Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Funny romcom spoofs holiday fare; salty language, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Christmas with the Campbells
What's the Story?
In CHRISTMAS WITH THE CAMPBELLS, family portrait photographer Jesse (Brittany Snow) is blindsided when her longtime boyfriend, Shawn (Alex Moffat), breaks up with her a week before Christmas. With Shawn away on a business trip, Shawn's mother, Liz (Julia Duffy), invites Jesse to stick with the plan and spend the holidays with their family anyway. With nonrefundable plane tickets, Jesse agrees, thinking that a week in picturesque Ketchum, Idaho, will save her holiday and just might help mend her broken heart. But when Shawn's cousin, David (Justin Long), shows up unannounced, Jesse's holiday plans may be permanently altered.
Is It Any Good?
Legitimately and sometimes outrageously funny -- and definitely not for kids -- this comedy from writer-producer Vaughn spikes the intoxicating cider of a certain brand of Christmas movies. Similar to the way that Enchanted parodied a Disney princess movie while also being a thoroughly fantastic Disney princess movie, Christmas with the Campbells spoofs the Hallmark-style holiday romance while being a laugh-out-loud, completely entertaining gift of a romcom.
Directed by Clare Niederpruem (The Christmas Bow) and written by Barbara Kymlicka (Baby, It's Cold Inside) -- both of whom are known for creating squeaky-clean made-for-the-small-screen Christmas romances -- Campbells hits all of the "hallmarks" of a holiday heart warmer. Snow is perfectly cast as Jesse, the typical heroine of these kinds of films: She's an aspirational yet relatable early 30s White woman who's been dumped a week before Christmas by her obviously unworthy boyfriend Shawn (Moffat puts his "guy with a boat" character from SNL to good use). After her meet-cute with David (Long, who delivers his lines like a bespoke Sam Elliott mixed with Ted Lasso), the two traipse through the quaint small town of Ketchum and bond over the joys of nature, small-town life, and the pursuit of passions that don't result in material wealth. Slightly souring the eggnog is the beautiful owner (Joanna Garcia Swisher) of the local bakery, who has her pies set on both David and Shawn. Whatever will happen?! You can probably guess, but in answering the question, this saucy, playful pic provides two hours of ha-ha-holiday fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why holiday romance movies are popular. How does Christmas with the Campbells compare to others you've seen?
Do you think Christmas with the Campbells rises to parody level, or is it just having fun with the genre? What hallmarks (no pun intended) of the holiday romcom does the film include?
Do you think drinking or using drugs is glamorized in the movie? How does the humor come from playing into stereotypes as well as playing against expectations?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 2, 2022
- On DVD or streaming : December 2, 2022
- Cast : Brittany Snow , Justin Long , Julia Duffy
- Director : Clare Niederpruem
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Writer(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : RLJE Films
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Holidays
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate