A Merry Little Ex-Mas (Netflix) Review

Steve Carr’s A Merry Little Ex-Mas doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by other, better Christmas family comedies.

Unfortunately, this latest Netflix production doesn’t quite manage to live up to the standard set by other, better films of its ilk.

Alicia Silverstone (Bugonia) plays Kate, a would-be architect who, years earlier, moved to the idyllic town of Winterlight to marry doctor Everett (Oliver Hudson, of Happy Gilmore 2). Together, they managed to raise two kids: Gabriel (Wilder Hudson), who is about to finish high school, and Sienna (Emily Hall, of Loot), who is attending college in the UK. Unfortunately, Everett’s workaholism has only managed to deteriorate their marriage, which results in them starting the process of getting divorced.

Things get even more complicated, though, when Everett’s dads, Daryl (Geoffrey Owens) and Mike (Derek McGrath), let slip that he’s dating someone new. That someone new, it turns out, is fashionable Tess Wiley (Jameela Jamil, of The Good Place), who met Everett after twisting her ankle and needing a doctor. Feeling desperate and needing to make his almost-ex-husband jealous, Kate decides to start dating the eccentric Chet Moore (Pierson Fodé), who’s twenty-nine years old and seems to have an absurd number of jobs. It seems that Kate doesn’t really want to divorce Everett. And maybe, the latter is starting to have doubts of his own.

The premise of A Merry Little Ex-Mas is not without merit. In fact, plenty of Christmas comedies have mixed interpersonal hijinks and family drama with a holiday setting and cosy vibes, resulting in entertaining and well-meaning experiences. The problem with this latest offering is that Holly Hester’s script doesn’t really do anything particularly interesting or original with its story, seemingly going through the motions, happy to simply deliver what’s expected of it and nothing more.

Which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, except that the characters aren’t strong enough to sustain a predictable story. Alicia Silverstone isn’t convincing at all as Kate, playing her in a very childlike manner. Oliver Hudson feels quite stiff as Everett, and there’s pretty much no chemistry between him and Silverstone. Melissa Joan Hart is frankly wasted as April, Kate’s best friend and godmother to Sienna. And Wilder Hudson plays Gabriel as a somewhat stereotypical teen; not a brat, necessarily, but a young man who doesn’t feel understood by his mother, especially since he wants to be a firefighter, while she wants him to go to college.

Bright spots can be found, though, in Pierson Fodé’s Chet and Jameela Jamil’s Tess. The former is quite simply the best character in the movie; an enchanting manchild with good intentions, no patience for drama, and a penchant for the absurd. He’s solely responsible for the few good jokes in A Merry Little Ex-Mas, as well as some of its more memorable moments (consider his surprisingly hilarious shirtless scene). And the latter is pure charisma and entertaining awkwardness, serving as the more down-to-earth counterpart to some of the more cartoonish and less self-aware protagonists.

Unfortunately, the memorable new partners aren’t enough to save A Merry Little Ex-Mas from oblivion. Many of the gags in the movie don’t land, making one cringe rather than laugh. Some of the more dramatic moments feel awkward, as if the actors weren’t performing while in the same room. And while ultimately the film’s message – that of making a difference in the world through small actions – is indeed laudable, I can’t help feeling that Kate doesn’t make the right choice by the end. I don’t want to include spoilers, so I’ll just say that the movie’s ending feels a bit anticlimactic, especially considering the way Everett behaved with Kate for years, and the dreams she had abandoned because of him.

Even though family Christmas pictures aren’t known for their originality or style, I certainly was expecting more from A Merry Little Ex-Mas. I was expecting more sympathetic characters, a more palpable chemistry between the leads, funnier gags and a more satisfying ending. Tonally, the film’s all right, making good use of its impressive wintry exteriors and cosy interiors. And Jameela Jamil and Pierson Fodé shine, compensating for the rather lame protagonists. But even they cannot save A Merry Little Ex-Mas from feeling, well… too little. It won’t ruin your Christmas, but it won’t make it merrier either.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas is now available to stream globally on Netflix.