Lindsay Lohan is an icon, and her nearly decade-long break from acting made her return that much more exciting. Lohan chose to make her comeback in Netflix’s holiday rom-com “Falling for Christmas.”
The film follows Sierra (Lindsay Lohan), who is the daughter of a successful hotel owner. She is offered a job by her father that she doesn’t want to take, but Sierra wants to be known for more than her last name. Her boyfriend Tad (George Young) is a successful influencer and thinks she could become an influencer, too.
While with Tad, she gets into a skiing accident and is found by struggling inn-owner Jake (Chord Overstreet). The two had previously met when Sierra yelled at him for spilling hot chocolate on her expensive outfit.
The film is entertaining to watch, but there isn’t much value outside of that. It is slightly better than similar Netflix films, such as “Love Hard,” but that is to Lohan’s credit more than anything else.
Lohan provides such a feeling of nostalgia on the screen, and her talents as an actress enhance the film. The storyline may be cliché, but good acting goes a long way. Lohan’s acting showcases the changes Sierra undergoes throughout the film. Sierra starts out the film relying heavily on the help of others. When she is at the North Star Lodge, she doesn’t know how to make her own bed, do laundry or even make breakfast. She learns from Jake and begins helping him manage his inn.
Her character arc comes full circle when she is back at her father’s hotel. Instead of wearing an expensive sequin dress, she chooses jeans and a T-shirt. She makes her own bed, astounding the hotel workers who previously knew her. Tad also finds her in the kitchen cooking breakfast moments before she chooses to break up with him.
Lohan’s performance wasn’t all that made this movie entertaining to watch. The trope of the idiotic fiancé found in Tad is highly entertaining. The funniest thing about him is how much Sierra’s dad (Jack Wagner) makes his dislike about Tad apparent and that he never catches on. Later, his reaction to being dumped is to invite a hotel worker on an expensive vacation with him. Tad was the most comedic character throughout the film.
Something that was not a strength of the film was the romance between Jake and Sierra. The story of them falling for each other has been used in 20 other films, and the chemistry was hardly convincing between the two. Rom-coms are most defined, though, not by their unique storylines but by the actors in them. Normally, Lohan would have been a good actress to use to compel viewers to watch.
Currently, it feels like Netflix is simply using a talented actress to gain viewers’ attention. Lohan is hardly the first actress who Netflix has attempted to use to attract viewers. Vanessa Hudgens starred in Netflix’s trilogy “The Princess Switch.” The acting is never the problem with these films, as shown by who they are hiring.
Netflix is not the place to make your comeback after seven years off of the screen. In an interview with “Who What Wear,” Lohan said that she wanted to do this film to make people feel as though she hadn’t left. This is not the “Lohanaissance” that was expected of the long-awaited return. Lohan is a household name because of her iconic roles, and one can only hope that this Netflix role will provide her a chance for better ones.
Movie: “Falling for Christmas”
Starring: Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet
Director: Janeen Damian
If you liked: “Love Hard”
Rating: 2 out of 5 shamrocks
Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu.
