TL;DR: A Merry Little Ex-Mas is a cozy, charming Netflix Christmas comedy carried by strong performances from Alicia Silverstone, Melissa Joan Hart, and Jameela Jamil. It’s heartfelt, easy to watch, and exactly the kind of warm holiday comfort you want in December.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
I’ll watch any Christmas movie, no matter how absurd, as long as it contains twinkle lights and at least one unnecessary snowball fight. So when Netflix dropped A Merry Little Ex-Mas with Alicia Silverstone and Melissa Joan Hart, I pressed play immediately, hoping for cozy holiday escapism and expecting mild chaos. Thankfully, the movie delivers exactly the kind of warm, witty, pleasantly predictable Christmas comfort that makes December bearable, especially for those of us who treat seasonal rom-coms like emotional wallpaper.
Kate (Alicia Silverstone) and Everett (Oliver Hudson) are a middle-class couple who are trying to execute the world’s politest divorce. They’re consciously uncoupling, co-parenting, and attempting to spend Christmas together without tripping over unresolved feelings. Everett has a new girlfriend named Tess (Jameela Jamil), Kate wants her career back, and their college-age kids show up with the usual holiday baggage, including a Harry Potter-loving boyfriend who feels like he fell out of a themed gift shop.
Things get complicated when Chet (Pierson Fodé), an absurdly charming younger guy, enters the picture and sparks something in Kate that she hasn’t felt in years. It’s messy in a relatable way, sweet in a holiday-movie way, and predictable in the exact way your December brain wants.
Holiday films live or die on their cast, and this one thrives because Silverstone and Hart bring effortless ’90s-era charm that still works today. Silverstone is funny, expressive, and completely grounded as Kate, delivering one of her best comedic performances in years. Hart plays the loyal best friend with the kind of timing that makes you remember why she ruled the TGIF era.
Jameela Jamil is a standout, playing Tess with a mix of forced confidence and subtle panic that is both hilarious and sympathetic. Even the characters who should be annoying, like Timothy Innes’ overly enthusiastic Nigel, become unexpectedly likable thanks to sharp writing and genuinely thoughtful character moments.
Screenwriter Holly Hester keeps the humor light and the pacing clean while still weaving in themes about identity, aging, and emotional reinvention. Director Steve Carr resists the urge to lean into cartoonish slapstick, choosing warm, character-driven comedy instead. The result is a holiday movie that feels cozy rather than corny.
Every frame looks like a festive postcard. There are tree lots, twinkle lights, cozy living rooms, and snow that looks exactly like the Instagram version of winter. It’s classic Christmas-movie aesthetics without feeling like a parody of itself. The tone stays warm and friendly the whole way through, which is exactly what December calls for.
This isn’t a reinvention of the genre. It’s a well-executed, charming example of why holiday movies exist in the first place.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas is sweet, funny, and comfortingly predictable, with Alicia Silverstone delivering a standout performance and a cast that elevates the entire movie. It’s the holiday film equivalent of a warm drink on a cold evening.
