Podcast in a Pear Tree: Christmas Movie Reviews · Aaron Lee Harvey, Danielle Espino, Samantha Gifford

Time for alpacas, Christmas reality tv and Die Hard action

·29 min·10 clips

Podcast in a Pear Tree opens by joking that the planned Scottish Christmas movie was missing, so they had to pivot to Get Him Back for Christmas instead. From there, they move into Finding Mr. Christmas, which they call cute and fun. They say it is easy to root for the contestants, and they are excited to see the winner show up in the holiday film that comes out of the competition. They also note that the contestants are not all traditional actors, which makes the premise feel a little looser and more playful. The conversation then shifts to The Holiday Junkie. The hosts describe Andy’s company as a one-stop shop for decorating and planning Christmas activities, with the business tied to her late mother and Andy trying to do it on her own for the first time. They lay out the rest of the setup: a very rich client, a home caretaker, a meet-cute, a broken-hearted lead, and an ex-fiancé who left to travel the world. The panel likes the basic premise, but they do not find it especially fresh, unique, or memorable. They say it moves a little slowly and compare it to another recent Christmas watch that was pleasant but forgettable. They also note that Jennifer Love Hewitt seemed deeply invested in the material, and that she directed the film and was one of the writers. The discussion stays warm even when they are not especially excited by the movie. By the end, they settle on the idea that the film is cute, sweet, and personal, but not the kind of holiday title that sticks around in your head. The episode closes with thanks to listeners, a note that this is the last regular episode of the season, and a promise to return with a wrap-up episode in early January.

As heard by us

A cheerful season closer that knows the difference between cute and memorable.

Podcast in a Pear Tree ends its season on a light, easy note, moving from Finding Mr. Christmas into The Holiday Junkie without making a big deal of the pivot.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want holiday recaps with real reactions, not fake sparkle.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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