by Noella Noelophile®
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Heather Graham as Charlotte, Brandy Norwood as Jackie in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023.Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.)
Who hasn’t received one of those Christmas letters and felt resoundingly “average”?
Netflix‘s new seasonal offering, “Best. Christmas. Ever!”, takes that phenomenon and has a great time with it.
After a year’s hiatus, Jackie Jennings (Brandy Norwood) is sending out her annual missive to her “fellow earth-dwellers”. Her ten-year-old daughter has just been accepted to Harvard, her son is providing water to underprivileged African communities, she just sold her company for a sum that landed her on the front page of a business publication, her husband is master of a karate dojo, and in charge of the town’s Christmas pageant…
…and her college friend, Charlotte Sanders (Heather Graham) has had enough.
Best. Christmas. Ever! Heather Graham as Charlotte in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo
©2023. Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.)
Reading Jackie’s latest edition of “The Jennings Family Newsletter”, Charlotte takes stock of her life.
A frustrated inventor, her ideas never quite catch on. Her workdays involve troubleshooting an exploding vacuum cleaner at a faltering company, Startech. Her husband Rob (Jason Biggs) is a likable dreamer who’s going to make big money investing in real estate…someday.
Then there are her children.
Older son Grant (Wyatt Hunt) thinks he’s a ninja warrior and has no friends, with the exception of an ugly stuffed toy named “Monkey Bob”. He also has an unparalleled natural talent for getting into trouble.
Younger daughter Dora (Abby Vilasmil) is convinced she must have some kind of superpowers. She’s going about crossing each off the list–with the latest discovery being her inability to fly.
(Royalty-free image by TizzleBDizzle from Pixabay)
Meanwhile, in Jackie’s world, all seems to be “splendiferous”…
“I would love to show up at her house uninvited and see the actual truth,” an annoyed Charlotte comments to Grant.
With a little help as a “Christmas gift” from her well-meaning son, that’s exactly what happens.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Jason Biggs as Rob, Wyatt Hunt as Grant, Heather Graham as Charlotte in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023., Scott Everett White/Netflix and used with permission.)
Jackie welcomes the family with open arms, insisting they stay for Christmas. Immediately, Charlotte embarks on a quest to prove Jackie’s Christmas letters works of fiction.
Much to her consternation, she keeps discovering the opposite.
Worse, a spark still seems to exist between Jackie and Rob, who has admitted that she was his “first college girlfriend” and that they used to sing together in a band. Much snooping ensues, from Charlotte–and she thinks she’s caught her husband up to something…
Perfection to the extreme
(Royalty-free image by
Anastasia Lavrinovich from Pixaba.)
My favorite aspect of “Best.Christmas.Ever!” is the fun it has with the idea of “over-the-top perfect” at Christmastime.
Jackie’s house isn’t just huge and palatial. It’s decorated to the point that a Manhattan department store’s Christmas displays would seems dowdy, by comparison!
(In an email interview provided by Netflix, director Mary Lambert comments that production designer Diane Millet “had her hands full on this movie. …All the locations had to be STUFFED with Christmas decorations.”)
Then, there’s Jackie’s hunky husband Valentino (Matt Cedeno), who greets their guests at breakfast with Latin charm and fresh-squeezed orange juice. And ten-year-old, matter-of-fact genius Beatrix (Madison Skye Validum), who mentions to Charlotte that she’s read, and found some errors in, the latter’s dissertation.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Heather Graham as Charlotte, Brandy Norwood as Jackie, Madison Validum as Beatrix in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023, Scott Everett White/Netflix and used with permission.)
And, of course, Jackie whips up custom pancakes for their guests–each shaped and decorated to match what she knows about the recipient. Rob gets a crown-shaped pancake.
“My king of rock and roll!” comments Jackie warmly.
Brandy Norwood’s Jackie is joyful, upbeat and capable of weathering any circumstances while still looking photo-shoot ready.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Brandy Norwood as Jackie, Nadia Sine as Rose in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023., Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.).
Several scenes later, when the Christmas pageant rehearsal threatens to disintegrate into chaos, she takes the stage for a very intimate-sounding (and Grammy-worthy) duet of “Let It Snow” with Rob–to a beaming Valentino’s pride and Charlotte’s consternation.
This is one of my personal favorite scenes of “Best. Christmas. Ever!”, showcasing Brandy’s breathtaking voice while staying true to the “superwoman” storyline.
Another fun aspect? Grant and new friend Beatrix debate the authenticity of Santa Claus. They begin a “research study”–and with her rational thought processes and his gift for creating havoc, the results are predictably hilarious.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Jason Biggs as Rob, Abby Villasmil as Dora, Heather Graham as Charlotte, Brandy Norwood as Jackie, Madison Skye Validum as Beatrix, Matt Cedeño as Valentino, Wyatt Hunt as Grant in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023. Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.)
What isn’t predictable here, is a twist, at the end, that gets hinted at early on. While we know we’ll discover something isn’t perfect in Jackie’s world, there’s also an element you may not see coming. It’s about a Christmas star, and fits in with the movie’s central themes of friendship and belief–and that’s all I’m going to say.
Like most Christmas movies, “Best.Christmas.Ever!” does have a number of suspend-disbelief moments.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Heather Graham as Charlotte, Brandy Norwood as Jackie in Best. Christmas. Ever!(Photo © 2023. Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.)
The only ones that really struck me: Jackie’s relentless hospitality and good cheer, in the face of Charlotte’s less-than-gracious actions. Were a guest to poke into every corner and cranny, once we’ve opened our home to them, most of us would cheerfully show them the door!
Then there’s the “research” Beatrix and Grant conduct. If genius Beatrix can accurately predict a business’s future collapse from her observations, would she really be fooled by…but no, I won’t ruin it. And after all, she is ten, and wants to believe, which can cause anyone, ten or older, to ask fewer questions and just enjoy the moment.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (L to R) Wyatt Hunt as Grant, Madison Skye Validum as Beatrix, Abby Villasmil as Dora, Jason Biggs as Rob in Best. Christmas. Ever! (Photo © 2023. Scott Everett White/Netflix, and used with permission.)
All in all, “Best.Christmas.Ever!” is a lot of fun and a movie I’d recommend, for the close of your Thanksgiving weekend–or any time this Christmas season.