By Charles Kirkland Jr.
A search for love leads a hapless concierge and a hopeless romantic on a quest for the hottest ticket in town in Meet Me Next Christmas.
While stranded in a luxury lounge during a snowstorm at an airport, Layla meets James who appears to be the perfect man. Unfortunately, Layla is very happily in a relationship. Undaunted, James proposes that if things should change, they should plan to meet each other next year at the annual Christmas Pentatonix concert. One year later, things change and suddenly Layla finds herself without a boyfriend and a ticket to the concert. After an exhaustive search, she turns to a concierge service recommended by her best friend to secure her just one ticket to the concert where fate has destined that she will meet her true love. The service gives Teddy, a concierge desperate for a good review to save his job, the seeming task.
The Meet Me Next Christmas screenplay was written by Moly Haldeman and Camilla Rubis. The movie stars Christina Milian, Devale Ellis, Tymika Tafari, Kofi Siriboe, and all the members of the group Pentatonix. The movie is directed by Rusty Cundieff (Fear Of A Black Hat, Tales from the Hood).
This is not Rusty Cundieff’s first excursion into the Christmas movie genre. In 2021, he directed Christmas in Harmony for the Hallmark Channel. Christmas in Harmony remixed The Fighting Temptations with the holidays and a little more romance and came up with a serviceable holiday movie that worked well on the platform where it aired. Meet Me Next Christmas is a step up.
There are a lot of Hallmark-y vibes to this film including a completely transparent and predictable plot. Sometimes the execution outweighs the simplicity. This movie is fun. Milian is adorable as the lovelorn hopeless romantic, willing to try anything to find true love. Ellis is great as the tag-along guy who ends up being THE guy. The real star(s) of the movie is the band Pentatonix. They play like a group of harmonious fairy godmothers, watching every move of Layla and Teddy on their quest for a ticket to their show. Honorable mentions go to Kalen Allen. His portrayal of Jordy is so fun and over-the-top that he electrifies the screen every moment he is on it.
Each year Netflix presents the world with a Christmas movie. Some are hits. Some are misses. Meet Me Next Christmas is nowhere near as creative and inspirational as Jingle Jangle but is so fantastically cute and sweet that it demands to be seen. If you watch the trailer for the movie and have ever watched that holiday movie channel, you will know exactly where this formulaic fantasy will end. A whole lot happens between that trailer and the end of the movie to make this the feel-good experience of the season so far.
For some unknown and unexplained reason, Meet Me Next Christmas is rated TV-14. The film is good family fun. It is extremely entertaining even if the story is inane and simplistic. It’s the process that counts. Look out Hallmark, Netflix is coming for you!
Meet Me Next Christmas can be seen on Netflix starting November 6, 2024.
Grade: C+