12 Dates of Christmas (2011)

Directed by: James Hayman

Starring: Amy Smart, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Jayne Eastwood, Benjamin Ayres, and Laura Miyata

Genre: Made for TV, Romance, Comedy, Christmas

Rated: Not rated

Following in the same vein as Groundhog Day and Christmas Every Day, 12 Dates of Christmas is about a young woman named Kate who is stuck in the past. She is successful in her career, but her love life is a mess. She is still hung up on a guy she dated a while ago, and can’t seem to let go of him when he has clearly moved on. Meanwhile, her stepmother has set her up on a blind date with a sweet, handsome, successful man, and Kate continues to screw it up. Luckily for her, a mystical force has intervened and she will relive Christmas Eve over and over until she gets it right.

I really did not like Kate at first. She was rude to everyone and so stuck in the past that I wanted to slap her. She was rude to her neighbor, who is just lonely and trying to be nice. She treats her stepmother like crap for no other reason than she is not Kate’s mother. Not to mention, she shows up on her date with Miles and practically ignores him for two minutes before rushing off to meet up with her ex. Eventually, she does begin to change things, and gradually becomes more likable, but that isn’t until about the halfway point, so until then the audience has to suffer through her idiocy.

Miles is the compilation of perfection that can only exist in a romantic comedy – handsome, successful, sweet, intelligent, and genuinely loving. Yet Kate turns her nose up at him time and again in her quest for perfection. She is so hooked on the idea of her ex that she can’t see the wonderful man before her.

I began to get frustrated with the plot after a while. She has the cutest date with him about sixty percent through the movie, but obviously the film can’t end there, so she has to relive another six days until we get to the end of the movie. There was so much she seemed to have to do to end the cursed repetition that it was a little overwhelming.

There were also some scenes that were unnecessary and/or confusing. I didn’t think her shopping spree on one of the days did anything for the film and could have easily been cut. She also seemed to have her ex’s dog on all of the days, even when he doesn’t show up at her apartment and give her the dog for the evening. Somehow the dog is just magically there. Also, I want to know what happens with Michael’s puppy.

What I did like about this movie was its message about trying to control the world around you. Life doesn’t work on a schedule; you cannot plan out every major event. Love happens, death happens, friends come and go; all you can do is make the most of each day. Don’t close yourself off to new relationships whether they be neighborly, friendly, familial or romantic, because you’ll never find your way to happiness. It is a very true message, and a lesson the main character desperately needed to learn.

Overall, it’s a fairly predictable, cute little romance, with some character development. It does have a few unanswered questions, and the leading lady is incredibly annoying at first. It’s a little cheesy and could have used some more editing, but it’s not a bad little movie and it has a nice message.

5.5/10