Dear Pennies & Pens,
A few weeks ago, while on FaceTime with Renee Francois — ISLP’s Associate Editor and Producer, she told me about one of Netflix’s newest films, The Holiday Calendar. The Holiday Calendar stars Kat Graham and Quincy Brown. Renee was gushing over how cute and sweet the movie is. I was surprised because Renee isn’t big on romance movies so I knew that if she was endorsing it, it must be good.
Upon watching the film, I must admit that I completely agree with Renee. The Holiday Calendar is fantastic. The actors are hands down what makes the film. Kat & Quincy have amazing chemistry and the storyline is super cute. A lot of people criticize romantic comedies for using the same old storylines but that’s what makes them so dope.
Like think about it — trying to recreate something that’s already been done in a new way is harder than creating something completely original. Also, if you look at real people who have fallen in love, their stories are simple (at least on the surface). You either meet at school, work, or thru mutual friends. Or sometimes, two people are in the same place at the same time and that’s what brings them together to eventually fall in love.
Anywho, back to The Holiday Calendar, the story is like this: Abby is a struggling photographer who has been best friends with Josh since they were kids. While Abby has been scared to follow her dreams for fear of disappointing her parents, Josh has been traveling the world as a Travel Blogger & Photographer. So basically, Abby is stuck in their hometown while Josh is doing his thing. Instead of judging and looking down on Abby, Josh is determined to encourage her and be the light in her world.
In fact, Josh even takes a job working as an Elf because Abby’s boss needs the extra help (Abby’s current job is to take pictures of kids with Santa). Josh also drafts his best friend Fernando to help out. To back up just a bit, the movie begins when Abby’s grandfather gives her an advent calendar for Christmas.
The advent calendar is magical as each day it reveals a toy that predicts Abby’s future. At the beginning of the movie, Abby is excited about the calendar and tells Josh about its magic powers. She also questions her grandfather about it, but he alludes question saying that it was her deceased grandmother’s and it was she who believed in its magic.
As the movie goes on, you learn whether or not the calendar is truly magical. Best of all, you get to see exactly how Abby & Josh fall in love. Once again, here’s where most people who criticize the film as it is obvious that Abby & Josh were meant to be. But like many people in real life, Abby is blind to the love between her and Josh because she doesn’t want to see it. Like Abby, people have a tendency to look for love in all the wrong places instead of seeing that love is right in front of their face.
Overall, it was a really sweet movie and perfect for a chill Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Even though the holidays are behind us, this movie can still be enjoyed. If you check it out or have already seen it, let me know what you think in the comments!
And there it is. de la Pen…All Pen Everything. With us, keeping it real never goes wrong.
P.S. Did you like our movie review? Want to ink your own? Find out how to #MakeUrPenLOUD here: http://bit.ly/MakeUrPenLoudEbook
