‘Christmas With You’ is a romantic comedy movie that pulls the viewers into the magical time of Christmas, where love and celebration are in the air. It follows Angelina Costa (Aimee Garcia), a music sensation who surprises Cristina, a young fan, by showing up in her town. She meets the latter’s father, Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.), a high school music teacher. Angelina is also going through a creative block as she cannot write a Christmas song that can get her back in the top 100 lists. Thus, she enlists Miguel’s help, and as they co-write a song, they fall for each other.
Directed by Gabriela Tagliavini, the movie is a feel-good Christmas romance with relevant themes like love in holidays, being with one’s family, the temporary nature of success for people in the creative industry, and the overarching evils of show business. Now, if you want more recommendations exploring similar themes, you should check out the ones we have curated for you.
8. Just Friends (2005)
Directed by Roger Kumble, ‘Just Friends’ is a hilarious romantic comedy that focuses on Chris, a once-overweight student who falls in love with Jamie, his popular best friend. After being successful and having a makeover, he returns home for Christmas. With Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, and Chris Klein, ‘Just Friends’ mocks the superficiality of society in terms of how they see a person’s success and failure. Commenting on fat shaming, with a twist of music and a load of laughter, the movie is a happy watch, especially during the holidays, just like ‘Christmas With You.’
7. Purple Hearts (2022)
Starring Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, and Chosen Jacobs, ‘Purple Hearts’ is a movie that chronicles a marriage of convenience between Luke, a Marine, and Cassie, a part-time singer. They get married to share military benefits and clear their dues. Though it starts as an alliance just for the benefits, they soon come closer and realize how good they are with each other. The movie is directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and is based on Tess Wakefield’s eponymous novel. Like Angelina and Miguel, music plays a massive role in Cassie and Luke’s love story, cheering them up and bringing them together.
6. La La Land (2016)
‘La La Land’ is a romantic musical about two creative aspirants, Sebastian and Mia, whose lives converge as they try to make it big in music and acting, respectively. They comfort and encourage each other through the difficulties in their professional lives. Set against the stunning backdrop of Los Angeles, the movie briefly records the feeling of being torn between love and career. Sebastian is a pianist, just like Miguel in ‘Christmas With You.’
However, the latter aspires to keep jazz alive and further the dying genre by opening a jazz-themed bar. Damien Chazelle’s directorial ‘La La Land’ narrates how quickly the audience forgets what they once loved, like the jazz genre and how their attention swiftly shifts from one thing to another. In ‘Christmas With You,’ the same happens with Angelina as newer things grasp the audience’s love and attention.
5. Begin Again (2013)
Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley headline the romantic-drama movie ‘Begin Again,’ which follows Gretta, a songwriter cum singer who desperately wants a break to kickstart her career. She is later discovered by Dan, a struggling record label producer looking to create good music. Thus, they strike a deal to record live songs across New York.
‘Begin Again’ features struggling creative people and their efforts to get their careers back on track, just like Angelina Costa in ‘Christmas With You.’ Both protagonists also write a Christmas song that finds its roots in finding love, even though Gretta’s ex-boyfriend misuses it to his advantage.
4. Our Christmas Love Song (2019)
A good old Christmas-inspired love story takes center stage in Gary Yates’ rom-com ‘Our Christmas Love Song.’ Along with the holiday spirit, the movie focuses on music and singers in the creative industry. After Melody is accused of copying a song, she returns home to spend the festival with her family; she resolves to find and prioritize the more essential things in life.
Starring Alicia Witt and Brendan Hines, the movie showcases the plight of creative people and how the ruthless industry will do anything to bring them down, similar to how the record label pressurizes Angelina to get back on top of the ladder in ‘Christmas With You.’
3. The Last Song (2010)
A teen romance movie that explores the coming-of-age of Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) as she mends her relationship with her father, Steve (Greg Kinnear), ‘The Last Song’ is directed by Julie Anne Robinson. Music plays a vital role in the movie to bring people together and reconnect them with their passions. Steve is a concert pianist and music professor who direly wants to be on good terms with his children after his divorce. While ‘Christmas With You’ puts Miguel and Cristina’s romantic relationship into focus, Steve and Ronnie’s father-daughter bond faces a similar spotlight in ‘The Last Song.’
2. A Star Is Born (2018)
Bradley Cooper directed and starred alongside Lady Gaga in ‘A Star Is Born,’ a romantic drama movie that follows Jackson, a musician struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, and Ally, a waitress who sings and writes songs. He witnesses the latter’s talent at a bar and gets mesmerized by her performance. Soon after, Jackson encourages her to pursue her dreams and make something of her passion.
Consequently, Ally becomes a more famous singer, and her relationship with Jackson struggles because of the same. These intricate elements are somewhat along the same lines as ‘Christmas With You.’ Both movies dissect the fears and feelings of musicians afraid to drift into oblivion. Moreover, the movies feature famous artists discovering the talents of another who is not fully recognizing their potential, eventually falling in love.
1. Marry Me (2022)
Kat Coiro directed the romantic comedy movie ‘Marry Me,’ which centers around Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez), a famous Latin superstar who discovers that her fiance is cheating on her. Hence, she impulsively decides to marry a random fan from the audience at her concert, who turns out to be Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson), a maths teacher who tags along with his daughter Lou.
‘Marry Me’ shares the most commonalities with ‘Christmas With You.’ Both movies feature a Latina star, their young fan, and their romantic relationship with their father. Most importantly, each showcases the love story of people from two different worlds.
Read More: Is Netflix’s Christmas With You Based on a True Story?