Holidate is chock full of unexpected goodness and laughs.

I’m not one to watch a lot of comedies. I often find them contrived and forced but when this flick began trending on Netflix I decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I laughed – out loud – more times than I can count. Instead of denying the pitfalls of this genre the female lead calls them all out early in the film and then falls for every single one of them throughout the film. Brilliantly hilarious!

I feared this would be another Hallmark-esque Christmas film but within the first few minutes that concern was put to bed. Sure there is a single girl with a family pressuring her to find Mr. Right and there is a single guy who is so over clingy girls and complicated relationships. And sure, they find each other in a crowded department store but it’s not true love on a snowy Christmas eve. Instead, it’s a deal made to be each other’s plus one for every holiday for the foreseeable future. They are each other’s Holidate.

There are some genuinely entertaining moments like at the New Year’s Eve party where Jackson (Luke Bracey) encourages Sloane (Emma Roberts) to reenact a Dirty Dancing move on the dance floor. Or when they pair up again for the Fourth of July and there is a firework incident that lands the two of them in the emergency room where they spend their wait time sharing a joint.

The thing that works so well in this flick is the raw honesty that is the foundation of Sloane and Jackson’s relationship. There is no pretense or romance, just two people saving each other from obligation and embarrassment during the holidays. The dialogue isn’t forced and the chemistry between Bracey and Roberts is effortless. This is just a funny, funny movie.

Because it is a Christmas movie, after all, there is a bit of holiday cliché tossed in here and there but its okay, it works in a really cheesy and wonderful way. There’s a married and tired older sister, a raunchy aunt, a meddling mother and a best friend who more than plays the field. Each one does their job without taking away from the leads. My only complaint is that Jessica Capshaw, who plays the older sister, is not given enough to work with and her magnetic charm is way under used in this story.

Holidate is a delightful holiday watch and will, most definitely, be added to my holiday movie night watch list. It is so very funny, charming and a great date night choice.