The Holiday Club is an excellent indie romance film. Strong performances from its two leads and strong writing and directing keep it grounded and relatable.
Sam (Mak Shealy), a computer programmer, recently moved to a new town for work and wants to meet her new, very cute neighbor, Bailey (Alexandra Swarens). So Sam orders a party pack of cookies and cupcakes from Bailey’s bakery under the pretense of a Valentine’s Day party that she’s throwing. Of course, there is no party. There never was. The two young women hit it off immediately, but Bailey already has a girlfriend. What follows is a voyeuristic view into their lives as their relationship evolves over the course of the next year.
Swarens does a lot of the heavy lifting here. She wrote the script and directed the film in addition to starring in it as bakery-owner Bailey. Her deft touch with the writing is undeniable. She wisely keeps the dialogue grounded in reality. Much of the conversations had by characters throughout the film feel all too real, even down to the timing of the awkward lulls in conversation and the equally important moments where characters talk over each other just as awkwardly—a product of good directing in addition to good writing. Smartly, just as I would begin to wonder whether the script would start to veer into the overtly saccharine realm of a Hallmark movie, she brings it back to something that feels true and real.
The film takes more than a couple of overt beats from other films. Notably, When Harry Met Sally is at the forefront here in a cheeky sort of way. When Bailey eventually (and inevitably in a film like this) breaks up with her girlfriend, Sam is the woman that is now tied down, and on it goes. Fight Club is another film that pops up repeatedly. There are also references to Pretty Woman and I spied a poster in the background for In Bruges—a personal favorite. Aside from the Rob Reiner and David Fincher vehicles—which are essential to the plot as the two women watch both films over the course of The Holiday Club—the film references are fun little easter eggs.
As mentioned earlier, Shealy and Swarens give strong, grounded performances. There is an ever-present awkwardness to Shealy’s Sam that endears the viewer to Sam, and while it’s clear that she has googly eyes for Bailey and Bailey alone, she doesn’t neglect her platonic relationships. Swarens gives Bailey a cool friendliness that makes it incredibly easy to like her.
The Holiday Club is a fun film possessed of a lot of heart and strong, grounded writing, with strong lead performances, making it worthy of your time. The Holiday Club does not suck.
Written and Directed by Alexandra Swarens
Starring Alexandra Swarens, Mak Shealy, etc.
7.5/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING (IT DOES NOT SUCK)
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