WHAT’S IT ABOUT
A boutique owner facing eviction finds an opportunity when tasked with styling a charming celebrity, blurring lines between business and pleasure.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Style Me For Christmas is a middling holiday romance that attempts to blend fashion and festive cheer with mixed results. The film follows a struggling fashion designer who gets a career-saving opportunity when she’s hired to style Tedee Maxwell, a famous R&B singer. While the premise shows promise, the execution falls somewhat short of truly memorable holiday entertainment. The best part of the movie is how it tries to put a new twist on the usual Christmas romance. The fashion setting adds some nice visuals and the main actors try hard with a script that is easy to guess. Mario does a good job making the film okay to watch but not something really special. The plot follows a fairly standard romantic comedy trajectory – a struggling professional meets an unexpected client, sparks fly, and challenges are overcome. While there are a few genuine moments of charm, the story rarely rises above the level of typical made-for-TV holiday fare. The costume design tries to add some pizzazz but can’t entirely compensate for the thin narrative. The supporting characters are flat, and the movie’s efforts at creating meaningful moments come across as contrived rather than organic. The leads don’t have good chemistry, which might have made up for so much in this tale. Having said that, Style Me For Christmas is not entirely a waste of time. It offers a passable way to spend an evening during the holiday season, especially for those who enjoy light romantic comedies and have relatively low expectations. It’s the kind of movie best watched with low stakes – perhaps while wrapping presents or half-paying attention during a holiday gathering. For viewers seeking depth or originality, this film will likely disappoint. But for those simply looking for some mindless holiday entertainment with a touch of fashion and romance, it might just hit the spot – barely. There isn’t much to excite or offend in a plain sugar-soaked tale of Style Me For Christmas; it becomes a crying definition for a middle-of-the-road film with a lack of originality when a fresh look at such goes beyond the creator owners. This BET+ original breathes a breath of fresh air into the light-hearted, fun combination of holiday films. It works in comedy along with a healthy dose of heart for a unique holiday viewing experience. With a fun storyline and spirited performances, it simply manages one standard addition to our holiday film marathon. Unlike your usual shoddy, middling fare, this film manages to be both modern and warm. Steering clear of the cheesy, low-budget feel of some streaming-service originals and eschewing the cloying sweetness of traditional holiday fare, this BET+ original carves out its unique place in seasonal entertainment.
OUR RATING – A HOLIDAY 5