Film

Holidate

Name: Holidate
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2020
Cast: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Kristin Chenoweth, Frances Fisher, Andrew Bachelor

Romantic comedy
Light-hearted

A romantic comedy about two perpetually single people who agree to be each other's holiday dates for a year. It's a breezy, charming Netflix watch—the kind that asks you to suspend disbelief about how quickly feelings develop, but does so with enough warmth and humor that you'll probably let it. For anyone who enjoys easy-going rom-coms with low stakes and high heart.

TMDb rating

3.5

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy light rom-coms built on banter and a pair of friends slowly admitting what they feel, the kind that wins you over with easy chemistry more than big gestures.

Skip it if you want a sharp, surprising romance; this one leans on familiar beats and sugary sentiment, so the predictability may grate after a while.

What it asks of you: It runs about an hour and forty minutes and moves briskly, asking little more than a relaxed evening and a willingness to let the cheerful, undemanding tone carry it.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

When Harry Met Sally...1989

The template for every "friends to lovers" story. Sharp dialogue, genuine chemistry, and a real debate about whether men and women can actually be platonic friends. If you loved Holidate's central premise, this is where it started.

But It's from 1989, so the pacing is slower and the relationship arc unfolds over real time rather than montages. The romance builds gradually rather than sparking quickly.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.2011

Witty, ensemble-driven rom-com with real warmth beneath the humor. Multiple love stories, excellent supporting cast, and it earns its emotional beats. The script crackles with clever dialogue.

But It's darker and more conflicted about relationships than Holidate—there's actual marital pain at its center, which can feel heavier than you might want.

Set It Up2018

Two assistants fake-date their bosses into falling for each other, then catch feelings themselves. Genuinely funny, well-paced, and has that same "great chemistry masking mutual obliviousness" energy Holidate nails.

But The plot hinges on workplace manipulation and deception. If you find the premise ethically annoying, it won't win you over.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Holidate

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Love, Victor2020

Both are 2020 Netflix releases with infectious optimism about love and belonging. Holidate uses the rom-com formula to explore why people fear connection; Love, Victor uses the coming-of-age story to say the same thing. Same spirit, different closet.

A 10-episode series about a closeted gay teenager finding his way. It has the same earnest, giddy energy as Holidate—the warmth, the humor, the unironic belief in love—but actually earns its emotions because the stakes are real. Funny without punching down.

But It's a teen series with teen problems, which can feel slight if you want adult complexity. Some of the early episodes move slowly.

The Proposal2009

Boss and employee forced into a fake engagement to avoid immigration. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have such natural, bantering chemistry that you stop questioning the premise entirely. Genuinely delightful.

But It's thin on originality. The whole movie is just charisma carrying a formula you've seen before.

You've Got Mail1998

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan unknowingly fall in love online while being rivals in real life. The dialogue is brilliant, New York is a character, and it captures something specific about loneliness and connection that still works.

But The pacing is leisurely and the email sequences might feel dated. If you need constant movement, you'll get restless.

Notting Hill1999

A bookshop owner falls for a famous actress and has to navigate the terror of such enormous imbalance. It's sweet, funny, and actually thoughtful about celebrity and ordinary life. Hugh Grant at his self-deprecating best.

But Very '90s in sensibility. If you find that era's romanticism saccharine, this will feel overwrought.

About a Boy2002

A cynical, commitment-phobic man and a lonely boy gradually teach each other to feel. It has Holidate's warmth but with real depth—both characters change in ways that matter. Funny, touching, smartly written.

But The core relationship is between a man and a child, which some readers find uncomfortable depending on where their head is.

Legally Blonde2001

Elle Woods is underestimated and underestimating herself until she finds her power. The romance is secondary; the real story is her self-discovery. It's funnier and smarter about female ambition than it has any right to be.

But The pink aesthetic and cheerfulness can feel cloying if you're in a cynical mood. Also, the feminism is somewhat surface-level.

Schitt's Creek2015

Holidate ends with its characters building a life together outside the romantic-comedy machinery. Schitt's Creek is the long game version of that: watching people stop performing and actually choose each other. Both suggest that love is less about the spark and more about showing up.

Six seasons about a wealthy family who lose everything and have to build lives in a small town. The humor is sophisticated, the character arcs are genuinely surprising, and it becomes increasingly moving without ever losing its joy. The romance that blooms at its center is earned, not forced.

But It takes time to find its footing—the first season is rougher than the rest. And the show's vision of small-town acceptance, while beautiful, can feel utopian compared to reality.