Hometown Holiday

Everything about Hometown Holiday feels forced, from inept acting, to an incompetent script, to the oblivious direction, to dramatic conflicts that feel manufactured and absurd. The movie presents us with one bad decision after another until we are inured to them. A woman who once had an acting career decides to perform a monologue for her new boyfriend. She brings him to a theater and gets into costume, which feels cringe-worthy and weird. His response is also a bit over the top. He ends the relationship, claiming she only likes him because he can help her career in his capacity as an attorney for a talent agency. Old New York headlines announce that "theater fans are upset at losing the most talented stage actor of her generation," as if any respectable publication would actually write such a story. A baby is born and a few hours later the mom looks like she just left the beauty salon. A handsome widower's young son posts his dad's melancholy song online and the head of legal from Los Angeles' biggest talent agency comes out to woo him. Based on one song?

Through most of the film, Krista talks about how much she loves her flower shop, and suddenly, at the end, she regrets leaving her fantastically successful acting career in New York and laments "giving up" on herself. The biggest cringe-inducer is saved for last. After rejecting Krista, Ryan slinks back and interrupts her community theater performance by walking on stage in an inexplicable Santa suit and pledging his love for her in front of an audience. The list of unmotivated and illogical plot points here is nearly endless.