Lindsay Lohan is back! Will you fall for her new Christmas flick? 

The queen of the 00s, Lindsay Lohan (Mean Girls) has made her triumphant return to film after a long hiatus in the much anticipated Netflix release, Falling for Christmas. Lohan hasn’t done much of anything since 2013 after a series of personal issues chased her off screen to a new life in Abu Dhabi where photographs cannot be published without the permission of the subject. Needless to say those of us who grew up on The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and her most iconic work, Mean Girls are thrilled to see her back. 

But was her debut any good? The Conservative Critic asks: Is it entertaining? Does it have artistic/intellectual value? And is it liberal propaganda? 

The Conservative Critic Meter Check: Falling for Christmas 

Overall Rating: Christmassy Good

Falling for Christmas was a festive blend of the “made for tv” Holiday format, nostalgia, Lindsay Lohan easter eggs and genuine comedy. It was simple, short and a bright shiny come back for America’s favorite ginger queen. 

The story follows a spoiled heiress who hits her head and forgets who she is. She’s taken in by the ideal rescuer: handsome single dad who owns the world’s cutest ski lodge. She learns to take care of herself and others while trying to remember her past. Loads of cuteness and holiday cheer coming to a climax on Christmas Eve as it should. 

Absolutely worth watching to kick off the Holiday season and to support our girl, Lindsay. A great come back for her and its a joy to see her looking so well. She even did physical comedy!

Is it entertaining? 

Rating: Merry

The story is extremely predictable of course because that is the whole point of Netflix Christmas originals. No one shows up for a made-for-streaming/tv Christmas story that doesn’t feature a high maintenance girl falling in love with a simple boy, giving up her high-powered life and becoming some kind of domestic featuring mistletoe and a Christmas dance. We are here for what we are here for and Falling For Christmas fits the bill. 

It was also pretty funny which was unexpected. There was all the usual schmaltz and cheese but some of the physical comedy, performed by the entire cast including Lindsay herself, was very well done and unusual for the genre. A toilet explodes in Lindsay’s face. A prissy male instagram influencer stumbles into an ice fishing lodge and becomes hooked on some lures. There’s a lot to laugh at. 

Finally, there are many cute Lindsay “easter eggs.” The most obvious one includes a musical Mean Girls reference but we also had outfits paying homage to Herbie: Fully Loaded. Plenty to keep you invested in the less-than-ninety minute family film. 

Does it have artistic/intellectual value? 

Rating: Fit the format 

There was nothing remotely groundbreaking about Falling for Christmas. The sets were fine if not pretty, the acting was fine, the story was fine. But there was nothing bad about it either. It did what it was meant to do and it did it with panache and pride. Lindsay Lohan was charming and Chord Overstreet (Glee) made a believable leading man. The chemistry between the two was a little lacking but not to the point of being painful. 

For a big Netflix marketing tool and a Christmas special, Falling for Christmas was adequate and hit a little higher than it was required to be a success.

I do deeply wish there had been a musical number in the end considering Chord Overstreet and Lindsay Lohan’s musical abilities. But we can’t have everything we wish for.

Is it liberal propaganda? 

Rating: Weirdly a little bit yes

While the movie overall has nothing to do with politics and very little agenda, there was a bit of a liberal bend in a couple of ways. 

First of all, the fancier resort that Lohan’s character’s father owns is a little vilified as the big bad wolf coming for the small businesses. In the end, Lohan’s dad (Beauregard Belmont played by Jack Wagner of Bold and the Beautiful fame) does seem to be a good guy and isn’t totally dismissed as a greedy shill so there is some redemption there. 

But in the end of the film, there is a situation where a business needs to be saved (as often occurs in these types of movies) and the Mayor and City Council decide to make that business a historic site just to save it from failing. This is government corruption at its finest and only a liberal would endorse a government regulatory solution to a capitalist problem. 

But mostly safe from messaging.