Lindsay Lohan’s new film praised by critics: “The Citizen Kane of Christmas movies”
Falling For Christmas has seen Lindsay Lohan garner plenty of praise for her “wonderful” cinema comeback.
The film, the first of three as part of a deal at Netflix, sees Lohan play a rich socialite who develops amnesia in the run-up to Christmas. Losing all knowledge of her privileged existence, she finds herself in the care of the handsome lodge owner and his daughter.
Falling For Christmas also stars Glee alum Chord Overstreet, George Young, and In The Heights Olivia Perez. The film is directed by Janeen Damian, and has Lohan attached as an executive producer.
IndieWire was full of praise for Lohan and the film with a review that read: “Is Falling for Christmas Lohan’s Citizen Kane? Well, as Sierra, the daughter of a widower grappling with her past, present, and future at the holidays, and plenty of sleds courtesy of a Botox’ed Santa stand-in, it’s clear this is Lohan’s best work in decades. Even Sierra has her own rosebud, a Christmas snow globe, to call back to. The ending of Falling For Christmas is pure It’s a Wonderful Life, and how wonderful it is that Lohan is back in Hollywood, just in time for the holidays.”
Collider on the other hand was more sparing with praise in its review. “Is Falling for Christmas in itself a good film? No,” reads the review. “It looks like it was made on the cheap, it reuses jokes (one very clearly stolen from Dumb And Dumber), and has a completely unoriginal plot.” However, the review goes on to say that the film is “an hour and a half of Christmas fun” for friends to watch, before adding praise of Lohan is “warranted”.
However, The Hollywood Reporter was scathing in its remarks. The review of Falling For Christmas calls the movie a “sub-Hallmark dreck made by a bunch of hacks that don’t deserve to be named”. However, the reviewer softens their criticism for Lohan slightly, writing: “Not to beat up on a former child star who has overcome more than her share of demons, but if this is the best vehicle she could find, waiting another three might not have been a bad idea.”
Variety, meanwhile, backs a Lohan revival at Netflix thanks to the film’s snappy festive script and the actor’s performance. The reviewer says Falling For Christmas is “a promising step for a possible ‘Lohanaissance’.” The review goes on to say it’s good that Lohan is back “craftily fashioning” a character who audiences can buy into – in a festive way.
Falling For Christmas is available to stream on Netflix from Thursday, November 10
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JJ Nattrass
NME
