Parents' Guide to

The Holiday Calendar

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Warm holiday romance is cute but predictable.

Movie NR 2018 95 minutes
The Holiday Calendar Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 8+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Kristen S.
Kristen S. Parent
February 29, 2020
age 10+

Some issues not mentioned in Commonsense review

In the first half hour of the movie, I was surprised by some elements which were not mentioned in the review. The movie repeatedly mentions "murder" - referring to a character as an "ax murderer" jokingly for cutting down a Christmas tree, and when asked if she wants to see a popular Christmas movie, the main character mentions the title of a horror movie with Silent Night in the title. The main character refers to the calendar as "haunted". The Commonsense review refers only to language such as "stupid". However I'm the first 10 min of the movie, the word "hell" is used. When commenting that she doesn't have any children yet, the main character says "I haven't made any yet". My daughter is very sensitive and after a half hour, I'm concerned that we may have to choose another movie.
1 person found this helpful.
AFishFam
AFishFam Parent of 10 and 14-year-old
January 21, 2019
age 8+

Great to watch with daughters

A sweet holiday themed rom-com. One of the best that Netflix dropped this season. It had a little magic, a lot of heart and themes of friendship and family.
See all 4 parent reviews

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?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (2):

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

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