There is a special category of Netflix Christmas movies that likes to operate outside the box. These are films that follow every standard trope—the small town, the big sweaters, the inevitable reunion—but make choices so baffling that you wonder if the writers were hallucinating during the draft process.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas is the reigning champion of this category.
My wife and I sat down to watch the new 2025 holiday entry starring Alicia Silverstone and Oliver Hudson, knowing full well they would get back together (I mean, c’mon, ‘Ex-mas” is in the title). What we got was a movie that is bonkers enough to hold your attention, even if it leaves your brain feeling like it went through a blender.
Here are the most “jarring” (to borrow a word from Curtis) reasons why this movie is a trainwreck you can’t look away from.
The “Mystery” of the Reunion
Let’s get this out of the way: From the very first frame, it is painfully obvious that Kate (Silverstone) and Everett (Hudson) are getting back together. The movie pretends there is tension, but the script telegraphs the ending so hard it might as well have flashed spoilers on the screen in the stupid Comic-Sansish font used for the dates. There are zero stakes.
The Town of Winter-light on people
Did the budget run out before they could hire extras? For the vast majority of the film, the town of Winterlight appears to be populated entirely by the main cast. There are no other people. There are no other children. Then, in the final scene, suddenly Kate’s living room is packed with 50 people for Christmas evening. Where were they hiding? Were they in stasis pods waiting for the third act (a reveal that really wouldn’t seem out of place for this film)?
The “Fire & Strip Tease” Incident
Chet (Pierson Fodé) performing a tearaway-tuxedo strip tease to rock music in front of an indoor tree fire was certainly a choice. It comes out of nowhere. It fits the tone of absolutely nothing else in the movie. It is pure chaos inserted for no reason other than to showcase Chet’s physique, reveal Gabe’s firefighter ambition, and to end the scene.
Speaking of Chet, his character is a mess. The movie can’t decide if he is insightful, charming, dumb, or chaotic. He bounces between personality types depending on what the scene requires. And poor Melissa Joan Hart (playing April) spends part of the movie thirsting after him, only for that plot thread to vanish into the ether. It was weird.
The “Alicia Silverstone” Problem
I hate to say it, but Alicia Silverstone is the weak link here. Watching her stumble through this script explains why she hasn’t done much heavy lifting since her prime. She is supposed to be the emotional anchor, but Silverstone plays those emotions with overacting and big faces reminding me of her signature role, Cher Horowitz. I spent the whole film waiting for an “As if!”
The “AirPods” Ex Machina
How do you write out the “other woman” so the main couple can reunite? In A Merry Little Ex-Mas, you give her headphones. Tess (Jameela Jamil) is a fully realized character until the moment she receives a pair of AirPods. She instantly 180’s her entire personality and off she goes! It was the laziest writing choice in this seemingly cookie cutter movie.
Logistical Nightmares
Two questions I couldn’t figure out:
Why isn’t Nigel with his family? The daughter’s boyfriend, Nigel, just hangs around their house for Christmas. Does he not have parents? A home? Why is he perfectly fine abandoning his own family to be a very awkward guest at a divorce party? Also, he and the daughter have ZERO chemistry; they make no sense as a couple.
The NYC Teleportation. Near the end, the movie gets rid of Tess and Chet as they drive from Winterlight (which is where exactly?) to New York City in a single afternoon… in post-blizzard conditions. Unless they were driving a magical sleigh, the geography of this movie is physically impossible.
The “Greenery” Cam
Finally, a note to the cinematographer: We get it. It’s Christmas. You don’t need to pan the camera from behind a blurry pine branch or a wreath in every single transition. It felt like I was watching the movie while hiding in a bush.
Verdict
I can’t say I “cared” for A Merry Little Ex-Mas. It’s messy, the acting is uneven, and the plot holes are big enough to drive a sleigh through. But was I bored? No. Between the accidental fires and the disappearing townspeople, it was just crazy enough to work.
Score: 2 out of 5 burned Christmas trees.
Have you seen this movie? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
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I admit I have a thing for Jameela Jamil.
I certainly don’t blame Oliver Hudson for moving on to her.
There was a lot wrong with the whole storyline. We were supposed to believe she was a handyman and he was a doctor? And her old firm in Boston were giving the job that she left twenty years ago back? Nigel made no sense. And you didn’t mention the two dads. They were an odd couple too. But it was a better movie than Oh. What. Fun. on prime.
It’s easy to be a handyman or doctor in a town with only 4 other people! At least we saw him “doctor” someone; the movie really lacked her being handy.
I thought the same thing about her getting her job back; she barely made it past intern-level and they were more than willing to bring her back? Based on what; her gingerbread architecture?
The dads were odd as they spent more time with her (their soon-to-be ex DIL) than they did with their son.
Bonkers movie…