Merry Liddle Christmas (2019 Lifetime)
Cast: Debbi Morgan, Thomas Cadrot, Jaime M. Callica, Kelly Rowland
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Marking her first foray into producing for television, Kelly Rowland partners with Kronicle Media for Merry Liddle Christmas. Inspired by her own recent Christmas catastrophe, Kelly Rowland plays Jacquie– a successful, super-together single tech entrepreneur whose messy family descends on her gleaming new dream home for the holidays. Christmas traditions collide, and family drama ensues as she struggles to keep her house together in time for a glossy video shoot of “the perfect Christmas.” On top of that, the possibility of romance with a new neighbor has Jacquie questioning all her dating rules, so even though this isn’t the Christmas she envisioned, it might just be the most magical one yet.
Thoughts
Kelly Rowland is doing yoga and living in a smart house. She eats kales smoothies and is looking like a BOSS. She actually IS the boss of a tech company, Liddle, by Liddle Digital. (She designs apps to help schedule families’ lives.) For a marketing opportunity, Kelly Rowland has to have her family over for some photo ops. She invites her parents and sisters (Kiara & Treena) about to host Christmas.
Kiara doesn’t get along with Kelly Rowland (Much like LeToya from Destiny’s Child.) She shows up in a Cruella DeVille fur vest, her son, and her dog. (Her luggage gest lost because of Winter Storm Meghan!) Treena arrives with a handsome husband, Julian (played by Jaime M. Callica) and their daughter, Ava, and a new adorable baby. When the parents come, they bring lots of decorations and slut-shame Kelly Rowland for having a non-traditional Christmas tree/ordering her groceries online. They are scared of her robot vacuum and technology in general.
A hot neighbor named Tyler stops by with a package. Kelly Rowland is not very neighborly to him, but she is kind to her niece, Ava, when she grills her on where her REAL family is. (You know like her husband and kids.) When she leaves, her niece and nephew order a ton of stuff on her Alexa knockoff. (Like a BMX Bike and $200 game credits.)
After the punk kids are in bed, the sisters create a dating profile for Kelly Rowland. They match her with the neighbor, Tyler, and think he is a perfect date for her. Kelly Rowland is less sure because he doesn’t like broccoli.
The next morning, Kelly Rowland’s patience is tested by her parents, who ruin her planning. She is too type A to deal with their messy kitchen and free-spirited attitudes. They go to a Christmas tree farm and pick out a real tree. Next, they go to Santa’s village and act a fool with props and hats. Tyler catches Kelly Rowland, and he apologizes to her for getting off on the wrong foot. Tyler owns a restaurant based on his grandmother’s recipes and invites Kelly Rowland to have dinner with him.
The dog eats all the decorations, and kids spill grape juice all over Kelly Rowland’s carpet. The photoshoot is the next day, and Kelly Rowland is stressing. The family makes cookies and share their favorite Christmas memories and life lessons.
Kelly Rowland goes to the park and attempts to flirt with Tyler, who she sees running. When the dog gets off the leash and runs in the mud, she chases him and gets hit in the head with a frisbee by a white lady. STUPID WHITE LADY! The sisters take Kelly Rowland home to get some rest, and they find the packages the kids ordered. They think it is funny and laugh it off.
Late at night, when Kelly Rowland can’t sleep, she sits out on the doorstep in full makeup and PJs. Tyler joins her, and she gives him some Christmas cookies. Then she admits to being type A, but around him, she is type D. (Type Dork!) She locks herself out of the house.
The day of the photoshoot Julian and Kiara decorate while drinking Bailey’s #Ad on the deck and blow a fuse, the dog runs around with paint on his paws, kids trash the house by doing cartwheels inside and knocking over the tree. The video producer arrives and shoots all the mishaps delightedly. Then they fry the turkey, and it catches on fire. Kelly Rowland blames her family and beats the turkey with a spoon. The family gives Kelly Rowland time to cool off and take a walk. For some reason, they send Tyler in to defuse the situation.
Kelly Rowland cries at the mess, and Tyler calms her down by reminding her that it is all just stuff. The family comes together in a Christmas wrapping presents montage. Then they go to Tyler’s restaurant, where a gospel choir sings “Joy to the World.”
The family heads home for some Christmas Eve charades by the candlelight. Ava puts the Christmas Angel on the tree, which is a family heirloom that survived a fire and serves as a reminder that their family is resilient.
Christmas morning, and everyone opens gifts and drinks mimosas! (Just like my family.) They have a sweet toast until one of the damn kids spills the juice, Kelly Rowland handles it well and is very chill. Then she opens a gift from Tyler; it is a snowglobe.
Then they get dressed up for dinner and cook in a montage. Kelly Rowland makes a toast that it is the people that matter and not being perfect. Tyler shows up with a turkey from the restaurant and joins them. They take a family photo and laugh and laugh.
The next day the family helps clean up, and Kelly Rowland gets a call. The video is a viral success, and she lands a new endorsement deal from it. Kelly Rowland says goodbye to her family, and they all are excited to come back for next year. Kelly Rowland marches over to her neighbor’s house and kisses him while her family watches on. Then a Kelly Rowland Christmas song plays.
Side Note
Minority Report: The entire cast. (Minus the Photoshoot producer and the white lady with her frisbee.)
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Overall rating
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄(5 Christmas Trees)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Lifetime
