Holiday Crashers

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Holiday Crashers_1080P

What a fun, sweet, and heartwarming movie Holiday Crashers is. Very unique for a Hallmark production. The story begins with two women who are friends and who are each at loose ends in their lives. Bri (Daniella Monet) has been working at odd jobs since she was 13 to help support her mother and sister. Toni (Lindsey Fonseca) is a law school graduate who had a panic attack while taking the bar exam and couldn't finish it. While working at a shop that prints party invitations, they decide to attend a holiday party themselves for fun after finding extra invitations. Ever feel like things are going nowhere for you? Along the way, Toni meets a charming business man (Chris McNally) and Bri meets a sweet guy (Jag Bal) who sparks her interest and so the romance begins! As in any good rom- com, conflict ensues, in this case as a result of mistaken identities. In the end though, as with all Hallmark movies, there is a HEA all around. Holiday Crashers is a delightful movie that has two charming couples with great chemistry, lots of fun moments and dialogue, sparkling photography, angst, and a beautiful ending. A joy to be watched again and again!

This should have been a can't miss funny and romantic start for the 2024 Christmas line-up with my current fave Lyndsy Fonseca, who is gifted with both beauty and comedic timing, as the leading lady paired with another comedic talent in Daniella Monet while pining for the solid Chris McNally as the leading male. The redux of The Wedding Crashers is obvious from even the title, and the ladies play well off each other as best friends looking for a good time to get in the way of dealing with the disappointment of their lives. The comedy mostly lands though I think it suffers with the comparison, not being probably as funny as it wants to be or could be considering the comedic talent involved. Regardless, that isn't really where this move disappoints. Largely, for me, the movie comes up short because neither of its main female protagonists are particularly likeable. It doesn't help that the movie seems to suggest that all you have to do to get ahead and find true love is to lie and pretend to be something you aren't. Or that success can be achieved simply by having ideas. Daniella established herself by playing an annoying older sister in Victorious, who is funny because of her stupidity. I thought she was redoing that role here, but the screenplay pretended her stupidity was actually brilliance. She did have a talent for lying, however. And I found her so annoying that I was hoping she'd get slapped through most the movie. It is not unusual for a main character in these movies to get caught up in the web of their own lies, but the lie enabling the central romance in the story is too egregious to be forgiven by someone you just met, and no, it didn't make it better that she felt bad about it. The fact that her doorknob friend (brilliant friend?) helped talk her into it just made it worse. She knew better and did it anyway. The men in this are fine, but I'm never convinced why they are so infatuated with the leading ladies, besides simple attraction. It is never established what commonalities tie the characters together now how they improve each other beyond the cliche - I'm now inspired to do what I should have been doing all along simply by this stranger being attracted to me. I think the movie would have benefited from a little less of the secondary romance and little more of the primary. Just as it seems like a connection is being made, the getaway is over and Toni is back home. Since no work was actually done during the getaway, why did Justin need her to go again? I know he really just wanted to get to know her better, but the pretense makes him look like a fool that's mixing business with pleasure. If you want to date her, just do that without the pressure of a financial transaction that makes the romantic transaction more difficult and awkward. Her professional advice for him was an obvious contingency that would have had to be disclosed in the sale, regardless. The writers appeared to lack the creativity or business savvy to think of something better. The writers deserve credit for the 1 year jump before the denouement. They almost saved the ending with that maneuver. Too bad they virtually wasted it on the man, the victim in this case, feeling the need to apologize for not opening himself to more lies by listening to her excuses. The bollywood dance and wedding seemed to come out of no where and serve no purpose other than to include an Indian wedding ceremony and pretty dress. I'd probably watch this again just because of my infatuation with Lyndsy, but this continues a lackluster start for the 2024 Christmas run. Plenty of time to get better.

Holiday Crashers is a delightful holiday rom-com that offers a refreshing twist on the familiar genre. Starring Chris McNally, Lyndsy Fonseca, Daniella Monet, and Jabg Bal, the film follows two best friends who decide to crash exclusive holiday parties for a bit of fun. However, their escapades take an unexpected turn when they find themselves entangled in a web of lies and mistaken identities. The film's charm lies in its ability to balance humor and heartfelt moments. McNally and Fonseca have excellent chemistry, and their witty banter keeps the audience engaged. Monet and Bal also deliver strong performances, adding depth and richness to the story. The holiday setting is beautifully captured, and the festive atmosphere is infectious. The characters' personal journeys are both relatable and inspiring, making the film a satisfying viewing experience. Overall, Holiday Crashers is a fun and heartwarming film that is sure to put you in the holiday spirit. If you're looking for a lighthearted escape with a touch of romance, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Loved the dynamic between the women, they felted like best friends. Crashing parties is not new and wouldn't we all like to be someone new at times and enjoy a nice holiday party at the same time. Then bring in the romance and you have a real party now. Loved Chris McNally as Justin. Justin was instantly smitten with Toni (Lyndsey Fonseca) and what follows is fun, romantic and heartbreaking. But with any good Hallmark flick they find their way back into each other's lives. I absolutely loved the McNally twirl at the end. What could be a better way to end a fun romantic flick than a twirl or two.

Two women who work at an "invitation store" (apparently that's a thing) decide to steal leftover invitations and crash extremely elaborate holiday parties a few times because they think their lives are going nowhere. The party crashing isn't even a main theme in the film. It just happens to be a thing they do. I am not recommending this movie, therefore this review contains spoilers. Lyndsy Fonseca plays Toni, a law school grad, who had a panic attack when taking the Bar Exam and did not become a lawyer (yet). She lives with her invitation store co-worker and bestie Bri, played to perfection by Daniella Monet. Bri likes to organize and give advice-I guess that's her talent.. Toni meets up with Justin (Chris McNally), who is the CEO of an investment company which apparently only has just one lawyer, one office and five or so actual employees. Toni and Justin, despite being model worthy folks, have absolutely no chemistry. Why do they like each other? What thing in Toni makes Justin a better man? What thing that Justin has, makes Toni change her ways. No growth. No good. I could go on about this storyline, but I just didn't buy it. She's a fake lawyer and it's the end of the world for a while. The secondary love story is way better. Bri meets a valet named Vinny who actually shows an interest in her and looks like he actually likes her. Our first couple should take note. They do some flirting and the big reveal is that he's not a valet, he owns the company which may or may not be a big company. They never really say. But for fantasy sake, I'll say he's loaded. This couple actually gets married at the end of the movie. They are of Indian decent and Bri's wedding dress is a chic Indian gown that was really great. I'd like to see this culture explored more in these movies. They do celebrate Christmas in India. Let's look into that. It feels like Hallmark had two OK movies and they decided to blend them together and make one janky movie. Bri and Vinny deserved to be the headline couple of this movie. Justice for Bri and Vinny!! This movie was also not a Christmas movie. It takes place in the winter and people go to holiday parties, but it is not at all about Christmas. This movie fails the substitution test that tells us that if the holiday of Christmas featured in the movie could be swapped out for another holiday without material changes in the plot of said movie, then it's not a Christmas movie. Adding snow, or mountains is not enough. Christmas doesn't even occur in this movie. Huh? There are no children in Holiday Crashers, despite having multiple pregnant women. Christmas joy is best seen through the eyes of children. Pretty single people don't exude Christmas cheer like a kid. The lawyer's TV advertisements were very funny. They played Sia's song "Snowman," which is one of the best Christmas songs ever made. At one point in the film someone says, "Well, she did save us $2 billion." This is not a normal thing to say, or a reasonable excuse for a lie. This is the second year that Hallmark put Lyndsy Fonseca in a terrible movie. "Where Are You Christmas? (2023) was dreadful. But she starred in the wonderful "Next Stop, Christmas" (2022), so I'll keep rooting for her. Come on Hallmark, help a girl out. Cast Kudos: Credit to Jag Bal who plays Vinny. I need more Vinny. Genuine fella who you could bring home to the parents. Alternative titles: Everyone Got a Sitter and Went to a Party; Fake Lawyer for Winter; I lied about being a lawyer, but I'll save you $2 billion anyway; No Kids Christmas.

Wow! Trying to put a positive spin on the amount of lies and deceit that these ladies did is ridiculous. The party crashing was one thing, but the lies lies lies was another. And these were BIG, possible life altering, lies. The lead character, Toni, was given so many opportunities to come clean and never did. Instead she just kept compounding the issues. And then when she goes to the office to meet with Justin and you think that she has finally grown a backbone, acquired some morals, or something and confess all, she starts the conversation talking about the legal case she isn't even supposed to be working on. Then when Justin confronts her and tells her he knows she's been lying, she never even apologizes! She even has the audacity to seem hurt that he is rejecting her. Then, when a year has passed, and her and her bestie Bri are discussing the situation she says she regrets none of it. NONE OF IT. And when Toni finally meets back up with Justin, she says she's not sure she apologized enough last year. She never did, unless that ended up on the cutting room floor. And he forgives her. Come on. I feel like I'm ranting here, but I'm just really disappointed that what I got from this was "it's OK if you're lying if no harm was intended and they'll forgive you if they love you". Booooo! I gave it 3 stars (0 was my first choice) because I like the actors and there was some humor and family bonding.

Two best friends, Toni (Lyndsy Fonseca) and Bri (DanielkanMonet) try to add some excitement to their mundane lives by crashing exclusive Holiday parties and assuming false identities. They each meet a guy they are attracted to but things go bad when Justin (Chris McNally) thinks Toni is a lawyer and enlists her help on a potential business deal, but the truth is she had a panic attack and never completed law school. The situation becomes more complicated because Justin's recent breakup involved a lying girlfriend and one thing he hates are liars! There's also a hidden deception with Bri and her flame Vinny (Jag Bal). The lead actors have great chemistry. The movie is entertaining and a bit unique, although it has the usual Hallmark "conflict" as part of the plot. My complaint, as with all Hallmark movies, is that they need to tighten the middle of the script and allow more time for the script to focus on the story conclusion which always feels hurried and rushed and squeezed in to the final 10 minutes. In this movie more of the relationship between Toni and Justin instead of the proverbial "a year later" and a lot happened in that time. BUT a nice movie overall.

As a Hallmark movie expert, this is one of the good ones to catch this 2024 holiday season. We had rewatch to catch who wrote dialogue. It is very fun to watch. The story is more believable than other Hallmark movies. Yea, it is illegal to party crash and pose as a lawyer, but it is all part of the storyline and good. Both lead actresses were perfectly cast. The post skiing scene was especially funny for us non skiers. The Indian themed wedding was so beautiful and gave representation. Felt the ending gave a perfect resolution to the conflict of the storyline. Keep Holiday Chasers part of your Hallmark Countdown.