This Christmas Rom-Com is #1 on Netflix's Top 10 Despite Abysmal Rotten Tomatoes Score
Netflix's Christmas hype unfortunately fell short.
Summary
- Netflix is known for its holiday originals, but they're not necessarily of the highest quality.
- Last week's romcom Best. Christmas. Ever! surprised everyone by debuting at number one in the global top 10.
- However, critics and audiences alike panned the movie.
It's time to start purchasing presents for your family and friends, decorating your home, and of course, getting ready for an extravaganza with Christmas shows and movies! Luckily, Netflix can always come to the rescue with a huge number of Christmas-themed movies: you can find classics like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Holiday, and of course, not a few great originals like the 2019 animated adventure comedy Klaus.
Netflix relies heavily on its self-produced movies. However, not all of them turn out to be of high quality, as critics and viewers alike have been unanimous in their criticism of some of them. Such was the case with Best. Christmas. Ever! which was released last week, on November 16, and received scathing reviews and scores. But that did not stop the new romantic comedy from becoming one of the most-watched movies on the streaming service, entering the global Top 10 at number one.
What's the New Christmas Movie About?
Best. Christmas. Ever! was directed by Mary Lambert, the same filmmaker responsible for the cult horror film Pet Sematary. It's tempting to speculate what made Lambert switch from horror to mediocre Christmas projects, but that's a conversation for another time — the point is that the ratings, no matter what, will not allow the film to be forgotten in the Netflix 'sematary' of bad movies.
Todd Gallicano and Charles Shyer (Father of the Bride, Alfie) served as screenwriters, and Shyer is clearly not the newest name in the rom-com genre. The movie stars Heather Graham, singer Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño.
The plot follows two families, the Sanders and the Jennings, where Graham and Brandy's characters were longtime college friends and now the former is jealous of the latter because of her family's supposed career success. Due to a heavy snowfall, the Sanders have to spend Christmas with the Jennings, which becomes an occasion for conflict and reunion, resentment and forgiveness, and comic elements. Well, at least it is implied to be that way.
New Hit On Netflix
Subscribers to the streaming service are clearly already gearing up for Christmas, as the new holiday rom-com has unexpectedly become the most-watched movie on Netflix.During the week of November 13-19, Best. Christmas. Ever! was watched a whopping 22.3 million hours, with a total of 16.3 million views.
On its second day of release, the movie debuted at #2 in the global top 25, and the very next day it climbed to #1, as well as leading the Top 10 in most countries where Netflix is available. This unprecedented success allowed it to stay at the first place until November 21, and as of November 23, Best. Christmas. Ever! was knocked off the top spot. It seems that the Christmas hype around the movie has died down and many people have learned that its quality is not the best.
Not Only Is the Weather Cold, but So Is the Audience
Despite such popularity, the movie's scores on review aggregators are quite embarrassing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the freshness is a measly 38%, and the audience is even worse — only 18%. On IMDb, the rating is 4.4 out of 10, where the majority of people gave the movie a score no higher than 6.
Critics noted that the movie is nothing more than a regular family lighthearted comedy that gives a sense of hope, but even with this approach, Best. Christmas. Ever! was unwatchable for many due to terrible pacing, editing and a nonsensical script comparable to the work of ChatGPT. Well, the Netflix library is full of other great Christmas movies!