One of the greatest ways to enjoy the holiday season is to watch a few heartwarming Christmas films on Netflix.
The streaming platform has an impressive amount of Christmas originals, but not every film is great.
Here we look at some of the worst-reviewed Netflix original Christmas films, according to IMDb ratings, so you don’t waste your holidays separating the good from the bad.
Best. Christmas. Ever! - 4.4/10
Best. Christmas. Ever. tops the list of worst films, only receiving an IMDb rating of 4.4 out of 10.
In the movie, singer-songwriter Brandy plays Jackie, Charlotte's (Heather Graham) old college acquaintance who consistently boasts about her wonderful life in her annual Christmas newsletter. But this year, Charlotte and her family come to check if Jackie's life is as good as she claims.
This film was put down for a number of reasons, but the leading reason was questionable acting and directing.
Christmas Wedding Planner (2017) - a wedding planner in the middle of planning her cousin’s wedding is enlisted by a private detective to take down her cousin’s fiance who is not what he seems perhaps. And at the same time as all this, it’s Christmas. pic.twitter.com/OGdElwQQRb
— Sarah & Michael Save Christmas (@save_xmas) November 8, 2024
Christmas Wedding Planner - 4.4/10
This film, which is based on Stacy Connelly's book Once Upon a Wedding, centres on a wedding planner who is taken by surprise when a private investigator shows up to question a guest at the wedding.
Unfortunately, the film did not receive many good reviews, placing itself at the top of Netflix’s terrible Christmas films along with Best. Christmas. Ever!
This film was ranked extremely low for its low-budget feel.
Holiday Rush - 5/10
Romany Malco plays a widower single father in Holiday Rush who loses his job as a radio DJ shortly after his children divulge their expensive wish lists. For the holidays, they must all learn to enjoy the simple life.
Some of the reviews say Holiday Rush was bad because of its unlikable characters, poor acting, and lack of acknowledgement of a life-changing loss.
Falling for Christmas - 5.3/10
The heiress Sierra (Lindsay Lohan) loses all recollection of her life, including her name, after she is involved in a skiing accident following her engagement to her influencer lover (George Young).
Fortunately, during the week leading up to Christmas, Jake (Chord Overstreet), the owner of a nearby inn, tends to her medical needs.
IMDb reviewers say it was a little overdone and it mainly lacked something in the script.
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby - 5.4/10
Definitely not the best, but the worst either.
Rose McIver's character Amber of Aldovia returns with a Yuletide mystery to solve. This time, the issue is who stole an old pact between Aldovia and Penglia, an Asian nation. Amber's newborn child may be permanently cursed if she doesn't solve this murder case quickly.
Leading reasons for its failure include clichés, acting and plot holes.
A Castle for Christmas - 5.6/10
Next on our list is a film that came out in 2021, with plenty of clichés and awkward moments, according to reviews.
When a well-known novelist is struggling financially due to a poorly received book, she travels to Scotland to purchase a castle, only to encounter the owner who is reluctant to sell. The film's protagonists, Brooke Shields and Cary Elwes, are classic enemies-to-lovers clichés.
El Camino Christmas - 5.7/10
Luke Grimes plays a troubled twenty-something-year-old who searches for his father, who has been missing for a long time, in El Camino Christmas. However, he ends up in a hostage scenario on Christmas Eve in an off-license.
The film was given a poor rating due to its writing, storyline, and execution of themes.
Operation Christmas Drop - 5.9/10
In Operation Christmas Drop, a congressional assistant named Erica (Kat Graham) is dispatched to an Air Force post with a holiday pet project to see whether it should stay open.
Before the base's self-described Christmas specialist, Captain Andrew Jantz (Alexander Ludwig), helps her find a little festive pleasure, she is intent on crunching numbers and cutting budgets.
The film received a low rating because it romanticised the military's presence in Guam, along with a heavy dose of the “white saviour” narrative.
Holiday in the Wild - 6.2/10
After her husband abruptly ends their relationship, Kate Conrad (Kristin Davis) embarks on her “second honeymoon” alone in Holiday in the Wild, also known as Christmas in the Wild. Kate rediscovers herself and falls in love with Rob Lowe's character, Derek Holliston, on the African safari.
The 2019 Netflix has a poor script and acting, and that it's cheesy and forgettable, according to IMDb reviews.
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol - 6.2/10
Three ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge (voiced by Luke Evans) on Christmas Eve, assisting him in realising the folly of his ways.
The animated musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol sees the voices of Olivia Colman, Jonathan Pryce, and Johnny Flynn featured in the cast of celebrities.
Although it doesn’t have a terrible rating compared to other films on here, bad reviews seem to have taken dominance.
Some critics claim that you don't develop a strong emotional bond with the other characters because there wasn't enough focus on their backstories. The original script and language, which are crucial to its essence, are lost in portions, and some of the accents were really poor.
Holidate - 6.2/10
The Holidate is one of the better films on this list. However, viewers still thought it didn't deserve a good rating.
The film has some extremely embarrassing moments, such as when Aunt Susan begins dancing with Sloane's date at a wedding. Overall, it's just enough to make you cringe at something that, if we're being very precise, isn't really a Christmas movie.
