Harlie’s Very Merry Movie List — One more sleep ’til it’s an affair?
The premise for No Sleep ’Til Christmas is a strange one, but I have to give it credit for its original concept. Perhaps less original and overdone are the rules for this merry list, but I always like to include them for any new readers.
- I can only watch Christmas movies.
- I can only watch Christmas movies that have come out on the same day of viewing.
- Only in the case when no films have been released on the day of viewing may I watch a Christmas movie filmed in years past. However, it must be a Christmas movie which I have previously not seen.
- On Christmas Eve, I will watch Die Hard.
Let’s get into this one, shall we?
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(WARNING: SPOILERS, BUT TWO PEOPLE SLEEP TOGETHER A LOT IN THIS ONE. THEY ONLY SLEEP, THOUGH. I PROMISE.)
Title of Film: No Sleep ’Til Christmas
Rating: TV-14
Release Date: December 10, 2018
Where to Watch: Freeform, Hulu, Sling TV
Synopsis: Two insomniacs have to sleep together or they can’t sleep at all.
That probably will be the shortest synopsis I will ever come up with, but it is so startlingly accurate that little else needs to be said. A soon-to-be bride can’t fall asleep until she meet-cutes with an equally sleepless man she hits with her car. Exactly how I would hope to meet my true love; a looming insurance claim as I nearly commit vehicular manslaughter.
Overall, this really wasn’t a bad flick, but once again, we have a movie that has Christmas in the name, but no Christmas in the frame. Well, maybe four frames with Christmas, but not much more than that. At this point, I’m wondering if there are tax breaks a movie can get for being “about” Jesus’ birthday.
If you are looking for a fun, flirty movie, where everyone is cute and the acting is decent, this is probably a good movie to check out. If you are looking for a movie where the lead doesn’t cheat on her fiancé, doesn’t misrepresent insomnia, and also involves more than a single drop of the Christmas spirit, then steer far away from this one. Maybe in some universe, two heterosexual people of the opposite sex can sleep in a bed together for a month and not develop feelings, but it isn’t in this one. The writers even deployed the “Oops, there’s only one bed!” trope, which I love to see for two characters who aren’t committed to anybody else, but loathe to see for two people who are. Granted, the guy in this movie (Billy) wasn’t in a solid relationship, but the girl (Lizzie) was engaged to such a charming and kind human being and she did that man dirty! Shame on you, Lizzie. Shame on you.
Anyone who takes a shot at this flick, I highly recommend keeping an eye on the background characters listening to the main dialogue. The number of raised eyebrows as they caught on to two people talking about sleeping together was a fun goof to keep track of. I also really loved the side characters. They were all such kind human beings with big personalities and I wish we got to watch their stories instead of the leads fumble their way together. Actually, I enjoyed Billy’s character and his performance, so maybe we could just do away with Lizzie and figure out a storyline that is about Christmas and involves no cheating whatsoever.
Anywho, I am done being hung up on unfaithfulness, so here are some hot off the press Holly Berries.
My Momma’s Holly Berries
- Plot: 3/5
- Ending: 3/5
- Set Design: 4/5
- Characters/Acting: 3/5
- Christmas: 0.5/5
Oof, ma. 13.5 out of 25 Holly Berries sticks No Sleep ’Til Christmas awfully close to The Christmas Catch. The fact that I even have to think about that movie again makes me feel a little angrier at this one. No Sleep, you had all the goods! Why couldn’t you have just been a little more in the holiday spirit!! Why?!
My Holly Berries
- Plot: 4/5
- Ending: 3.5/5
- Set Design: 3.5/5
- Characters/Acting: 4/5
- Christmas: 1/5
I don’t know how I got to 16 Holly Berries, but maybe it was the miracle of Christmas working for No Sleep. Again, I enjoyed the original concept for the plot, it was cohesive from start to finish, the acting was decent, and all the sets were well made. Unfortunately, using Christmas as a prop is going to hurt any film for this Merry Movie watch. Also, screwing over your significant other at the alter after they forgave you for literally sleeping with someone else is never a good ending. Sorry, I don’t care how cute he is, you just don’t hurt people like that.
No Sleep ’Til Christmas thank you for showing me that I have relatively good moral values. I think I can sleep just fine tonight knowing that.
