We Met in December
Writer: Nina Weinman
Director: Jonathan Wright
Cast: Autumn Reeser, Niall Matter, Kyana Teresa, Lara Amersey, David Pinard, Nora Sheehan, Tara Yelland, Nola Augustson
Autumn Reeser (the Wedding Veil franchise) plays Annie, a fashion-adjacent lawyer who spends one romantic night stranded in a ritzy hotel with financial advisor named Dave. Niall Matter (This Time Each Year) plays Dave, the equally stranded professional who totally falls head over heels for Annie during said whirlwind date night. These two are perfect for each other — that is, if only they can find each other again.
Y'see, even though these two had the time of their lives, they totally forgot to exchange contact info. Why should they? Fate placed them next to each other on the outgoing plane to Chicago, where they both live. They have all the time in the world to see where this connection goes! As long as they both make the plane on time ... You know where this is going!
Dave misses the flight, meaning that these star-crossed travelers only have their first names to go by as they hunt for each other in the third biggest city in America. But wait — they also know each other's holiday traditions. They can totally find each other by Christmas by finding each other by Christmas. Why Find You by Christmas isn't the title of this movie, we will never know!
Home for the Holidays: We Met in December is set in Chicago, but was filmed in Ottawa. That includes the city's famed Fairmont Château Laurier, which serves as Annie and Dave's pitstop on their way back home — and wow, wow, does this movie make use of this exquisite hotel. Every scene set in the Fairmont is gorgeous, bathed in golden light, radiating the kind of warmth that will turn your TV screen into a fireplace.
'Twas the Night Before This Movie: It's not explicitly stated in the movie, but when Annie and Dave remark on the ridiculous number of canceled flights they've endured on their odyssey leading up to this movie, you can't help but think about ... y'know ... real world events. Maybe it's a nice reminder that people are still out there having meet cutes, even if those meet cutes are the result of the evisceration of our government?
They Brought Presence: A tip of the Santa hat to Kyana Teresa (When Hope Calls), who has the archetypal thankless role of Female Lead's Bestie. Still, Teresa's on-screen rapport with Reeser makes the role feel essential.
Ho Ho Ho: We Met in December delivers in a lot of ways, but jokes ain't one of 'em. This one feels like the kind of movie we used to get on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (RIP), a little cozier, a little more dramatic, fewer antics, etc. Still, I did laugh when Annie's boss chided her for not enjoying "the seafood tower" at the holiday party.
Exactly As Advertised: Again, this movie should have been titled Find You By Christmas. And think of the potential franchise! We know from the ludicrously named Time for _____ To Come Home for Christmas series Hallmark loves pronoun-based franchises.
Well, this one's darn near perfect. I know a Hallmark holiday romance is working if it makes me feel like I'm watching Christmas in Connecticut or The Shop Around the Corner, and this one had heavy Corner vibes. It's the typical Hallmark romance, complete with a "they both reach for the door" meet cute. But the nonlinear storytelling, starting with the end of Annie and Dave's date and then filling in the romantic night via flashbacks, makes the typical feel magical.
And I have to give it up to the cinematography, set dresser, wardrobe team — everyone brought their A game to this one. The look of the Fairmont is perfect, particularly that opening scene. These two, dressed up, in an empty hotel, drifting towards the elevators to say goodbye — there's a level of mystery here that you don't usually get in Hallmark movies. It pulls you in.
Add in Annie and Dave's storylines: she's a lawyer who gave up on fashion, and he's a perfectionist trying to maintain order while coping with the first Christmas without his dad. Sure, it's well-trod territory for Hallmark, but Reeser and Matter bring so much heart to the script that it makes these characters feel vulnerable. The line "Maybe I don't want to be the person who never tried anymore" is really, really good.
The central hook of the movie, though, the way these two plan on finding each other by Christmas, it centers the holiday season and the traditions that people hold dear in such a way that it's impossible to imagine this movie happening at any other time of year.
Also, since hunk appeal is a big part of the holiday season, Niall Matter is incredibly handsome and his totally affable sweetheart energy makes me a sucker for all of his movies. Hey, every Hallmark movie reviewer has a hunk they root for! I'm sure of it. I bet. I don't actually know if that's true. It probably is.
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