A Merry Little Ex-Mas Parent Guide

A Merry Little Ex-Mas is literally everything you’d expect from a low-budget Christmas rom-com.

Like, literally everything.

Whether that’s a good thing or not depends entirely on which side of the Hallmark fence you’re on.

Ex-Mas is completely predictable. Some find that comforting and sweet, while others find formulaic movies to be a big waste of ninety minutes they’ll never get back. I’ll be as objective as humanly possible as I tell you what you need to know about A Merry Little Ex-Mas.

Alicia Silverstone has an outsized influence on this flicksince she is the executive producer. She also plays Kate, a handywoman and mother of two college-aged children, Sienna and Gabriel (Emily Hall and Timothy Innes). Kate and her soon-to-be ex-husband Everett (Oliver Hudson) are determined to have a lovely family Christmas despite their impending divorce. This resolve is put to the test when Kate discovers that Everett is dating the stunningly beautiful Tess (Jameela Jamil). Then Kate meets the charming and much younger Chet (Pierson Fode). Of course, he’s new in town, works at a Christmas tree farm, and falls for Kate instantly.

Ex-Mas tries very hard to live up to the “rom” and “com” expectations of its viewers. The parts that were meant to be romantic fell flat for me. There was a lot of flirting and suggestion going on, but no real sparks. Many of the attempts at humour relied solely on setting up awkward situations like Tess and Everett unexpectedly running into Kate at the hardware store. Awkwardness is only funny so many times in one movie and it got old pretty fast. There were, however, several truly funny moments, and they were very welcome.

There is no overarching theme or even moral to the story. There were many opportunities to develop one, but Ex-Mas never quite pulled it off. Even if they’d been just a little bit less formulaic in the way the story ended, it might have redeemed itself, but, nope.

You’d have to be a Grinch not to appreciate the (mostly) real snow, beautiful decorations, and family dinner scenes. I appreciated the frosty breath of the actors when they were outdoors. Ex-Mas was filmed in the Canadian city of Toronto last winter, which added to the realism of the wintery atmosphere. Good thing, too—the last thing this movie needed was more artificiality.

A side note: those who enjoy nineties nostalgia will appreciate seeing Alicia Silverstone alongside Melissa Joan Hart, who plays her friend April and is one of the producers of A Merry Little Ex-Mas.

So, if you enjoy the security of knowing within the first ten minutes what will and what will not happen in a movie, including how it will end, Merry Little Ex-Mas is right up your Hallmark alley. There’s nothing offensive or challenging, nothing to worry your pretty little head about, and you have the comfort of knowing that all will be well by the end.

If you’re trying to choose a Christmas movie for your family to enjoy together, don’t make it this one. Life is short, and the number of Christmases you’ll spend with your children is small. Choose a classic Christmas movie instead—something beautiful, engaging, timeless, and character-building. Make watching it together a new Christmas tradition, something you and your children look forward to every year. You won’t regret it!

About author

Shannon Bugg

Shannon Bugg is the mother of four and grandmother of six outstanding human beings.  She has a B. Ed., volunteers in her community and at church and is a world-travelling bon-vivant and woman-about-town.