Holidate is practically the definition of romantic comedy… yet somehow it’s a decent movie. Of course, for rom-com fans, it’s probably the end all be all of flicks but for a grumpy sourpuss who merely tolerates the genre, it’d better than average.

So the setup is that a man and women are separately tired of the expectations of bringing a significant other to holiday events. They meet randomly and decide to be each other’s holidate for New Years. This being a rom-com, they wind up together on every significant (and insignificant) holiday for an entire year. Can these crazy (and gorgeous) kids learn to actually love each other?

Yeah, probably.

The girl is played by Emma Roberts who is probably at her best in this slight movie which is simply better by her presence. The handsome Australian manhunk is somehow, inexplicably, not a Hemsworth and is played by Luke Bracey. Together, they are the kind of couple you can’t imagine ever having trouble finding dates but this is a rom-com so use your imagination. They are cute together and that helps the movie.

Probably the best thing is a lack of eye-rolling misunderstandings that most rom-coms have. Nothing that can be resolved by a few sentences of explanation or clarification. No, what’s keeping them apart can be resolved with a conversation but it’d be one about their messed up relationship. It shouldn’t be revelatory that this would work but at least it doesn’t involve some dopey plot contrivance.

So, in the end, this is a reasonably cute flick that’ll certainly appeal to rom-com fans. For the rest of us, I think if you give it a chance, you might find something watchable. It’s about pretty people trying to decide if they go further in their relationship-of-convenience. That ain’t solving world hunger but it’s enough.

Score: 77