A Holiday Boyfriend

Don't waste your time. The main character is the most unlikeable shallow bimbo of all time.

A Holiday Boyfriend is a romantic comedy with a familiar theme - Mr. Right Now turns out to be Mr. Right. I found it on Tubi while looking for an easy to watch movie that would take my mind off this post-presidential election time-period that feels like a dumpster fire. This movie delivered. It has kind of a Hallmark or Lifetime romance movie feel, but with much better kissing and a great scene on the kitchen dishwasher.

The male lead character is an introverted, socially shy man of few words, but one look at him and you know that underneath he is a "hunka hunka burning love." Casting Matt Merchant for this character made the movie, in my opinion. He's a handsome guy in a football player offensive guard lineman kind of way - a guy who could clear a crowded sidewalk for a woman and pick her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. What woman doesn't want that? Best leading man kisser I have seen, with blue eyes and a great smile thrown in to seal the deal.

The woman who played the leading female character also wrote, directed, and helped cast the movie. For a debut film of these responsibilities, I thought that Olivia Dunkley did a solid job. I thought there was a good supporting cast, especially the two girlfriends, and the waiter Han. They added some great humor to the film. Were there some things that could have been written or acted differently? Maybe, but I'm no Roger Ebert to pass judgement. If you think a scene is too slow, you can skip ahead 10 seconds in Tubi if you want. For the person who rated this movie low because they said the female lead character is "the most unlikeable shallow bimbo of all time," I have two words: Scarlett O'Hara.

I am glad I spent an hour and 45 minutes of my life watching this film. I also found an online interview on The Movie Guys with Olivia and Matt where I learned just how hard it is to make a movie on a really small budget. Overall, a fun movie to watch. The only thing I would have changed is that the characters would have been naked for the dishwasher scene (just kidding).

Usually these fims are either formulaic or badly done ego trips. This film, written and directed by the star, had some weaknesses in writing, but the plot was not contrived, the story developed reasonably, and the performances were (generally) excellent. The dynamic between the female friends was honest and natural. The male lead was a little stiff, but may have been written that way. I watched it to see what a woman-driven genre film could accomplish. Olivia Dunkley stepped beyond her stunt woman, action hero default to deliver an entertaining look at contemporary dating.

People usually fall into two camps. those who love Hallmark rom-coms and those who hate Hallmark rom-coms! I am more or less indifferent, but the wife loves these things and roped me into watching this last night. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. There is nothing new or surprising here, but it was engaging, hit all of the Christmas rom-com tropes and made me smile in the right places, I think! I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than most of the movies that Hollywood thinks we all want to see around Christmas.

All I know is i had to watch all the way past the credits in case there was a stinger revealing that Jacob, the male lead, was actually a serial killer. Kudos to Matt Merchant if he was playing this character with a background of cold-blooded murderer, because he was playing deep in the psycho waters. Get this man a proper horror film, post haste.