With a fond farewell to October, many are starting to focus on the next big holiday season, which, for many, isChristmas. This means that halls will be decked, lights will begin to go up, and the snow will start to fall for those in colder climates. Yet, for cinema fans, it also means an incoming flood of holiday themes, feature films, and TV specials to dominate the airwaves and streaming platforms.Netflixhas become one of the best streaming platforms for original holiday content, and this year is no different.

One movie is already climbing the charts, even though we are over a month away from the beloved gift-giving holiday.Meet Me Next Christmashas become an early watch for many to build up to the joy-filled celebration. However, is it just nostalgia for the holiday, a bit of escapism with the post-election burn-out, or is there something special to be found? We will take a closer look atMeet Me Next Christmasand let you know if it is worth checking out yourself.

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‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ Brings the Holiday Season to Netflix

Meet Me Next Christmas

Layla finds herself stuck at an airport on Christmas Eve, where her flight is canceled, leading her to change her holiday plans. Here, she meets a man, who she finds charming, who proposes they meet again at a concert if they are both single come Christmas. After returning home to discover her boyfriend has cheated on her, she begins a quest to get tickets to the show, now sold out, to meet the destined man ofher Christmas dreams. With tickets scarce, she teams up with concierge Teddy, and the two go through numerous ploys to secure the ticket, slowly becoming enamored with each other in the process.

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Meet Me Next Christmasstars Christina Milian as Layla, a confident and compassionate woman trying to connect with a potential partner. She has starred in over 70 productions on TV and film and will be appearing in theupcoming spin-offDexter: Original Sin. Starring alongside Milian is Devale Ellis, a slightly awkward yet kind concierge, Teddy, who tries his best to help Layla, often to his embarrassment. The movie boasts a large supporting cast, all entertaining in their own right, but the focus is on Teddy and Layla. The holiday feature was directed by Rusty Cundieff, who has a diverse career tackling horror, comedy, and romance in equal measure across TV and film.

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‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ Is Climbing the Charts

Since its release on November 6,Meet Me Next Christmashas clung to the top spot on Netflix charts in several countries, including the USA, Canada, the UK, and other European countries. It has since seen a slight dip in the USA, dropping to the number two spot, but as of November 13, it remains the number one movie worldwide for the streaming giant. Whether the holiday romance flick is worth watching or not, it does enjoy an early release compared to other Christmas originals. As the seasons start to change and the spooky season is over, it makes sense that people’s interests are turning to the winter holiday.

This success also has not come with fanfare online, with Rotten Tomatoes having the film at 67% with 12 critic reviews and 48% on the popcorn meter with only 50+ users; IMDb has the movie at 5.5/10 with only 2.2k reviews.This rating shows little about the actual potential polarity ofMeet Me Next Christmas, with these being relatively small numbers for a substantial aggregate, particularly considering how many people have watched the movie. Yet, as is often the case with many of thesesmall-budget romance movies,they are not for the critics, appealing to a different demographic.

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Is ‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ Worth Watching?

Meet Me Next Christmasis a somewhat formulaic and predictable romance story set around the holiday season. Fans looking for a Christmas movie that shakes things up and offers an ‘instant classic’ will find a void here; the movie may be a hit for Netflix now, but come next year, another film will replace it. Quality-wise, the movie is moreon par with a Hallmark production, a niche that Netflix has been honing in on with many of their original, low-key romance titles. The target audience here is primarily moms and aunts looking for a bit of steamy escapism.

While this may sound like a negative,when approachingMeet Me Next Christmasfor what it is, the holiday feature does impress. The cast is wonderfully diverse and eccentric, with everyone that orbits Layla and Teddy entertaining and injecting a lot of levity into the production. Christina Milian and Devale Ellis are also a great pairing, and their chemistry naturally bubbles up throughout the production to create an endearing tale of finding love in an unlikely place. The cinematography is solid despite the budget restraints, andthe sets are drowning in Christmas nostalgia, with very few frames going by that don’t remind the audience of the season.

Split image of posters for Klaus, The Christmas Chronicles 2, and I Believe in Santa behind the Netflix logo

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Meet Me Next Christmaswill not be a critical darling or a classic, but what many overlook about holiday movies is that there is such an industry around the seasons for cinema because of the comfort it provides.The Netflix original is cheerful and comforting, like a warm winter sweater.It brings enough flair and joy to really immerse one in the season, but when it passes, it will be an afterthought. There is nothing wrong with this, and if you are looking for that kind of escapism and indulgence this holiday season, thenMeet Me Next Christmaswill be the perfect pairing as you deck the halls.you may streamMeet Me Next ChristmasonNetflix.