I have watched nine Christmas movies this month. (Don’t worry, there are still a few more to go!) Most of them have been a chore to watch. For the first time, I’ve come across a movie that was new and interesting and, well, NOT BORING. Let me tell you about Hot Chocolate Holiday.
Colette (Aubrey Reynolds) owns a café that serves the best specialty hot chocolate in town. Her hot chocolate is so good that she is planning on making a powdered version to sell in stores so people can make it at home. Shortly before the holidays, Colette finds out that Marcus (Jonny Swenson) has opened a new dessert shop next door. Somehow, Marcus has the same exact hot chocolate recipe as Colette! This new competition not only threatens her shop but also her supermarket deal. How did he get her recipe?!
Hot Chocolate Holiday is one of the few Christmas movies where the romance barely exists…but in a good way. Instead of focusing on getting the other person to like them, both Colette and Marcus are focused on how to make their businesses better. The big conflicts come from two places, both business related - how does Marcus have the same exact hot chocolate recipe as Colette and can Marcus save his business after a catastrophic fire. I love that these are the conflicts. I don’t always love the way that Colette handles things but sometimes people get a little too heated when they are passionate about something.
The best part of having the romance take a back seat to other plot lines is that it doesn’t matter whether the leads have romantic chemistry. They work as friends and that is fine with me. I actually might have liked the movie more if there wasn’t a “I’m falling in love with you” moment. But I know that is not a popular opinion. Most people want the romance.
I would definitely recommend giving Hot Chocolate Holiday a chance. It’s probably the best of the cooking/business genre of Christmas movie.