Every Other Holiday (2018)

Title: Every Other Holiday
Year of Release: 2018
Available On: Hulu on 10/19
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Jingle Bells

I guess I have been watching a lot of older movies lately, because I immediately noticed that the production value of this one is pretty dang good. Thus, costuming, sets, music, and lighting were all the right amount of sparkly Christmas or chilly winter’s night or stodgy church interior or whatever was called for by the scene.

I already know I hate this meddling mother played by Dee Wallace.

Tracie (Schuyler Fisk) and Rick (David Clayton Rogers) are somewhat recently divorced. Their two daughters scheme Parent Trap style to get them back together by stating their only Christmas wish: for both of their parents to be at the holiday celebration at Tracie’s parents. They are understandably tired of switching off holidays with each parent. Neither parent particularly wants to do that, but they love their kiddos so they try to make the best of it. They figure… how bad can it be? Pretty dang bad, since Tracy’s family – in particular, her mom – aren’t very welcoming. But they have some beautiful moments together and maybe, just maybe, some folks are starting to chance their stance on “deadbeat” Rick. Rick, meanwhile, gets to know some of Tracie’s family a bit more and realizes that some of his past traumas were interfering with his ability to fully express his feelings.

You know, this movie is actually really sweet. The acting is good. The characters are full and actually pretty incredible. I’m not much for church messaging, as you know, but if you’re gonna watch one, this is about as good as it gets. Truly enjoyable — it even made me cry, and it’s been awhile since that’s happened. All’s well that ends well.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a screenshot of this absolutely incredible review from IMDB:

The “politically correct” aspect they’re referring to is (I guess) that one of Tracie’s sister’s husbands is black and they have mixed kids? I actually thought that part was well done. Please also note this reviews copious use of !! as well as the publishing date. This person hated interracial marriage so much that she took time off on Christmas Day to write and publish the review. Imagine being so motivated-ly racist? Truly astounding.