If all of the characters are jerks to each other, it’s OK for them to fall in love, right? Right?

Natalie (Anni Krueger) is a Jill of all Trades, doing a millions jobs at once. When she finds out that her cousin, Olivia (Nia Vardalos), has to cancel the opening of her new Italian restaurant because she is stuck in Italy, Natalie takes it upon herself to open the restaurant for Christmas. If she can only get chef Stefano (Gilles Marini) on board…

Well, that was definitely a movie. It’s established early on that Natalie can’t cook. Like to disastrous ends. She had to warm up some lasagna in the oven and burned it. (Setting off smoke alarms is a trend in the movie.) I’m not sure why she thought she could run a restaurant, much less do a first night opening. “I love my cousin” doesn’t really excuse taking over her business and spending her money (unless Natalie was spending her own money? Considering she was only doing small tasks for everyone, I’m not sure that she was making that much.) without her approval. That’s right - Olivia didn’t know that Natalie was doing all of this. She told Natalie that she was going to have to close the restaurant. Full stop. In my books, this makes Natalie kind of a jerk. Don’t screw with other people’s businesses. Especially if you don’t know what you are doing.

Then we move onto Stefano the chef. He told some poor lovesick teenager, Tyler (Andrew Brodeur), that love is logical and gave him a list of what he likes in a woman. Tyler was carrying this note around when the object of his affection, BeeBee (Emma Myers), finds it and calls HIM a jerk! No! Tyler was only looking to a grown-ass man for advice and that man sucks! On top of that, Stefano is just overly arrogant.

After that, it’s just back and forth jerky behavior between Natalie and Stefano. He shames her for burning the lasagna, she trashes his kitchen making Christmas cookies but doesn’t bother to clean up afterwards, he berates her in front of basically the whole town at the Christmas party for trashing his kitchen (she deserved the yelling but not in front of the people who are supposed to be their customers in a few days), she makes random decisions about the restaurant (will it open…won’t it open…) without talking to him first…the list really does keep going.

Don’t watch A Taste of Christmas. It’s apparent that no one actually likes each other, even though they have to kiss at the end. And it’s even a creepy kiss with the whole restaurant watching them and applauding. Only Olivia has the sense to ask “Why are we watching?!” Yes, Olivia. Why are we watching?

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