Vidhi Narula
With Janeen Damian as the director, ‘Falling For Christmas’ is a holiday rom-com film that revolves around Sierra, a newly engaged heiress, and her subsequent memory loss after falling off a cliff. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Chord Overstreet, and George Young in lead roles, the movie explores the jolly vibe of Christmas along with loving relationships that blossom in the holidays, while also touching upon Sierra’s amnesia and her journey to rediscover herself. But what’s a good rom-com without a knight in shining armor? Overstreet plays the role of charming Jake, a local hotel owner who saves her and takes care of her.
Lindsay Lohan has been a part of a lot of iconic movies from ‘Mean Girls’ to ‘Just My Luck’, but seeing her in a true blue holiday romance satiated the appetite of her fans. If you’re looking for similar holiday romance movies that encapsulate that snuggly, comfortable feeling of warmth and show two unlikely strangers falling in love, then the movies in this list are just for you!
8. The Holiday (2006)
One of the best holiday rom-coms, ‘The Holiday’ features A-list actors from Cameron Diaz as Amanda, Judd Law as Graham, to Kate Winslet as Iris, and Jack Black as Miles. Amanda and Iris swap homes for the holidays in an attempt to seek a change of pace. But when they meet local men in their areas, things take a romantic turn. Both ‘Falling For Christmas’ and ‘The Holiday’ share a similar quaint cottage as one of their settings. Sierra and Amanda both come from well-off families and are fairly rich in their respective movies. They share a sense of pride over their success and wealth.
7. Last Christmas (2019)
A Paul Feig directorial, ‘Last Christmas’ is another holiday romance that makes every viewer swoon. Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding spearhead the cast of the movie as Katarina and Tom respectively. The movie focuses on Katarina, who is an aspiring singer but works as an elf to get by in London. She sees the world in a different light once she meets Tom, a simple but happy guy. Sierra and Katarina both explore themselves better with the help of their counterparts and their perspectives towards life change as love enters their lives.
6. Love Hard (2021)
The protagonist of this film, Natalie (Nina Dobrev), is a writer living in Los Angeles who resolves to see her online dating app crush Josh in person for the holidays only to discover that he is a catfish (Jimmy O. Yang). But if she plays along and acts like his girlfriend for the holidays, he assures her that he will introduce her to the man she actually liked. Directed by Hernán Jiménez, ‘Love Hard’ shares the strangers falling in love trope with ‘Falling For Christmas.’ Moreover, the protagonists of both movies have a subtle arc of rediscovering themselves and mending their ways.
5. Holidate (2020)
With an interesting agreement of being each other’s date to family events to avoid the dreaded questions by their relatives, two young strangers come together in this heartwarming holiday romance. With Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey in the lead, the movie dissects the emptiness of fake relationships as well. Like most other entries in the list, this rom-com also features strangers who fall for each other despite hardships and hurdles along the way. Their romance like many others is fueled by the festive season that spreads cheer all around.
4. Holiday in the Wild (2019)
Starring Kristin Davis as Kate and Rob Lowe as Derek, who are the improbable strangers falling in love, this holiday rom-com puts the aftermath of divorce in a new light. Set in the wilderness of Africa, Kate and Derek find each other’s company comforting and form a loving bond. With Ernie Barbarash as the director, ‘Holiday in the Wild’ does a great job of conveying the spirit of celebrating Christmas away from home. The difference is that Sierra is forced to be away because of her amnesia, but Kate chooses to do so to find her place again. But both of them take a step back from their real life and make the best of where they are.
3. The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
This Christmasy romance movie features a historical knight Sir Cole (Josh Whitehouse), who gets teleported to the present day and falls in love with a science teacher at a high school Brooke (Vanessa Hudgens), who no longer believes in love. The couples from ‘The Knight Before Christmas’ and ‘Falling For Christmas’ help their significant other in finding themselves again and making sense of their surroundings when they feel out of place. Jake helps Sierra remember herself and find herself again, whereas Brooke helps Sir Cole in adjusting to the modern-day world and believes him when nobody else does.
2. A Castle for Christmas (2021)
Set in a chic Scotland Castle, this romantic comedy movie narrates the life of an author (Brooke Shields) who goes on to stay in a castle to get away from a scandal caused by one of her books. She develops a love-hate relationship with the owner of the castle, a Duke (Cary Elwes). Directed by Mary Lambert, ‘A Castle For Christmas’ shares a few similarities with ‘Falling For Christmas’. For instance, both movies see the protagonist falling for the owner of the property they are staying at, and both of them are used to a luxurious and lavish lifestyle owing to their wealth.
1. The Princess Switch (2018)
A duchess (Vanessa Hudgens) switches places with a regular Chicago woman (also Vanessa Hudgens) who looks precisely like her a week before Christmas, and the two of them become enamored with each other’s suitors (Nick Sagar and Sam Palladio). Lately, Vanessa Hudgens has been reigning in the holiday romance genre and this movie is quite a cozy watch too.
The movie was such a smash hit that it was followed by two sequels of the story. Both ‘Falling For Christmas’ and ‘The Princess Switch’ fully glow in the holiday setting and make the best use of the seasonal theme to showcase how difficult it is to be in a place where you don’t feel like you belong.
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