Netflix's Falling For Christmas - Everything You Need To Know
One of Netflix's first holiday movies of 2022, "Falling for Christmas" is led by "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday" star Lindsay Lohan. More importantly, when the movie hit Netflix on November 10, 2022, it marked the first time we'd seen her in a feature film since 2019's VOD horror flick "Among the Shadows." And Lohan was happy to get back to her rom-com acting roots, telling Tudum, "It's such a refreshing, heartwarming romantic comedy, and I miss doing those kinds of movies."
In other words, "Falling for Christmas" was a great way for Lohan to make a major comeback in the genre she knows best. As she explained to The Hollywood Reporter, "Doing films, playing a character, it brings me so much joy to be able to share a story with people. To take people on that journey with me is such a blessing." But if you want to know more about the holly jolly details of this holiday film, read on for everything you need to know about "Falling for Christmas."
What is the plot of Falling for Christmas?
In "Falling for Christmas," Lindsay Lohan plays a hotel heiress named Sierra Belmont, a woman who's best described by Lohan herself (via Tudum): "Extravagant. Temperamental. Glamorous." While Sierra has a pretty sweet — if pointless — gig at her father's hotel and just got engaged to her influencer boyfriend, she can't remember any of that after a skiing accident leaves her with a bout of amnesia.
As Sierra is unsure of her identity or her past, nobody at the hospital really knows what to do with her. So widower Jake (Chord Overstreet) volunteers to take her in at his lodge. Needless to say, sparks start to fly, and Sierra decides to help save his struggling business by throwing the ultimate holiday party. However, as things progress, Sierra's memory slowly but surely starts coming back, and her father and her boyfriend are on the search for her, hoping to bring her back to a life and relationship where she wasn't really all that happy.
So how does "Falling for Christmas" end? Does she stick with Jake or return to a world that's better left behind? Well, we don't want to spoil it here. But rest assured, if you're looking for a little Christmas magic, this Netflix film definitely has that in heaping helpings.
Who stars in Falling for Christmas?
We already know all about Lindsay Lohan, but who are her "Falling for Christmas" co-stars? The actor who plays widower Jake, Chord Overstreet, is best-known for playing Sam Evans on "Glee" and Dupree in the 2011 film "A Warrior's Heart." Jake's young daughter, meanwhile, is played by Olivia Perez, whose previous film roles include Iris in 2021's "In the Heights" and Nim in 2019's "Swallow."
The movie also features the talents of George Young as Tad, Jack Wagner as Beauregard Belmont, Alireza Mirmontazeri as "Gym Guy," Chase Ramsey as Terry Carver, Blythe Howard as Dr. Layla Monroe, and Lohan's younger sister, Aliana Lohan — whose music also appears. "You have such a powerful voice, and I'm so excited for people to hear your [songs] in 'Falling for Christmas,'" Lindsay told Aliana during a September episode of her podcast, "The Lohdown with Lindsay Lohan."
Who directed Falling for Christmas?
Janeen Damian made her directorial debut on "Falling for Christmas," but this isn't her first foray into holiday-themed films — far from it. She's previously written and produced a ton of Christmas movies, such as "Much Ado About Christmas," "The Christmas Waltz," and "A Princess for Christmas." Bringing holiday cheer is kind of her thing.
Lindsay Lohan greatly enjoyed working with Damian, telling Tudum, "It's always fun to work with female directors, and especially first-time female directors. You find things together to do and it's just a fun experience. Janeen has a dancing background, so she's always about moving and choreographing certain scenes in different ways, which helped a lot with the physical comedy."
Who produced Falling for Christmas?
In addition to starring in "Falling for Christmas," Lindsay Lohan also returned to the other side of the camera as a producer, a role she'd held only once before — as a co-producer on 2013's "The Canyons." This time around, she was joined by two other producers, as well as six executive producers, including the film's director, Janeen Damian.
According to Lohan, her comeback as both an actor and a producer should be credited to the lessons she's learned from acting and life coach Bernard Hiller, about whom Lohan spoke in her October interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "He changed my life," Lohan explained. "Sometimes [I] go too quickly and forget to take my time. It's nice to try different things and explore all possibilities of the script, not just playing what's on the page. When I'm playing a character and in a role, it's important I don't limit myself to where the character can go emotionally. Also, I'm never afraid to ad-lib."
How are critics and audiences responding to Falling for Christmas?
It should probably come as no surprise that critics and audience members have different feelings about Lindsay Lohan's new holiday rom-com. While they don't hate it, critics aren't crazy about this Christmas flick. At the time of this writing, the movie's Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 57% with 42 reviews.
Sitting on the negative side of things, critic Ed Potton of The Times wrote, "This is a rom-com in which both rom and com are in short supply, with zero chemistry between [Lindsay] Lohan and [Chord] Overstreet and a decidedly half-hearted attitude to the pratfalls." On the more positive side, Marissa Crenwelge penned, "'Falling for Christmas' isn't doing anything groundbreaking for the holiday genre. But it's a well-produced, sweet story with a charming cast."
As for the Average Joes out there, audiences like the film more — although, not a whole lot more. At the time of this writing, the audience score sits at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes with over 250 verified reviews. Really, it probably comes down to this — if you're not really into rom-com Christmas movies, you won't be into it. But if you do enjoy a charming holiday movie or you're a big fan of Lohan, this is probably the right cup of warm rom-com coco for you.
Where to watch Falling for Christmas
Netflix is the premiere destination for holiday rom-coms. 2022 alone has seen the release of titles such as "The Claus Family 2" and "Christmas With You," along with the upcoming "Scrooge: A Christmas Carol." The site is definitely a hot spot for yuletide festivities, so if you want to see Lindsay Lohan's amnesiac adventures through a winter wonderland, then you'll definitely want to visit Netflix, the home of "Falling for Christmas."