Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 10+
The warm holiday romance is sweet but predictable.
Videos and photos
Based on 4 opinions of parents
What is the story?
Abby Sutton (Kat Graham) has inherited a HOLIDAY CALENDAR from her grandmother at a time in her life when her career as a photographer and her love life are going nowhere, fast. Each new day opens a new door in the ancient advent calendar, and soon it seems that the calendar is trying to tell her something about the handsome Ty (Ethan Peck), whom she recently started dating. Ty is a dreamboat in many ways, but is he really the one? Meanwhile, her best friend, Josh (Quincy Brown), has returned home after traveling the world. Josh is also pretty dreamy, and has been there for Abby for most of her life. Will Abby ever realize that it was always Josh?
Is it good?
This warm romance with a hint of holiday magic is a sweet story about a young woman trying to launch her career and her love life, but is too predictable to be attractive. Tweens and young teens will enjoy it Calendar of holidays as they root for Abby to see what’s obvious to everyone else, namely, what a great guy Josh is. They will also enjoy seeing her photography career take off after so much hard work. And kudos to the film for its diverse cast, who model positive behavior and interactions.
The dialogues are often uneven, but romance fans won’t mind too much. The main characters are attractive, but more mature viewers will find the performances a bit forced. Add to that a lack of any real sense of mystery about the calendar and an ending that was never in doubt, and you have a movie that’s good for romance fans, but not one the whole family is likely to enjoy.
Talk to your kids about…
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Families can discuss positive role models Calendar of holidays. Which characters are the best role models? What are their character strengths?
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Why is diverse representation important in movies and TV? Does what we see affect how we think about others? What other films with diverse casts have you seen?
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What is it about the holidays that makes you feel so magical? Do you think the calendar is really magic, or is what happened just fate? What about coincidences?
Did we miss something about diversity?
Research shows a link between children’s healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in the media. That’s why we’ve added a new “Different Representations” section to our reviews that will be published on an ongoing basis. You can help us help children