Meet Me at Christmas is such a frustrating movie. Get ready for a long-winded rant.
When they were freshmen in college, Joan (Catherine Bell) and Beau (Mark Deklin) spent one fun-filled, flirty day during a Christmas stay at a hotel. Years later, they reconnect when Joan’s son, Liam (Luke Bilyk), and Beau’s niece, Katie (Sage Kitchen), are about to get married at the same hotel.
I am so annoyed at this movie. There are so many times when the “conflict” could have been resolved but weren’t because they needed the movie to be longer than thirty minutes. We start off with Joan and Beau not introducing themselves when they originally met. They were doing this stupid flirty game of “I don’t give my name to people I’ve only known for six hours.” YES. They spent the entire day together and didn’t know each other’s names. We saw them compete in a snowman building contest and ride a ferris wheel together and they still refused to just tell the other person their name. WHO IS THAT STUPID.
Then…later that night, they were supposed to meet up at a big tree lighting ceremony. But, of course, they don’t know each other’s names still. Beau doesn’t show up and Joan ends up hanging out with her future husband and his friends. Now. Joan told this guy (I’m not sure they ever say the dad’s name….they keep referring to him as “your father”) that she was meeting someone else and he said she could wait with his group. No big deal. HOWEVER….
During the wedding planning, Liam asks Joan if she knew Beau before. Joan straight up lies to her son and says no. Because Joan didn’t want to ruin Liam’s story of how she met his father? (Oh, by the way, the dad is dead so he’s only ever spoken about in past tense.) Why would knowing that you met Beau and spent one whole day with him ruin anything? WHO IS THAT STUPID.
In addition to that, Beau tried multiple times to tell Joan why he didn’t show up to the tree lighting ceremony that night. But Joan wouldn’t let him. It isn’t until Katie’s dad (Beau’s younger brother) is giving his wedding speech, where he tells the story of how Beau saved him from getting run over by a car and they spent months in the hospital. If Joan had just let him talk earlier, this would have all been resolved.
WHY ARE THEY SO STUPID?
Absolutely do not watch Meet Me at Christmas. It is dumb and frustrating. I keep waiting for something to happen..for there to be a real reason that Joan was being stupid…but there wasn’t. Nothing happens. This movie wasted so much of my time. ARGH.