‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ Review – A Holiday-Themed Romantic Comedy Full Of Hijinks & Heart

The hilariously charming Netflix film Meet Me Next Christmas follows a young woman’s quest to reunite with a man she met in an airport lounge a year before. Along the way are hijinks, drag shows, and a most surprising and unexpected love.

Layla (Christina Milian) finds herself trapped at the airport one snowy Christmas during a corporate trip for her job. Although she’s disappointed that she’ll miss celebrating the holiday with her boyfriend and miss out on the Pentatonix concert they attend yearly, she decides to make the most of it by spending the evening in the airport’s suave lounge. After fretting over mini quiche with fellow lounge member Teddy (Devale Ellis), she meets the charming and family-oriented James (Kofi Siriboe). The two bond over their love of the film It’s A Wonderful Life Wonderful Life and their dream of spending Christmas in Paris someday. James suggests that if, in a year, neither of them is in a relationship, they should meet at the Pentatonix concert. Layla agrees. One year after a nasty breakup, Layla is determined to acquire tickets to the Pentatonix concert to see James again.

Meet Me Next Christmas is a cheesy yet charming film that embraces its silly premise. Milian is a watchable and captivating lead whose spirited performance will keep viewers glued to the screen and smiling throughout the film’s runtime. Layla is successful, good-hearted, and in love with the idea of finding her prince charming. The character can sometimes be ridiculous, but that’s part of the fun. She’s likable, and viewers will find themselves rooting for her without hesitation.

Devale Ellis is just as entertaining and charming in his role as the loveable misfit, Teddy. Teddy works for Impromptu, a personal concierge service Layla hires to help her acquire the Pentatonix tickets. It takes most of the film’s runtime for the two to remember that they met briefly a year before. By that time, sparks have already begun to fly. Milian and Ellis’s chemistry is palpable and undeniable on screen. Whether preparing mini quiche in Teddy’s family home or dancing in a Christmas pageant drag show, the two bounce off each other well and keep things fun. Ellis portrays Teddy as a loveable and bumbling young man who dreams of leaving his corporate job to become a chef. Ellis does a great job of conveying the yearning and wistfulness Teddy feels and the hope that Layla brings to his life.

Anyone concerned that Pentatonix would only have a fleeting cameo in this film need not worry. The singing group members are featured heavily and play heightened versions of themselves following Layla and Teddy’s misadventures through Instagram updates. The movie also cleverly uses this as a framing device to explore the growing love between our leads as the band pieces together the characters’ backstories based on their social media posts and speculates whether or not the two will end up together. While it’s a little annoying sometimes, these cutaways are primarily entertaining and give the band members more than just a brief cameo at the film’s end.

Another brief, but standout character is social media star and actor, Kalen Allen, as Teddy’s cousin, Jordy. Jordy is a choreographer who agrees to help Layla and Teddy prepare for the Christmas pageant in the hopes that they will win tickets to the concert. The two don’t expect Jordy to be more like a drill sergeant, and it’s one of the best and most hilarious parts of the film.

Meet Me Next Christmas is wildly entertaining from beginning to end.  The charming leads and outlandish situations they encounter will make even the surliest of scrouges smile.

Meet Me Next Christmas is streaming on Netflix.