Review: Meet Me Next Christmas is a cozy holiday rom-com that embraces the genre’s classic tropes while adding a splash of musical charm. As part of the holiday season lineup on streaming platforms, it has the feel of a traditional Christmas rom-com but with a few twists that make it a light, enjoyable watch. Christina Milian stars as Layla, a driven woman whose holiday tradition of attending a Pentatonix Christmas show takes on new meaning when her recent breakup leaves her yearning for a Christmas miracle to find her true love.

The film follows Layla’s frantic quest through New York City as she attempts to secure last-minute tickets to the sold-out concert, hoping to meet her “soulmate.” With the help of a spirited concierge, Layla navigates an array of comedic challenges, all designed to test her resolve and holiday spirit. The narrative is built around standard rom-com archetypes, with exaggerated characters and outlandish plot points that bend to create a magical love story.

Milian’s portrayal of Layla is spirited, bringing warmth to the character as she juggles career, heartbreak, and romance. Although her character is well within the holiday-movie mold—a successful professional who finds herself on a romantic adventure—Milian’s performance injects an energy that makes her easy to root for. Layla’s journey also features humorous mishaps, spontaneous dance numbers, and near-misses that are easy to see coming, making the movie feel delightfully predictable.

One of the film’s unique touches is the inclusion of Pentatonix, the popular a cappella group known for their holiday music. They make a few cameo appearances, adding comedic moments and playing up their celebrity status, which adds a playful element to the storyline. Unfortunately, their role is minimal, and the movie doesn’t fully utilize their musical talents or potential impact on the plot. Had Pentatonix been more integrated into Layla’s story, their presence might have felt more meaningful.

Despite these missed opportunities, Meet Me Next Christmas is a charming addition to the holiday lineup. Its familiar formula, mixed with lighthearted musical elements, delivers the warm, feel-good experience that fans of Christmas rom-coms expect. It may not break new ground, but it’s an easy, heartwarming watch for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit—perfect for a cozy evening with hot cocoa and holiday lights.

Red One—Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Chris Evans’ action movie about rescuing a missing Santa Claus to save Christmas—is being bombarded with negative reviews.

Directed by Jumanji helmer Jake Kasdan, Red One opens in theaters on Friday, November 15. The Red One review embargo lifted Wednesday, however, and movie critics aren’t too impressed by the film in early reviews.

The official logline for Red One reads, “After Santa Claus—Code Name: RED ONE—is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security (Johnson) must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter (Evans) in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.”

ForbesTom Hanks Rips Movie Critics With Disparaging C-WordBy Tim Lammers

Red One also stars J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus, Bonnie Hunt as Mrs. Claus and Kristofer Hivju as Krampus. The cast of Red One also includes Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka and Mary Elizabeth Ellis.

As of Wednesday, Rotten Tomatoes critics have collectively given Red One a 35% “rotten” rating based on 20 reviews.

The rating, of course, could change for the better or worse once more critics see the film and post their reviews before the film opens on November 15.

What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Red One’?

Owen Gleiberman of Variety is among the top Rotten Tomatoes critics who panned Red One, writing “Red One could almost be the movie version of Vampire Assassin 4. It’s that busy and bumptious, that overstuffed with cheesy digital effects, that generically derivative a piece of violent kitsch.”

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter also gave Red One a “rotten” review, writing, This is a high-concept, CG-saturated bore that lacks heart and infectious humor, even if it huffs and puffs its way to a little poignancy in the end.”

ForbesNew Aubrey Plaza Movie Comedy Debuts On Streaming This WeekBy Tim Lammers

Additionally, New York Magazine/Vulture’s Alison Wilmore’s “rotten” review of the film notes, “If Red One were a disaster, it’d be more interesting. Instead, it’s a technically passable action-comedy transparently stitched together from parts scavenged from other movies.”

Despite the smattering of negative reviews, Red One did manage to impress some of RT’s top critics, if only slightly.

ForbesClint Eastwood’s ‘Juror #2’ Gets Max Streaming Release WindowBy Tim Lammers

As such, William Bibbiani of The Wrap writes, “It all averages out to slightly above average. For a film like Red One that’s about as good as anyone could hope for.”

Screen International’s Tim Grierson also gave Red One a “fresh” review with some caveats, writing, The mixture of laughs, sentiment and action should satisfy undemanding families, and the story’s world-building offers enough novelty to what can otherwise be a predictable package.”

Rated PG-13, Red One opens in theaters nationwide on November 15.

ForbesMichael Caine Recalls How A Young Tom Cruise Sought His AdviceBy Tim Lammers

Tom Hanks launched into a playful tirade on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast in which he took listeners through the long and winding road that is a movie’s reception. At one point, the two-time Oscar winner humorously referred to movie critics as “cocksuckers” as it’s ultimately time that is the decider of a movie’s value and not the reviewers. Case in point: Hanks’ 1996 directorial effort “That Thing You Do!,” which was dismissed by critics upon release before time turned into a beloved cult classic.

“All of this stuff lives. Now what has happened is that time has become one of the metrics for how these things matter, right?” Hanks said about a movie’s reputation. “Back in the day it was just a fistfight. It was every movie you had coming out, are you going to make the playoffs or not? Guess what? No, kid, you ain’t going nowhere. Or, you got a shot.”

“It used to be you had these Rubicons that you crossed,” the actor explained. “First of all, do you love it or not? That’s the first thing. I read this [script] and I love it. The next Rubicon you cross is when the movie is completely done a year and a half later and you see it for the first time, and you might like it. It doesn’t matter if it works or not. You look at it and say, ‘Hey, I think we acquitted ourselves pretty good.’ That’s Rubicon No. 2.”

“Then the critics weigh in, that’s Rubicon No. 3, and that’s always up or down: ‘We hate it, we like it. This is the worst thing. … Oh hey, Tom, I saw you in a movie. It was cute.’ That’s when you ask the wife, ‘Hey, honey, could you take the revolver out of the glove box and hide it somewhere, because I think…”

After the critics comes the box office, and “then a ton of time goes by when none of that stuff matters anymore,” Hanks said. Time ultimately trumps whatever critics had to say about the film.

“The movie just exists exactly as it is outside of loser or winner status or thumbs up, thumbs down,” Hanks continued. “And that’s when this stuff comes around, where it’s like that this thing that didn’t work back then kind of does work now, or just the opposite, a thing that was huge back then is a museum piece and doesn’t really speak to anything.”

O’Brien then brought up “That Thing You Do!,” to which Hanks responded: “Let me tell you something about these cocksuckers who write about movies. Can I say that?”

Hanks remembered a critic who originally dissed “That Thing You Do!” by writing: “Tom Hanks has to stop hanging around with veterans of TV, because this is just like the shot on TV and it’s not much of anything.” As the decades passed and the film became a cult classic, the same critic weighed in and loved the movie. “They said, ‘All you need is 20 years between now and then, and it ends up speaking some words,’” the actor remembered.

“But that’s the thing we all signed up for,” Hanks concluded. “That’s the carnival, that’s the contest. I got faith in that. That’s okay.”

Hanks has been making the press rounds in support of his new movie “Here,” which reunites him with “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis and co-star Robin Wright. Listen to Hanks’ full interview on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast here.