"Double Holiday" is Hallmark's 2019 answer to Lifetime's "Mistletoe and Menorahs" from the same year. Namely, both films are Hanukkah holiday films and will forever be associated. In this version the woman is Jewish and the man isn't. The opposite occurs in the Lifetime film.
A career woman, Rebecca (played by vivacious Carly Pope), is offered the chance to compete for a promotion alongside her co-worker, Chris (the charming Kristoffer Polaha). The promotion is predicated upon planning a Christmas party, which Rebecca feels unqualified to do. The boss pairs her with Chris. All the while Rebecca lusts after Fancy Suit Guy (this movie's Hot Guy) who works one floor above them.
Pope gives Rebecca a lot of charm. When allowed to relax, Rebecca is quite likable. It's a shame that the script makes her neurotic and comically ignorant about Christmas planning. Would anyone from the United States really think it's ok to make dinosaur cookies for a professional Christmas party? It would have worked better if Rebecca was an Israeli immigrant living here instead.
Making matters worse is the way Rebecca's family is portrayed. We see them doing various "Jewish" things like playing Dreidel without ever having context for them. It is almost as if the film expected you to see the Lifetime film first. That film at least gives us some insight as to why Jewish traditions are observed. Some basic education is appreciated when you don't know much about another culture.
What I think is that the film assumes that Dreidel, the dishes and other actions we see are like making gingerbread houses and drinking hot chocolate at Christmas. For all I know they are or they may be deeply ingrained in religious observation.
On the contrary, Chris is portrayed in the script as a complicated man who is misunderstood at work by just about everyone. He even volunteers at the children's shelter. He's a big bore because his character has no arc. Polaha's wise cracks can only go so far to liven up the lack of story.
The two of them fall in love by the time the party happens. The ending is especially cheesy. "Double Holiday" is an unfortunate film that isn't good in spite of the general competence of its actors.
A career woman, Rebecca (played by vivacious Carly Pope), is offered the chance to compete for a promotion alongside her co-worker, Chris (the charming Kristoffer Polaha). The promotion is predicated upon planning a Christmas party, which Rebecca feels unqualified to do. The boss pairs her with Chris. All the while Rebecca lusts after Fancy Suit Guy (this movie's Hot Guy) who works one floor above them.
Pope gives Rebecca a lot of charm. When allowed to relax, Rebecca is quite likable. It's a shame that the script makes her neurotic and comically ignorant about Christmas planning. Would anyone from the United States really think it's ok to make dinosaur cookies for a professional Christmas party? It would have worked better if Rebecca was an Israeli immigrant living here instead.
Making matters worse is the way Rebecca's family is portrayed. We see them doing various "Jewish" things like playing Dreidel without ever having context for them. It is almost as if the film expected you to see the Lifetime film first. That film at least gives us some insight as to why Jewish traditions are observed. Some basic education is appreciated when you don't know much about another culture.
What I think is that the film assumes that Dreidel, the dishes and other actions we see are like making gingerbread houses and drinking hot chocolate at Christmas. For all I know they are or they may be deeply ingrained in religious observation.
On the contrary, Chris is portrayed in the script as a complicated man who is misunderstood at work by just about everyone. He even volunteers at the children's shelter. He's a big bore because his character has no arc. Polaha's wise cracks can only go so far to liven up the lack of story.
The two of them fall in love by the time the party happens. The ending is especially cheesy. "Double Holiday" is an unfortunate film that isn't good in spite of the general competence of its actors.