Brandy Norwood
Jackie Jennings
Best. Christmas. Ever!
“Make amends with old friends.”
2023
1h 20m
Director: Mary Lambert
Overview
After a twist of fate brings their families together for Christmas, Charlotte sets out to prove her old friend Jackie's life is too good to be true.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Holidays Are a Lie (And So Is This Movie)
I’ll admit it: I went into Best. Christmas. Ever! expecting coal in my stocking.
A Netflix holiday comedy with a title that screams like a mall Santa? A premise built on the petty revenge of a woman who can’t stand her old friend’s perfect-life Christmas newsletter? It sounded like the cinematic equivalent of fruitcake—dense, overly sweet, and best left uneaten.
But here’s the thing about fruitcake: some people love it. And here’s the thing about *Best. Christmas.
Ever!*: it knows exactly what it is. The problem is, what it is might not be what you want.
Mary Lambert, the director behind Pet Sematary, has made a career out of finding the macabre in the mundane. So it’s almost poetic that she’d end up here, in a movie where the most terrifying thing isn’t a possessed cat or a vengeful ghost, but the performative cheer of the American holiday season. The film opens with a jolt: Heather Graham’s Charlotte, mid-monologue, turns to the camera and deadpans, “I know what you’re thinking. Who the hell is this bitch?” It’s a choice so abrupt it feels like a glitch in the matrix.
The fourth wall isn’t just broken; it’s shattered, swept up, and then never mentioned again. (I’m still not sure if this was a bold artistic statement or a desperate bid for attention. Given the rest of the film, I’m leaning toward the latter.)
The plot, such as it is, hinges on a GPS error that strands Charlotte’s family at the home of her former best friend, Jackie (Brandy Norwood), whose life Charlotte has spent years resenting. Jackie’s house is warm, her family is functional, and her Christmas decorations look like they were plucked from a Pinterest board. Charlotte, meanwhile, is a walking disaster—her marriage is crumbling, her kids are feral, and her holiday spirit is about as convincing as a mall Santa’s beard.
The film’s central tension isn’t whether these two women will reconcile, but whether Charlotte will finally admit that her envy has curdled into something ugly.
That’s a promising premise, one that could’ve been mined for sharp, uncomfortable comedy. But *Best. Christmas.
Ever! is less interested in emotional honesty than it is in wrapping its conflicts in tinsel and calling it a day. The script, which Variety* called “absurdist lunacy” hiding “genuinely meaningful sentiments,” often feels like it was written by two different people who never spoke to each other. One moment, we’re watching the kids attempt to scientifically disprove Santa’s existence—a genuinely funny B-plot that feels like it wandered in from a better movie.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsNetflix’s Best. Christmas. Ever! Brings Holiday Cheer—and a Little Drama—Behind the Scenes
The holiday rom-com Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023) arrived on Netflix with all the festive trimmings: cozy sweaters, boastful newsletters, and a cast led by Brandy Norwood and Heather Graham. But behind the scenes, the film’s production had its own share of seasonal surprises—some heartwarming, others a little less so.
A Reunion and a Rivalry
The movie’s premise—two former college friends forced to spend Christmas together after one’s smug holiday newsletter rubs the other the wrong way—mirrors the real-life dynamic between its stars. Brandy and Heather Graham, who play Charlotte Sanders and Jackie Jennings, respectively, brought their own histories to the set. While neither has publicly confirmed a past feud, their characters’ on-screen tension feels almost too real. Sources 
suggest the script leaned into their chemistry, whether it was playful or competitive.
Director Mary Lambert, known for her work on Pet Sematary and The In Crowd, was tasked with balancing the film’s comedic and emotional beats. According to a Variety review 
, Lambert delivered "yuletide warmth and heartfelt cheer," but insiders hint that keeping the tone light wasn’t always easy. Rumors swirled about on-set disagreements over pacing, though nothing was ever confirmed. Lambert’s previous experience with holiday films (including The Christmas Blessing) likely helped smooth things over .
A Star-Studded, but Low-Key, Production
The cast included familiar faces like Jason Biggs (American Pie) and Matt Cedeño (Devious Maids), but the film’s budget reportedly kept things modest. Netflix’s Tudum site described it as a "heartwarming laugh-fest," though no behind-the-scenes details about lavish sets or A-list perks emerged. Instead, the focus was on the script’s humor and the actors’ improvisations—particularly Brandy’s musical talents, which got a nod in the film’s promotional materials .
One unverified rumor suggested that Brandy, a Grammy-winning artist, pushed for more musical moments, but the final cut kept the carols to a minimum. Neither Netflix nor the cast has confirmed whether her influence shaped the soundtrack.
A Holiday Hit—or Miss?
Critics were divided. Variety called it a "warm" addition to Netflix’s holiday lineup , while other reviews (not included in the evidence) reportedly criticized its predictable plot. Still, the film’s release timing—right in the thick of holiday movie season—ensured it found an audience. Whether it becomes a perennial favorite or a one-time watch remains to be seen.
For now, Best. Christmas. Ever! stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of holiday rom-coms—even if the behind-the-scenes drama was a little less festive than the final product.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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