Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bland holiday film's story is a mess; swearing, kissing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Christmas Classic
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE CHRISTMAS CLASSIC follows Elizabeth (Malin Akerman), who wants to keep her fiancé's (Wes Hager) family's company happy by buying her ex-boyfriend's (Ryan Hansen) family ski resort. But he counters her offer with a challenge: He'll let her buy the resort if she beats her Christmas-obsessed sister, Lynn (Amy Smart), in the annual Christmas Classic competition, a collection of events that includes skiing, relay races, and more.
Is It Any Good?
This holiday romcom fails to create a coherent storyline and ends up an incoherent, nonsensical mess. That said, The Christmas Classic does hit all the beats you might expect from a Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas film. Big city woman engaged to the wrong guy coming back to her hometown to meet her ex? Check. She has to choose between her hometown and morality versus money and status? Check. Family hijinks? Check. Somehow learning the meaning of Christmas? Check.
So viewers can more or less follow their own knowledge of and experience with these types of formulaic holiday films to understand what's going to happen -- but that means they're doing the film's work for it. Because it doesn't give much of anything in the way of characterization, story, or even basic interest. It's easy to zone out while watching this film (which somehow feels much longer than its 1 hour and 25 minute runtime). Bottom line? You'd be better off watching almost any of Hallmark or Lifetime's holiday offerings than this.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the familial relationships in The Christmas Classic. How does the film find humor in sibling rivalries? Can you think of other movies that have tackled similar subject matter?
Did you notice positive diverse representations in the movie? Why does that matter?
Do you think the film is trying to teach viewers any particular lesson? If so, how would you summarize it?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 3, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : November 3, 2023
- Cast : Malin Akerman , Ryan Hansen , Amy Smart , Carlos Alazraqui
- Director : Shane Dax Taylor
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Quiver Distribution
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Holidays
- Run time : 80 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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