Vidhi Narula
Directed by Gabriela Tagliavini, Netflix’s ‘Christmas with You’ is a romantic comedy movie that centers on a thriving yet exhausted pop artist Angelina (Aimee Garcia). She stumbles across a young fan’s video on social media, where she is singing her rendition of the singer’s famous song. The fan expresses her dream of meeting the celebrity during the holidays. Consequently, Angelina connects with this specific admirer and decides to visit and stir things up.
Featuring stellar performances by actors like Aimee Garcia, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Deja Monique Cruz, the movie tugs at the heartstrings of every young fan who once fell in love with a music sensation. ‘Christmas With You’ weaves a lovely romantic tale between unusual partners that prospers in the Christmas spirit. Moreover, the realistic characters and depiction of the holiday season make one wonder if the rom-com is based on real people. If you’re paddling the same boat of curiosity, here’s what we can tell you!
Christmas With You: A Fictional Tale With Familiar Themes
‘Christmas With You’ has been adapted from a screenplay penned by Paco Farias and Jennifer C. Stetson, based on a fictional story by German Michael Torres. While the former two make their feature film debut with the Netflix movie, Torres has significant training and experience working under famous producers and worked on movies like ‘Little Women,’ ‘Ed Wood,’ and ‘James and The Giant Peach.’ Interestingly, he dedicated the Aimee Garcia-starrer to his mother, Angelina Chavez Torres, who died in 2020.
The movie respects and values diversity, one of the most significant selling points for Aimee Garcia to come on board. The actress, a Latina of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, discussed how the holiday romance narrative incorporates diversity on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show.’ “It has all the things you love about Christmas, like heart and humor and romance, but because it is told from a Latino perspective, it has tequila and tamales and a little bit of Spanish. We had a Latina director, Gabby Tagliavini, and we have a Latino producer, Herman Torres, and we have Latino writers,” she said.
After directing and co-writing the Spanish movie ‘Despite Everything,’ director Gabriela Tagliavini hailed this project for Netflix. ‘Christmas With You’ weaves in sentiments of family heritage and conflicts as well, making it a must-watch for the whole family. Furthermore, the movie exudes the holiday spirit entwined with the charm and jubilation of music. Angelina embarks on a journey to visit her fan, Cristina, who lives with her father, Miguel.
More than surprising her fan, Angelina believes this would be the perfect break for her to clear her head and write a pure holiday song as her record label demands it. Cristina’s dad Miguel is a music teacher and writes songs for pleasure. The two adult protagonists bond over their shared love for music and eventually write a song about love and holidays that become famous. Although, the movie is more than just a holiday love story.
The writers added subplots to explore other aspects like creative burnout and how it adversely affects a person whose livelihood depends on the same. The pop star Angelina fears fading away and becoming obscure if she doesn’t come up with a new hit song. This is a testament to people’s impermanence and popularity in the modern day and age, where people have the shortest attention span. ‘Christmas With You’ also reflects the pressure singers and other creative people feel to be relevant and in the limelight.
With her visit to a charming little town, Angelina doesn’t become the next Mariah Carey, but she sure taps into the jolly spirit of Christmas and works on a new song that will save her career. In conclusion, the rom-com sure is a work of fiction, yet the energetic soul and spirit of the movie are very much real, feeling like a warm hug for all viewers and reeling them into the bustling holiday vibe.
