Parents' Guide to Best. Christmas. Ever!

This is a film that probably reads better on paper than it plays on screen due to some awkward pacing and clunky editing, but a more serious second half allows for a heartwarming ending. The characters in Best. Christmas. Ever! had potential -- college friends and past lovers, now middle-aged, reunite and find themselves comparing their lives. But the reality turns out to be more complex than what each sees on the surface. This seems like such a timely and important message during the season of gratitude and in the social media age (here, a holiday newsletter provides the forum for humble bragging).

The film also boasts some elements of Christmas charm, mostly in the form of an implausible hot air balloon ride and some very cute children who believe in Santa. All of this comes in the second half of the film, creating a tonal shift from the more comedic first half. Graham and Cedeño are tasked with most of the funny scenarios and lines, and they handle them fine (Cedeño feels like a discovery here, while Norwood and Biggs are subdued). But the film doesn't fully exploit its cast or its humor. Other scenes are oddly truncated, like a supposed Santa appearance or a near car accident and the appearance out of nowhere of an angel character that doesn't seem to have much purpose or resolution.