Stream It Or Skip It?

First aired on ABC in 2019, Same Time, Next Christmas is back and streaming on Netflix, ready to transport you to Hawaii for a second-chance rom-com. The movie stars Lea Michele and Charles Michael Davis as childhood sweethearts who first met coincidentally on the beach as little kids while their families were both vacationing in Hawaii for Christmas. The two form a quick bond and pledge to meet up at the resort each year for the holidays, until one of them suddenly cuts contact after a personal tragedy. Years later, they unexpectedly meet at adults with sparks flying all over again. Is it meant to be, or is this a classic case of “right person, wrong time?”

The Gist: Olivia Anderson (Lea Michele) is a talented employee at Ohio Valley Architecture, where she is often lauded for her skillful and innovative building designs. After earning the respect and interest of amibitous coworker Gregg Harris (Bryan Greenberg) while at their office holiday party, Olivia bids her coworkers goodbye to fly to Hawaii, where she, her parents (George Newbern and Nia Vardalos), and her brother Drew (Corey Rieger) spend Christmas every year. This longstanding tradition used to be one shared with another family, after a young Olivia happened to meet and begin playing with a boy named Jeff Williams (Charles Michael Davis) while they were on the beach, leading the California Andersons and Bostiniian Williams’ to quickly connect and become fast friends who’d meet up in Hawaii for the holidays every year.

As they grew older, Olivia and Jeff formed a special bond that blossomed into a pure-hearted first love after one of their classic games of truth or dare ended with them jumping off a cliff into the ocean, holding hands and sharing their first kiss. But their usual promise of “same time, next Christmas” is suddenly broken when Jeff and his family fail to return the next year after the sudden death of Jeff’s mom, Katie. In his shattered, confused state, Jeff fails to answer or return any of Olivia’s calls or texts, leading to 15 years of silence and growing apart, until suddenly, one Christmas season, the Williams have returned to their usual resort in Hawaii.

As the Andersons and Williams’ make up for lost time, Olivia and Jeff are drawn to each other all over again. Unfortunately, timing proves to be an issue, as a seperated Jeff opts to get back together with his wife for the sake of his four-year-old daughter, Madelyn Williams (Dannah Lane). Then one year later, Jeff is officially divorced, but now Olivia is the one in a relationship with self-proclaimed Ohio Valley Architecture King, Gregg. Despite their issues with timing and circumstance, Olivia and Jeff find it difficult to fight their long-held feelings and almost-cosmic connection that insist on pulling them back together again and again.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Same Time, Next Christmas might recall other second-chance romance holiday movies like A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love, The Christmas Cottage, and Catch a Christmas Star, as well as Hawaii-set rom-coms like Just Go With It, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and 50 First Dates.

Performance Worth Watching: I want to shout out Phil Morris for embracing the cheesiness of this genre wholeheartedly as he delivered his many sports metaphor-filled lines with a smile and twinkle in his eye. I’ve gotta say, I couldn’t help but be a little charmed.

Memorable Dialogue: This inevitable moment between Olivia and Gregg that really makes you wonder how the actors could deliver their lines with a straight face:

“I don’t mean to hurt you. And I have no doubt that one day you will be the king of Ohio Valley River real estate, I just…”

“Sounds like I need to find a new queen.”

A Holiday Tradition: There’s an annual Christmas luah and hula dance, you know, just so there’s no doubt that the characters are in Hawaii.

Does The Title Make Any Sense?: Since they first met as little kids, Olivia and Jeff promised to meet back on the beach in Hawaii at the same time every Christmas season, so yep, the title makes perfect sense.

Our Take: Same Time, Next Christmas is just okay. It’s your standard holiday rom-com fare, but the filmmakers spice things up by making the main action take place in Hawaii over a series of occasionally jarring jumps in time. I appreciate the committed acting from Lea Michele and Charles Michael Davis, as this and their solid chemistry together make it easy to root for their character to have a happy ending. But that also made the Gregg of it all even more unnecessary to the story. Rather, I believe that the push and pull of Olivia and Jeff’s “right person, wrong time” was enough to keep things interesting, and that Gregg was a hamfisted device to keep our main pair separate a little longer, because nothing else would have reasonably kept these two obvious soulmates apart.

Back to the positives: the Williams family is likable in general, and the older adult love story budding in the background between Alec and resort manager, Mariel (Christina Souza), felt natural and sweet. But overall, Same Time, Next Christmas was all just fine, from the sports-metaphor-dense and sometimes clunky script to the storyline in general. It’s not terrible, yet not that great either, easy enough to have on and find entertaining at times, but perhaps not something you’d go out of your way for. If I had to give it a grade, it’d be a solid C.

Our Call: I mean, Same Time, Next Christmas is a decent enough mindless holiday watch, and the main couple is one you want to end up together. It’s a pretty good movie to have on in the background of doing something else, but if you’re looking for something to really grab and hold your attention this holiday season, you can probably SKIP IT.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, that’s what Andy Williams promised.) The holidays are a time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and, let’s not forget, fun things to watch. Whether you’re huddled up with the whole family in your living room or cozying up under the covers with your tablet, let Decider be your guide to all things festive this holiday season.

• Hallmark’s Countdown To Christmas 2025: The network’s annual Countdown to Christmas kicked off Oct. 18, with a brand new, two-month long slate of festive movies, TV shows, and more. New movies will premiere every Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 22, while Friday and Monday nights will be reserved for new episodes of scripted and unscripted holiday series.
• Christmas Movies on Netflix (2025 Edition): ‘Tis the season to enjoy the best Christmas movies that Netflix has to offer.

Maddy Casale is a Chicago-based writer and comedian who covers everything from animated series to Hallmark movies. Follow her @MCasale on Duolingo .