A Hollywood Christmas is about a female director of generic Christmas movies who finds out her current production will be her last… and that the budget is now under the control of a smug financial guy who doesn’t understand or like Christmas movies. And her annoying assistant who insists the director is now in her own Christmas movie and must fall in love with the suit.

So this a movie shot on the sound stages and backlots of a real studio which assuredly saves them a lot of money. And they are filming a generic Christmas rom-com with its own story and clichés such as the lead character being the owner of a cupcake store (because all the ladies in all the Christmas movies own a cupcake store). But the REAL Christmas rom-com is about a female director… so, y’see, this movie is not only meta, it’s twisting the Christmas rom-com traditions.

Except it’s not since it happily revels in all the clichés both in the meta film-within-a-film and the film itself. This movie is so confident that it’s clever and creative but somehow doesn’t realize it’s not the first self-aware rom-com produced, much less the first self-aware Christmas rom-com. Hell, it’s not even the first winking Christmas rom-com I’ve seen this season.

None of which is a crime… go do your meta jokes if you can write a fun, clever, and charming script. But they really didn’t. This film is desperately trying too hard and has one or two too many really annoying characters and plot threads. I wanted one character to shut up and never speak again… and maybe the actress should stop making movies and open up a cupcake store instead.

I really didn’t like this movie on as many levels as its operating under. It’s desperately unfunny and not particularly charming even by the low standards of silly rom-coms. But the real crime is that it’s meta jokes are not original or creative or clever. Good idea, granted, but poorly executed.

Score: 62