Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Warm holiday romance is cute but predictable.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Holiday Calendar
What's the Story?
Abby Sutton (Kat Graham) inherits THE HOLIDAY CALENDAR from her grandmother at a time in her life when both her career as a photographer and her love life are going nowhere, fast. Each new day opens a new door in the antique advent calendar, and before long it seems like the calendar is trying to tell her something about the handsome Ty (Ethan Peck), who she recently started dating. Ty is a dreamboat in many ways, but is he really the one? Meanwhile, her best friend, Josh (Quincy Brown), has returned home after traveling the world. Josh is pretty dreamy too, and has been there for Abby almost her whole life. Will Abby ever realize that it's always been Josh?
Is It Any Good?
This warm romance with a dash of holiday magic is a sweet story about a young woman trying to jump-start her career and her love life, but it's too predictable to have broad appeal. Tweens and young teens will enjoy The Holiday Calendar as they root for Abby to see what's obvious to everyone else, namely, what a great guy Josh is. They'll also enjoy seeing her photography career start to take off after so much hard work. And kudos to the movie for the diverse cast, all modeling positive behaviors and interactions.
The dialogue is often stilted, but romance fans won't mind too much. The main characters are appealing, but more mature viewers will find the performances a bit forced. Add to that a lack of a real sense of mystery about the calendar and an ending that was never in doubt, and you've got a movie that's fine for romance fans but not one the whole family's likely to enjoy together.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the positive role models in The Holiday Calendar. Which characters are the best role models? What are their character strengths?
Why is diverse representation important in movies and TV? Does what we see influence how we think about others? What other movies have you seen that have a diverse cast?
What about holiday times feels magical to you? Do you think the calendar is really magic, or is what happened just fate? What about coincidence?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 2, 2018
- Cast : Kat Graham , Quincy Brown , Ethan Peck
- Director : Bradley Walsh
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship , Holidays
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 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