“Holidate” Trailer Is as Charming as It Is Predictable

The plot of Holidate is so obvious, I'm kind of shocked no one has done it before. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey star as a pair of incredibly attractive but chronically single people who strike a deal: They'll be each other's platonic dates to every holiday get-together for the next year, but won't ever make it more than it is. But of course, they're going to fall in love, will have a big fight, and then realize they're right for one another by the end of the 90 minutes.

Every part of me wants to reject this as yet another disposable Netflix rom-com that will be forgotten by the time the credits roll. Yet I find myself irresistibly charmed by the main duo, and the deep bench of a supporting cast, which includes Frances Fisher (Watchmen), Alex Moffat (Saturday Night Live), Jessica Capshaw (Grey's Anatomy), and Kristen Chenoweth, in what is sure to be a scene-stealing performance.

Check out the trailer below.

Holidate premieres exclusively on Netflix on October 28.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.