EXmas, Prime Video’s latest Christmas original, starring Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell, had the potential to be good, but a mishandling of a romcom trope relegated it to the ever-growing list of bad Christmas movies.
A Premise Made Unbelievable Through a Misfired Trope
Graham (Amell) and Ali (Meester) are a Los Angeles-based couple who call off their engagement after several years together. After telling his parents he won’t be able to make it home for Christmas due to a work obligation, Graham surprises his family for the holiday, only to find his ex-fiancé is there to celebrate with them, too. The exes make a pact to make the stay as awful as possible for the other, each determined for Graham’s family to see the other in a bad light. Mild chaos ensues in the days leading up to Christmas.
EXmas had what it needed to be good: two charming leads who can toe the line between sweet and playfully devious and the perfect setting for a relatable American family Christmas celebration. Unfortunately, it loses its audience immediately with its poor attempt at the forced proximity trope. One of the lesser-used romcom tropes, forced proximity isn’t employed much because it hinges on believability, and it’s not easy to devise a story in which it’s believable that two people, especially exes, would be forced to spend enough time with each other in the same place that they’ll eventually fall in love.
Robbie Amell and Leighton Meester in ‘EXmas’
The best example of forced proximity in recent cinema is The Proposal. Sure, it was a little absurd (and probably illegal) that a boss would force her assistant to pretend to be her boyfriend for a weekend, but the two made an agreement that benefitted the assistant, and thus it was believable. The premise of EXmas is much harder to believe. No person in their right mind would willingly spend Christmas with their ex’s family for no reason, not even the lazy explanation given of Ali not having strong ties to her own family.
Take or Leave ‘EXmas’
EXmas wasn’t all bad – it had some surprisingly emotional moments and bits of good physical comedy. However, the redeeming elements weren’t strong enough to fully overshadow the weight of the mishandled trope. Movie watchers who are able to totally suspend their disbelief and are completely dedicated to the romcom genre will find the film watchable and maybe even mildly amusing, but it’s not going to be topping anyone’s best Christmas movie or romcom list.
EXmas is streaming now on Prime Video.