres of gardens and natural spaces, including a waterfall, there will be plenty to see, smell and bask in the scenery.

Here are more things to do in Boothbay

A tour group walks on the boardwalk at Viles Arboretum in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Viles Arboretum is a botanical garden in Augusta with 6 miles of trails and more than 20 botanical collections. It’s open daily from sunrise to sunset, and admission is free. There are 224 acres with all sorts of flora and fauna to discover. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the visitor center is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Viles Arboretum offers medicinal plant walks, and although the May 18 session is full, you can still register for the June 15 and Sept. 14 events, lead by herbalist, homeopath and flower essence practitioner Debra Bluth. Tickets are $25. Advertisement

The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve has four areas to explore on its property in Northeast Harbor: the Asticou Azelea Garden (dawn to dusk daily), the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden (noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from July 9 to Sept. 8, reservations required), Thuya Garden (dawn to dusk daily, June 15 to Oct. 14) and Little Long Pond Natural Lands (hiking trails and carriage roads open dawn to dusk daily). On June 26, at the Wildflowers of Little Long Pond event, participants can wander around the garden’s fields and forest, spotting wildflowers along the way while practicing how to identify them.

Joyce Saltman, right, and Beth Anisbeck embrace a tree for 60 seconds during a tree hugging event sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreation, at Deering Oaks Park last year. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

TOURS AND MORE

2nd Annual Tree Hugging 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Deering Oaks Park, Portland. portlandmaine.gov The tree hugging is a family-friendly community gathering to celebrate Portland’s many trees. Park ranger Liz Collado will lead a sensory awakening and forest bathing session. Along with tree hugging, there will be a storytime, and you can touch a forestry truck and meet naturalist Noah Querido and Portland city arborist Mark Reiland. Just down the road, you’ll find Fessenden Park, on the corner of Brighton and Deering Avenues. The tulips have arrived, and it’s worth a visit to see them.

McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 24. McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, 97 Main St., South Paris, $5. mclaughlingardens.org You’ll find more than 125 varieties of lilacs at the McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival. Explore on your own or take a guided tour led by a horticulturist. There will also be family-friendly activities, and you can shop for native and unusual plants.

4th annual Woodfords Community Garden Tour 1-4 p.m. June 8. Woodfords Corner Community in Back Cove, Deering Highlands, Oakdale and Deering Center, $20 suggested donation. woodfordscorner.org Presented by Friends of Woodfords Corner, this self-guided tour features at least 10 gardens. As you make your way down the list, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised by all of the hidden havens bursting with flowers, plants and impressive yardscaping elements.

Peony Society of Maine 23rd annual Garden Tour 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 8 and 15. Both tours start at 1348 Ohio St., Bangor, $5 donation. peonysocietyofmaine.net You’ll visit multiple gardens in Bangor, Winterport, Ripley and St. Albans, and your senses will be filled with countless peonies. A peony plant will be raffled off at the end of each tour. Advertisement

Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22. Sagadahoc Preservation Inc., 880 Washington St., Bath, $40. sagadahocpreservation.org The Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath house and garden tour features several homes in North Bath. Every stop on the tour will be a treat for your senses and may motivate you to make some of your own magic when you get back home.

Garden Conservancy Open Garden Days 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 29. Beckett Castle Rose Garden, Singles Road, Cape Elizabeth, $10. gardenconservancy.org You’ll see plenty of roses as well as ocean views at Beckett Castle, which sits right on the water, with views of five lighthouses. The castle was built in 1871, and its rose garden features more than 70 varieties of heirloom roses. A 50-foot stone tower doubles as the rose arbor entrance to the castle.

PICK A PLANT SALE

Tate House Museum’s Annual Plant and Herb Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18. Tate House Museum, 1267 Westbrook St., Portland, 207-774-6177.  tatehouse.org The wide selection includes perennials divided from the museum’s 18th century reproduction garden. Visitors can also make their own “seed bombs” and get a sneak peak at a new installation by artist Ashley Page from 10 a.m. to noon.

Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland Spring Plant S ale 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 18, Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, 217 Landing Road, Westbrook, 207-854-9771.  arlgp.org   Perennials, house plants and more will be on sale, and plants that don’t have specific pricing are “name your own fee.” Anyone interested in donating plants or pots to the sale should send a message to [email protected] .

Taking Root Plant Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Tom Settlemire Community Garden, Maurice Drive, Brunswick, 207-729-7694.  btlt.org This annual sale is organized by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Proceeds benefit the Common Good Garden, which provides food and gardening education for the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. Master gardeners will be on hand to help shoppers choose their best options.

Scarborough Land Trust Native Plant Sale and Spring Festival 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Broadturn Farm, 388 Broadturn Road, Scarborough, 207-289-1199.  scarboroughlandtrust.org Visitors will find native plants, food vendors, local artisans, guided nature walks and activities for kids. To preorder plants, visit the Scarborough Land Trust website.

Maine Audubon Society Native Plants Sale and Festival 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 8, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, 207-781-2330.  maineaudubon.org More than 75 species of native wildflowers, shrubs and tree seedlings will be available, along with workshops, info tables and experts.

Staff writer Megan Gray contributed to this report.

Related Headlines

Headed to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens? Here’s what else to check out in Boothbay

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