12 Dates of Christmas is a truly refreshing breath of fresh winter air this holiday season full of classic movies and new made-for-TV originals alike. Though the premise may sound all too familiar (a young woman is forced to re-live Christmas Eve over and over-- twelve times, in fact-- until she finally gets it right-- a Groundhog Day for the holiday season), the approach is modern and interesting every time. Instead of simply showing us the same few events of the night occurring multiple times with only a few minor details tweaked, Kate (Amy Smart) truly embraces the idea of getting a do-over and each time does something radically different. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and hoping for different results, so though others may look at Kate and think she’s nuts when she claims she has had a conversation before or met someone previously when they have no recollection of her, she is truly making the most of her holiday in order to learn her true lesson. 12 Dates of Christmas may start out with a young woman so afraid to be alone for the holidays she wants to get back together with a guy who wasn’t right for her, but it’s real lesson is that no one should be alone for the holidays, and if we stop being so petty and self-centered, especially around Christmas, we can do real good for a large group of people.
12 Dates of Christmas is not one of those movies where you should look for the magical winking man who may or may not be the “real” Santa Claus but who definitely set the whole plan of events in motion in order to teach such an important lesson. Nor should you be approaching each “new” Christmas Eve trying to find a “twist” or decipher just what it is that Kate missed last time that she needs to accomplish this time in order to get out of her time loop. Instead, you really just need to sit back and enjoy the ride as much as Kate does. Embrace the chance to do anything because tomorrow it will all be re-set anyway. When Kate does-- taking a stranger on a shopping spree, dying her hair jet black, getting a tattoo-- it seems ridiculously fun.
Kate starts out on a blind date on Christmas Eve (yeah, we thought that was a little weird at first, too). She is so distracted by thoughts of getting back together with her ex that she is short and a little standoffish with Miles (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a “too good to be true” type who coaches underprivileged kids’ hockey and is still mourning his own wife’s death. But it isn’t just Miles Kate has to do things better with on the second (and then third, fourth, fifth, and so on) go around. And that is where things go from just “first date fun” to much more meaningful moments. Sure, we loved to watch Smart and Gosselaar fall for each other each time around-- from ice skating, to having dinner with her family, to looking for Christmas trees, and helping an underprivileged teen find a way to keep his new puppy, but it is all the other people she helps, and that in turn help her, that have a much deeper impact.
On the surface 12 Dates of Christmas is “just” a romantic comedy set during the holidays, but when you actually get into it, there are many other layers to unfold, ones that at times make Miles seem almost like an afterthought. But that’s okay because it means Kate is becoming a much more well-rounded person, and their attraction will build over time, not in the snap judgment, “holiday spirit has us blinded” sort of way that always leads us to believe that once the mistletoe is taken down, they’ll wonder what they saw in each other in the first place. If you watch no other new holiday movie this year, 12 Dates of Christmas is worth tuning in.
12 Dates of Christmas premieres on ABC Family on December 11th at 8pm.
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