We’ve been waiting for this day for what feels like centuries, and now it’s finally here. It’s the return of one of the greatest titans that the film industry has ever known, whose projects have collected countless accolades and changed cinema as an art form several times over. After years of delays, detours, and demolished dreams, the time has come to once again let movies whisk us away to another world.
I am, of course, talking about Lindsay Lohan’s return to film. I’m sure James Cameron would love to have that kind of adulation being hurled at Avatar 2. But has James Cameron ever bonked his head on a ski slope, lost his memory, and fallen in love with the handsome innkeeper whose struggling lodge needs a miracle just in time for the holidays? No, but Lindsay Lohan has. And she’s brought us something that will be remembered long after Avatar 12 hits TubiTV in 2089: holiday cheer.
Yes, La Lohan has clawed her way from the bowels of child-star hell to set Earth’s axis right again with her new Netflix holiday film, Falling for Christmas, out today. To say that this moment has been a long time coming—for both Lohan and the hordes of fans she amassed during her stint as one of the most famous actresses in the world—would be a colossal understatement. After a tough life growing up in the public eye, Lohan made several flailing comeback attempts. There was a play in London’s West End; a harrowing, Oprah-cosigned reality show; and, most recently, a Vanderpump Rules-style series about a now-shuttered beach club in Mykonos.
But even after each false start, Lohan has kept her head held high, despite the never-ending setbacks. Now, after taking a break from acting and escaping the cameras in Dubai, where she’s lived for the last several years, Lohan is mounting her Hollywood underdog story with the first of a three-film deal with Netflix, Falling for Christmas.
The movie is essentially your run-of-the-mill, made-for-streaming holiday film, with the festivity jacked up to an 11. It’s predictable, dopey, and oh-so saccharine. In normal circumstances, it’d be completely forgettable holiday fare—the ultra-rich cookies at the party that go untouched. But with Lohan driving the sleigh, Falling for Christmas transcends its formulaic nature to become an effervescent romp and the ideal comeback vehicle for its star.
Lohan stars in the film as Sierra Belmont, a spoiled hotel heiress who glides around the halls of her father’s lavish ski resort, commanding the staff while she considers a job offer with the family business. Sierra would be Vice President of Atmosphere, a job that she’d probably be killer at, judging by her ability to carry out an entire phone conversation with her influencer boyfriend, Tad (George Young), while her minions soak her cuticles and tilt flutes of champagne into her mouth.
When Tad proposes to Sierra on a remote mountaintop (which makes for more exclusive selfie locations, naturally), a sudden storm sends them both careening in opposite directions over the side of the cliff. Sierra smacks her head when she hits the ground. Nearby, the owner of the North Star Lodge, Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet), is giving a sleigh ride through the snow to a couple of his guests. When he spots Sierra’s hot pink ski gear from the side of the road, he quickly gets her to the hospital. But when she wakes up, there’s just one problem (say it with me, now!): She doesn’t remember her name!
Amnesia is one of what we Merry Movie Mavens like to call the Four Festive Dilemmas. Each made-for-television/streaming holiday film tends to have some combination of the following as its central conflict: winter sports-induced amnesia; a city-slicker who has forgotten what Christmas is all about; a young girl who has lost one (or both!) of her parents; or a local family business that needs to be saved—either from big corporations or mounting debt.
Wouldn’t you know it? Falling for Christmas has all four.
Unable to pluck a single personal recollection from her tree-trauma brain, Sierra takes Jake up on his offer to stay at the North Star while she recovers. But even without her memory intact, Sierra is already feeling the lack of pampering that comes with bed-and-breakfast life.
She’s got no memory of how to put on a fitted sheet, load a laundry machine, or cook a pancake. By God, the whole place could go up in flames if they so much as let her near the stove. And with the lodge losing more guests each year to swanky resorts and Airbnbs, Jake has no one to employ to help her. Lucky for Sierra, that just means she can get closer to Jake, his sweet daughter, and his doting mother-in-law, who have been looking for some holiday cheer after the loss of Jake’s wife a couple of years prior.
Doesn’t that totally unoriginal and completely corny plotline make you feel warm inside? I know I’m feeling bundled up. And if you’re not yet convinced, Lohan’s always-impressive comedy chops will certainly endear you.
She’s got a unique knack for understanding exactly the right physicality to make something hysterical, commanding the screen with as little effort as cracking an egg—which, for Sierra, is really hard. Lohan’s comedic timing is on point. It’s pure joy to watch her land one-liners again, like she never left. There were several moments that didn’t just make me laugh, but genuinely resulted in me cracking a smile because it was so damn nice to watch an old flame flicker on-screen once more.
Overstreet is a charming complement to Lohan, and the two actually manage to drum up something that’s pretty rare in this genre: sincere chemistry. These holiday movie romantic pairings often feel wooden, devoid of a single spark. Overstreet and Lohan play off one another perfectly, building a romance that feels real (or at least as real as a Netflix Christmas movie can make you feel) without trying so hard it becomes over-the-top and laughable.
But let me level with you, we both know why we’re here. We’re just looking for some light fare to throw on while we do our holiday baking, or maybe something to watch and laugh at with a few friends and a lot of spiced wine. I wasn’t expecting anything too grand out of Falling for Christmas, besides the return of Lindsay Lohan, and I got exactly what I expected: a convoluted and comforting seasonal kickoff.
Besides tacking on every trope in the genre, the film is edited at the near-manic pace I’ve come to expect from these movies. At times, I wondered if I had accidentally turned on Netflix’s 1.5-speed feature. Every inch of every frame looks like a Michael’s craft store exploded on set. If that’s not enough, there’s even a magical Santa-type character secretly playing God while the rest of these peasants run around a ski lodge thinking they have any semblance of free will. And it's all wrapped in one giant red bow that is the end credits blooper reel. Even if you’re just a holiday movie fanatic with no interest in formerly embattled starlets, there’s something here for you, too.
But even if she’s not your primary draw, you will come away from Falling for Christmas in love with Lindsay Lohan. After all she’s been through, she somehow hasn’t lost the “it” factor that made her star shine so brightly all those years ago. She’s capable and charismatic, wearing both drama and humor on her face in ways that other actresses from her era never could. And here, she gets to show us exactly why the industry was never ready to give up on her. Whether or not you fall for Christmas is debatable, but you will certainly fall for Lindsay Lohan.
