Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Predictable holiday romcom has mild sexual references.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Holiday Engagement
What's the Story?
Like Sandra Bullock in The Proposal, Hillary (Bonnie Somerville) needs a HOLIDAY ENGAGEMENT, in this case a fiancé to fill in for the one who dumped her right before a family Thanksgiving dinner. Hillary's pushy mother (Shelley Long) always questions and criticizes Hillary's decisions and career choices so it's no wonder Hillary feels comfortable pulling off the hoax. Hillary also hopes the ruse might buy enough time for the real fiancé to change his mind and take her back. David (the charming Jordan Bridges), an unemployed actor, takes the job for a pair of tickets to a Mexican resort, the site of a romantic trip he'd taken with the woman who had recently dumped him. Of course David and Hillary fight it all the way but finally recognize, to no one's surprise, that they are right for each other.
Is It Any Good?
While this movie gets off to a woefully slow start, by the second half the charm and competence of the actors surpasses the mediocrity of the script. Somerville looks and plays it appealingly like a newer model Amy Poehler, and Bridges as her hired fiancé has a deep likability and warmth. Together they help viewers forget the shaky premise, and the many ways in which Holiday Engagement rips off previous movies. Yes, Hillary is a plucky, upbeat journalist with a plucky and upbeat best friend to whom she confides the humiliation of arriving at Thanksgiving without a fiancé. But once Bridges enters the picture, they make the experience of witnessing the inevitable a pleasure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether parents should impose their expectations and demands on adult children, like Hillary's parents do in Holiday Engagement. How might such demands affect the parent-child relationship?
The movie gives early hints that Hillary's fiancé is not a great guy. How does the audience know that he is going to dump her? Why do you think Hillary can't see it coming?
How does this compare to other romantic comedies about mismatched couples?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 16, 2012
- Cast : Jordan Bridges , Bonnie Somerville , Shelley Long
- Director : Jim Fall
- Studio : Johnson Media
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 97 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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