When Jane (Lindsay Hicks) meets Sue (Rivkah Reyes), her best friend’s wedding planner, it seems like they have the potential to hit it off. With Christmas just around the corner, and a wedding to plan, however, things manage to get a little hectic. A Holiday I Do is a Christmas story for the ages, as new and unexpected love makes its way into the picture.
It took me a while to figure out why the actors were whispering throughout the course of A Holiday I Do, why they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) project. That was until one of the exterior shots in which actors were louder, I realized that everything was done on a set, and the voices that were meant to exist outside echoed–and any potential for a suspension of disbelief went out the window. The film remains fractured as a result of the many issues with the sound, and the ship is never righted.
It’s alright for a film to be low-budget, but work within your means. A Holiday I Do appears to try to extend itself too far and do things that just aren’t within its realm of possibility. From unnecessarily convoluted sets to poorly constructed sound (particularly in regard to the acoustics), A Holiday I Do does a terrible job of bringing this story to life. Just about every step of this film sees something in regard to the budget hindering its success–and it’s often as a result of Directors Paul Schneider and Alicia Schneider overstepping the film’s potential. They took what appears to be a modest budget and tried to make it bigger, but by doing so they hurt the film just about every step of the way.
I hate to use this phrase, but A Holiday I Do is effectively a Hallmark film. Rarely does it veer from the cookie-cutter algorithm that has plagued holiday television for years, and by doing so the film can be thrown into a box of films riddled by the same tired story and failed emotion. With that being said, however, what A Holiday I Do is able to accomplish that many other films that represent the LGBTQ+ community aren’t able to is to be subtle. Films that exist in this cinematic space often tend to be over the top and too aggressive (and sometimes that makes sense), turning some viewers off to the stories and the films’ purpose. A Holiday I Do makes the purpose behind the film obvious, but viewers are treated to a slow and effective development of that purpose. The team behind A Holiday I Do never falters in this regard, and they never become too pushy. They provide viewers with just the right amount of umph and remain steady throughout. While much of the film doesn’t work for me (although I know that there is an audience for films of this nature), the pacing of the film, and the realistic nature of Jane and Sue’s development is what allowed me to remain focused.
A Holiday I Do is just like every other Hallmark-esque Christmas film that’s come before–except that it appeals specifically to the LGBTQ+ community. Subpar acting, an incredibly predictable storyline, and frustrating dialogue creates a less-than-ideal film that means well but isn’t capable of delivering. While the film does a few things to separate itself from other LGBTQ+ films, it’s not enough to keep the film afloat. A Holiday I Do isn’t the present that many may have hoped it would be, and what viewers ultimately end up with is a lump of coal.
Directed by Paul Schneider & Alicia Schneider.
Written by Melinda Bryce, Paul Schneider, & Alicia Schneider.
Starring Lindsay Hicks, Rivkah Reyes, Marsha Warfield, Jill Larson, Colette Hahn, Joe Piazza, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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