OPINION: It’s (almost) Christmas movie time and I’ve already watched the Christina Milian and Devale Ellis romantic comedy multiple times.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
There was a time in my life when I was a stan for Christina Milian. I bought all of her albums back when you had to go to the store and use physical money for such endeavors. I was convinced that her 2004 song “Whatever U Want” featuring Joe Budden was the hit that would take her over the top, if only the record company would truly get behind it. I had multiple conversations with friends where I both professed my love for her as a human and my appreciation for her art. To know me in the early aughts was to know how all in I was on Christina Milian. I’m sure I’ve watched her movie “Love Don’t Cost A Thing” more times than both Christian and Nick Cannon ever have.
So you can imagine my joy (maybe you can’t, but rock with me) when I noticed that Christina Milian had gotten into the Hallmark-movie-on-Netflix market as a main character, starting with 2019’s “Falling Inn Love,” where her character wins an inn in New Zealand and finds love. Then there was 2021’s “Resort to Love” where her character is a pop star who has to sing at her ex’s wedding at a resort… and she finds love. Look, since I love love and Christina Milian, I’m all in on this era of her life.
Such was my luck as I pulled up Netflix a few weeks ago and saw a movie called “Meet Me Next Christmas” starring Christina Milian and Devale Ellis, and kinda sorta Kofi Siriboe.
I love Christmas movies. For one, I love a good rom-com and most Christmas movies are rom-coms. I especially love Black rom-coms because, ya know, I’m Black and they usually star folks I know because the Black Hollywood actor pool is not that deep. Plus, Christmas movies are typically so sweet; they are usually family-friendly and because love is in the air, the hope and promise of joy is never far away. Christmas movies are full of good things, and I like good things. Basically, I’m watching all of the Christmas movies that pop up on all the streaming services, like “Meet Me Next Christmas.”
“Meet Me Next Christmas” is the story of Layla (Milian), who is trying to get home to her boyfriend for Christmas but meets James (Siriboe) at an airport lounge. they hit it off, and he shoots his shot. They agree to meet at a Pentatonix concert NEXT Christmas if they’re both single. Also, Pentatonix … totes hilar in this film. Anyway, a year later, a single Layla tries to find tickets to Pentatonix in hopes of running into James to complete the circle on their legendary meet-cute and start the most epic love story of all time. To get a ticket to the sold-out Christmas show at Rockefeller Center, though, she has to go through a concierge service. Enter Teddy (Ellis). Shenanigans ensue.
I won’t spoil the movie because, again, I like good things and I presume you do, as well. But let me tell you. This movie has comedy, it has love, it has the promise of love. It has the most random shenanigans, Poughkeepsie, and most importantly, Christina Milian, who is truly great at these types of films. Like, I can’t say this enough: I’d watch a marathon of Christina Milian in Hallmark-adjacent movies. She just has that thing that makes rom-coms work.
Devale Ellis is also great in this movie. Let me tell you, Devale might have a serious career ahead of him in this rom-com game. He seems down-t0-earth and relatable enough to carry the male romantic lead. And he’s funny. I can’t pretend to know a ton about his film and television career; I watched “Zatima” and a few episodes of “Sistas,” but let’s just say the material didn’t exactly let him…cook. I’ve seen him pop up here and there but I hope he gets more shots at some main character roles. I’m not alleging that his role as Teddy in this film is an Oscar performance, but, you know what, it worked, and it made me think he should get some more bites at that main-character energy.
Listen, most Christmas movies are a lot of fluff and “Meet Me Next Christmas” is the right amount of fluff with equal parts ballyhoo. You know where the movie is going. There are no surprises in how it ends. But I don’t think Christmas movies are supposed to plot twist you like “The Sixth Sense;” Christmas movies are comfort food intended to play in the fore or background while the family sits around and drinks hot chocolate (or wine for the grown folks in the room). This movie is great for that. Perhaps I’m biased since I have expressed a sincere bias toward all things Christina Milian. But I enjoyed this film enough to watch it multiple times, not because there were things I missed the first time but because it was just cute enough and with enough “shucks, why not” moments that it has now entered my annual Christmas viewing canon. If you watch it, it might do the same for you. It’s got all the Christmas stuff I need.
And do you know what that means?
We’ll all…meet next Christmas to watch it together…again? No?
I’ll see myself out.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
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