By Geno McGahee
I know it’s early to start my holiday movie review spree, but I like Christmas movies and I don’t give myself any boundaries about what and when to watch. So, I gave CHRISTMAS ON HOLLY LANE a shot.
Sarah (Sarah Lancaster), Cat (Gina Holden) and Riley (Karen Holness) are childhood friends that bonded over Christmas. Cat and Riley came from bad homes and they found joy in Sarah’s house where they decorated the shit out of it. It’s a huge log cabin and those sorts of homes are ideal for holiday décor. So, this film already gets points for setting the holiday vibe.
Years pass and each woman has moved to different areas with the exception of Sarah. She was just dumped by her husband, Ethan (Giles Panton), but still lives in the same cabin with her daughter, Hannah (Taylor Dianne Robinson). Sarah can’t get over the fact that her hubby had a woman on the side, but she’s willing to look past it. Ethan has no interest and has lost the connection to his daughter as well.
The group reunites at the cabin and Cat and Riley get the bad news about their friend. Cat and Riley have their own shit to contend with. Cat works for a diner where the owner has a gambling habit and things currently get screwed up. Riley works for a boss that tells her that she needs balls and is just an overall jerk, BUT I have to give him credit. He never leaves a scene without giving an intense look.
They go for a walk and see a banner for Payton (Sharon Crandall) and her realty firm. Sarah makes the comment that she has “more beef than a meat locker.” I thought that it was a dick joke, but I guess it wasn’t. She meant beef as in grudge, not as in big old dick. Perhaps she did mean it as a dick joke. Women tell dick jokes all the time. Who doesn’t tell dick jokes all the time?
The trio goes to Oscar’s Diner, where they used to eat as teens and they begin to discuss their lives. Riley isn’t happy that she works for a company that scams people and that her boss always has intense looks when he leaves the room. Cat is having issues at work and never sees her daughter, Taylor (Ava Telek). Cat brings up the “one percenters” ruining her daughter’s life and that she needs to know that life isn’t all the glamour and trips and other bullshit that those nasty one percenters think it is.
The more Cat and Riley hang around the town, they more they want to stay in the town. Cat finds out that Oscar is selling the diner and that is her dream. She wants to own a diner. Riley sees the chance to use her company to do good and offers to finance the deal, but her asshole boss refuses the deal. Riley quits and leaves the office, but when she looks back she sees him give her that intense look.
The diner plan moves forward and Riley starts her own business. Riley meets Doctor Jake (Jaime M. Callica) after she sprains her ankle and it turns out that they went to high school together. She made the comment that he “gained five inches in college.” He didn’t even say the logical response: “Yes and all in the pants.” She could then say “what’s up doc?” Damn, I could have written the rest of this scene and made it great!
Cat hires a guy to do the construction on her diner and it turns out that he had a crush on her since he was 13 and now she’s got some romance going. There’s all sorts of reunions going on here. I never had anything like that happen to me outside of the guy that I went to high school with going through my recycling bin for cans. I don’t think he had a crush on me since he was 13 and if he did, and he’s reading this, I’m not interested.
Sarah finds out that Ethan knocked up the girl and on the side and now it’s really over. She doesn’t want any baby mama drama. I never thought I’d use that term. I really hate it, but the review called for it.
So, Riley and Cat find love, but what about Sarah? Ethan is out there getting his groove on but it’s Christmas and her two friends have boyfriends and are happy. What about her? Well, they weren’t going to end this film without giving Sarah something. On Christmas Eve, some dude and his daughter come knocking and it just so happens that he’s single and it just so happens that the young actress that they got for that role cannot act AT ALL. I know she was young and only had a couple lines but the cast was pretty solid up to this point.
CHRISTMAS ON HOLLY LANE checks all the boxes. It has the holiday feel, struggles the characters overcome, a doctor growing five inches in some place or the other and a happy ending. It’s not a holiday classic, but you could do much worse. I recommend it.
