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Keywords
Hallmark movies, A 90s Christmas, holiday cheer, movie review, character development, relationship dynamics, personal growth, sacrifice, LGBTQ representation, festive season
Summary
In this episode, Nick and Leslie review the Hallmark movie 'A 90s Christmas,' discussing its premise, character dynamics, and underlying themes. They express disappointment in the film's execution, particularly regarding character choices and the message of sacrifice over personal happiness. The conversation also touches on LGBTQ representation and the overall entertainment value of the movie, concluding with ratings and reflections on the holiday season.
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (00:00.276)
Nick and Leslie, Nick and Leslie talking holiday cheer. Hallmark movies, cozy nights, and a festive review today. Hey, grab a seat and a sweet treat, cozy up push play. Movie cheers, what you'll hear this Hallmark movie day. We are coming to you live for the latest episode of the holiday Hallmark review, a 90s Christmas, and we are on North Straub Park, Straub Park in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Getting ready for the Santa parade which will be starting soon. It is a blistery 60 something degrees here in Florida And so let's go ahead and play the trailer for a 90s Christmas
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (00:52.27)
Now what? Why don't you just enjoy your time here? You were sent back to redo that kiss and have a second chance.
So that was the trailer for 90s Christmas. How'd you feel about it overall? Eh. Eh? I feel like it was a wasted opportunity. I liked the premise of her traveling back in time to be able to redo things starting on Christmas, but I feel like the life she had in the beginning was good enough. Pretty great, actually. It's pretty great. Yeah, she had just made partner at her law firm in Chicago.
and she travels back to the last, to the first Christmas she had after her dad had passed. And kind of like the premise was that she had to get together with her neighbor as the boyfriend or something in order to, well, okay. So shout out the kooky magical ride share driver who drove her back to 1999.
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (02:02.477)
don't know, just, it was, it could have been so much better. I did appreciate that she told her old childhood friend, as soon as you hear the word iPhone, start buying stock in Apple. Yeah, that was good. That was like the one thing you always want to happen in time travel movies. But then I guess she got in trouble for that and the magical Uber driver was like, you're changing things too much.
But in the end, she does decide to go with Matt, who is the neighbor and not that interesting. So he wanted to be an actor. Before the time traveling stuff, she reconnects with him. He's like, I'm an insurance salesman. She's like, you didn't want to be an actor. He's like, I did, but I ended up getting married to this other girl, and now we're going through divorce, and I'm happy selling insurance.
So that's part of the impetus that she's like, he could have had a different life. I could have had a different life. I'm going to go back in time. Or the Uber driver forces her to go back in time.
Yeah, you can see the amount of excitement we have. Right, it was stupid that I didn't care that Hallmark made a movie. I was a good different concept of instead of just, know, we're raising money for a foundation, for hospital, for children, blah, blah. Like, OK, instead we're going back in time, which was fun. But I didn't care for the aspect that it's not what she wanted to do. It was just because you're lonely in a moment to not celebrate.
I mean, I'm married and I had to celebrate my shit on my own. So even if you're with people, they still don't celebrate things with you. So why couldn't she choose the path that she wanted to instead of catering to the rest of her family, instead of catering to what her mom would have wanted more time, her sister wanted time, like it was just stupid the time together when...
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (04:05.429)
I don't know. Yeah, no, it's like, it's like the message of the movie is sacrifice your own happiness and your own peace.
to do what benefits the majority of people. because Matt wanted her to go to colleges in New York where he was going and not go to Northwestern where she has a full ride scholarship. He wanted her to go somewhere else that she had to pay for tuition like Columbia just to be near her. So to make that sacrifice like go for a full ride. We don't have school debt because we chose places that we had the most scholarships to the most money going to. So we didn't have to take out loans. So the thought that now she
to take the path that he wants to so that they can be together when she wanted to do something else that's more beneficial for her future instead of that. I mean, also you're going to change as a young person. is. You know, kudos to you if you stayed together from when you were childhood sweethearts till you know in your 90s, but you're you grow you change it's. I'm glad I did not get married to whom I thought I loved whenever I was younger. Like I was a different.
person and definitely didn't know yourself. I don't think you should get married until you're 30. So to do that and then also like the sister who they were refused to say gay or lesbian to to what she was you know in the beginning in the current time it seemed like she was going from girl to girl the way they were like last week's girl couldn't spell this word we'll see how this week's girl goes so it's like okay you can't have a steady relationship okay but because your sister chose the path that continued to have her and and you
in your life together that she got married in her, montage when she was coming back to current day and her life had changed. One of the things that flashed before her eyes was her sister getting married to another woman, which is great. But like, so you're saying that was only capable because she chose the path to be with her family. Instead of the path, what she wanted to do with her dream. I did appreciate the little bits of subplot where...
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (06:14.001)
Our main character Lucy knows that her sister is gay before her sister even realizes she's gay or before her sister actually announces she's gay. So that was kind of fun, but it was weird that they cut to commercial right before the sister does come out to the mom. Because it's like Hallmark, you can have a gay character, but you can't have a character coming out. And then her sister, they didn't even have her say that, yeah, I just told told mom what we talked about. Didn't even say that. It's just like, yeah, we're good.
I just like they kind of did, you know, the LGBTQ plus community kind of dirty there. Yeah. So this isn't the worst one I've seen because it is. it's definitely not. Yeah, it's beautifully decorated. It's watchable, keeps you entertained. There's enough jokes that you don't get bored.
You can miss it. Overall, I'm giving the writing a four, acting a three, directing a four, and for the chemistry, a meter, three. Matt just in kind of a wet blanket. Yeah, I mean, it's a movie you can have on in the background, but it's not the worst, you know, it's... doesn't do anything impressive or interesting with his life. No. Yet she has to go back in time to get him. Yeah, I'm not saying someone's not worth it, but what was
worth it didn't say like Matt made me feel a certain way he gave me the tingles and the sparkles I there was nothing about that like what was so great about Matt that he was worth going back and even in present-day before she travels back in time he's going through divorce so she could still get with him that as well yeah so I mean it's okay to have a second war in person
It brings me back to like how Hallmark tries to tell women that you'll only be fulfilled if you marry young and have a child. That's what it felt like it was saying. Yeah, instead of having, you know, a career, which I'm not saying she's a workaholic or anything like that, but yeah, she focused on her career for a bit to get up and now she can. She's good at what she does. I'm not saying she could easily ride, but have be able to focus now or you know, be able to let focus less on working.
Chain Assembly (Nick Ribera) (08:30.755)
have a little bit more free time. Join a meetup group, meet some people. You don't need to have 20 friends. This one is really just like a stopgap to get to the really fun ones that are tonight and tomorrow night. I know, yeah, looking forward to those visit Finland and Iceland with Lacey Chabert. Yes. I'm excited, I'm very excited. Very, very. Alright, well thank you for sitting through a 90s Christmas with us.
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas. Enjoy your own local holiday events such as the Saint Pete Santa parade. 98th annual was it 98th annual. I don't know where the heck we've been. That's insane. Or is it 98th tree lighting and I don't know. Anyway, we Saint Pete though. Thank you everyone.
