Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
The Holiday Exchange is a romance about two gay men who switch houses to escape their lives during Christmas.
Los Angeles businessman Wilde (Taylor Frey) just broke up with his cheating boyfriend and is eager to get away and forget his troubles. He calls up a house rental app and finds a place to stay in Brilfax, England.
Oscar (Rick Cosnett) is a divorce lawyer who is eager to find love, despite his close friend, George (Joe Aaron Reid), insisting he’s better off alone. When an opportunity to rent out his house in Brilfax, England comes along, he decides to accept the offer and get away himself. He and Wilde have a video call, and Oscar says he can rent out his place, but isn’t yet sure where he’ll stay. And with that, Wilde offers up his house in LA.
The two men exchange houses. Wilde meets Oscar’s relative, Henry (Daniel Garcia), who visits unannounced because he isn’t aware that Oscar has left. The two are intrigued by each other and become smitten. Meanwhile, Oscar goes to a book signing in LA and meets the author of the self-help book he’s been reading. Although the author, Julius (Samer Salem), wants to remain single, he is intrigued by Oscar.
And with that, the romances begin.
Some Thoughts:
The Holiday Exchange has some decent acting, and the production values are what you would expect from this type of movie. Although the story is far from believable, nobody is watching this for reality. This is a mindless escape with likable characters and a happy ending, and that’s all it needs to be.
However, it does have some flaws. The story takes so long to set the plot in motion that it begins to feel tedious before it begins. Some of this is because there are two romances that need to be set up, one in LA and the other in Brilfax. The Brilfax romance is easy because the love interest is Oscar’s relative, Henry, while in LA it’s a self-help author, Julius. And since Julius isn’t actually connected to Wilde, his story takes some time to get going.
These types of movies follow a formula that places an obstacle in the way once the romance is established. The problems are usually misunderstandings or something that’s easy to overcome, but understandable. They’re also woven smoothly into the story and give it some much needed tension. This isn’t the case in The Holiday Exchange. The issues that make the couples separate feels forced and are petty. They’re things that most people would talk about briefly and forget, not break up over.
If you can overlook those two flaws, this isn’t a bad flick.
The Final Verdict:
The Holiday Exchange is a romance about gay men falling in love. While it has all the necessary romantic elements, it takes a while to get going and the characters’ problems feel contrived.