Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
A Christmas spirit-sparked romance in predictable tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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Where to Watch
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Fit for Christmas
What's the Story?
In FIT FOR CHRISTMAS, after losing her gym business in New York and her boyfriend asking for a "break," Audrey (Amanda Kloots) returns to her hometown, the Christmas-obsessed mountain village of Mistletoe, Montana. Filled with enthusiasm and flashing a high-wattage smile, she reunites with her widowed dad and best friend (Rebecca Budig) and teaches aerobics classes at the beloved rec center. The joy is dashed when she learns budget shortfalls will close the center down. Worse than that, a corporate ski resort wants to buy up land and open a hotel complex that will privatize the rec center and enfold it into a new facility bound to decimate local businesses. To that end, corporate manager Griffin (Paul Greene) is in town, charming town council members into voting for his company's proposal. Audrey takes an instant dislike and questions all his values, setting up their ultimate romance as the Christmas spirit righting all wrongs and bringing enemies together.
Is It Any Good?
Fit for Christmas is based on the unvarying Christmas movie blueprint, so there's little doubt that the effusive Audrey and the corporate Griffin will get together in the end. Someone says, "The best paths take you to unexpected places." By design, this movie doesn't do that. But even for a Christmas movie, in which hate-first-love-later is the go-to formula, the romantic leads seem deliriously incompatible. Audrey's default mode is adamant and upbeat, which makes her a bit hard to take. When she bumps into a guy who reveals he doesn't share her Christmas obsession, he's dismissive but she's downright rude. Audrey couldn't suppress a feeling -- outrage, frustration, disapproval -- if world peace depended on it.
In her first movie role, Kloots, a host of CBS' The Talk, fitness personality, and former Rockette, co-wrote the script, seemingly unaware that successful characters and plots undergo modulations. She comes out teeth blazing, her high energy eating up scenes, with enthusiasm manifesting in screams, anger conveyed in actual "grrrrrs." With experience, if she tones down the manic effect, her generally warm presence could be a welcome addition to the genre.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Audrey characterizes her gym closing in New York as a "failure." What can people learn from challenging experiences?
Does the predictability of the plot make this less or more enjoyable? Or does it have no effect at all?
What do you think the downsides of turning the town into a ski resort might be? Are there any upsides?
How does this movie follow the typical holiday romcom script?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 4, 2022
- Cast : Amanda Kloots , Paul Greene , Rebecca Budig
- Director : Jessica Harmon
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Paramount+
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 6, 2022
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