‘I Hate Christmas’ follows Gianna as she aims to find love before Christmas to avoid her mother’s questions about her romantic life and for her own sake. The rom-com is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Gianna, a compassionate nurse, is nervous that Christmas is on its way. She is single this year as well, and her mother will continue to ask her about her love life. All her siblings have settled down with their families except for her.
In order to please her mother, she claims that she has a date this year. She lies her way out, but now she is on a mission to find love in the next 24 days before Christmas arrives.
Gianna’s sister, Margherita, and her friends, Caterina and Didi, aid her in this quest. Gianna ventures into different hobbies with the goal of socializing.
She comes across some men who don’t get along with her at all and some men who are close to perfect but push her limits. The clock is ticking, and she needs to find the one who checks all the boxes.
Performances
Pilar Fogliati as Gianna certainly grabs the limelight, as she should. Fogliati does a good job of portraying Gianna’s desperate and fun side, but when it comes to giving the character an emotional touch, she struggles.
For example, Gianna’s relationship with her father and a scene where she explains what she wants from a man hardly leave any impact on the audience.
Beatrice Arnera as Didi/Titti and Fiorenza Pieri as Margherita play two strong characters who are Gianna’s support system. They are quite convincing, and the chemistry is apparent.
The same can’t be said about Cecilia Bertozzi, who plays Caterina. Though she is part of the same circle, her screen time is limited.
Positives
It’s commendable to see that ‘I Hate Christmas’ doesn’t rely on the same formula most Christmas romcoms usually depend on. The series progresses in a different way, and Gianna’s better half is not right around the corner.
The series keeps things interesting, with the lead character being choosy in her quest. Though most of the men Gianna meets aren’t going to end up with her, they get enough time to portray their quirks.
Negatives
The viewers will find it hard to like Gianna, especially with the way she is with men most of the time. She is quite quick to dismiss their choices.
The series is filled with subplots, and these stories don’t get a good push until the finale.
Intriguing characters like Umberto and Diego should’ve received fleshed-out stories. They make brief appearances but leave an impression on viewers.
The rest of the minor characters fail to add anything important to the story. They do guide Gianna, but the main plot works even without them.
The show spends six episodes chronicling Gianna’s journey of finding love, only to not reveal who it is in the end, which is a bit frustrating.
Verdict
‘I Hate Christmas’ is comparatively a better Christmas rom-com than most of the shows and movies in this genre.
If the viewers have no problem accepting the way Gianna is and the ending that is reluctant to answer the big question the show has, then they are in for a nice, laid-back watch.
I Hate Christmas
Director: CRIC
Date Created: 2022-12-07 13:30
3
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