Not a big fan of this movie but I ultimately found its Christmas spirit charming, even if getting to it was pretty cringe. And when I reflect on the type of movie it is, I know it’s just the twentieth Groundhog Day time loop movie I’ve seen, but since it’s on Disney+, it’s probably going to be some kid’s first. And I think, for them, it’ll be fun… even if there are better alternatives. They still have time to discover them.

So the flick is about a teen girl who wakes up Christmas morning and experiences all the worst ways the day can go. Bad gifts, broken pottery, bratty relatives, a fart to the face. When she meets Santa at the end of the night, she gets blessed with reliving the same day until she gets it right.

Yes, it follows all the tropes of the sub-genre. It’s not particularly inventive or creative… unless you are little kid watching on Disney+. Fair enough. Its Christmas themes and messages are on-the-nose and obvious… but, eventually, I think they worked well enough.

Probably the biggest problem with the flick is, sadly, the lead actress – the teen girl – is just a little insufferable and a little amateurish. I hate to say it, but she’s overdoing it… mugging way too much for the camera. And he various emotional turns through the loop are pretty cringe.

And for my next trick, I’ll kick this dog.

If I take off my cynical grinch costume, there’s something – a small something – decent about this flick for the right audience. For the wrong audience, maybe less so. I was able to tamp down my cynicism enough to see it as a passable, good natured, Christmas flick and Groundhog Day clone.

Score: 71