David and Victoria, two extremely work-oriented parents, are separated. When Christmas rolls around, their children, Will and Melissa, refuse to believe that they will not be spending the holiday as a family, so they devise a plan to help their parents fall back in love with each other. David and Victoria are forced to make amends when they find themselves spending Christmas together at the family beach house where they honeymooned so many years ago, but just how much can this fragile truce endure?
An Accidental Christmas bears an uncanny resemblance to the 1961/1998 film, the Parent Trap. The stories are fairly different, but the general idea is the same, so upon watching An Accidental Christmas, viewers should expect small moments of déjà vu. With that being said, An Accidental Christmas is unique in that the parents live in the same town and have not been separated for very long—the writers did a great job of creating an entertaining, yet realistic, story that captures an unfortunate situation that so many people face.
Film quality has drastically changed in the thirteen years since An Accidental Christmas was released, but it is still a high-quality movie. The actors cast work well together—Alison Woods, who plays Melissa, even resembles her on screen mother, played by Cynthia Gibb. The soundtrack of An Accidental Christmas is on par with the plot and seems to tie the movie together. Some of the acting is a bit over-dramatic, but even this plays into the storyline, adding comedy to many different scenes.
It should be noted that deceit is a common theme in the film—the whole plot hinges on the lies that Melissa and Will tell their parents. While deceit is not something to embrace, in this case the intentions behind the lies are good, which makes it more understandable.
As a whole, An Accidental Christmas is a great blend of comedy, romance, and of course, Christmas! Viewers searching for a feel-good Christmas movie should look no further. It’s realistic, yet far-fetched, storyline will have the audience on a rollercoaster of different feelings as they grow to love each character and become more and more hungry to know how the story will end.
An Accidental Christmas is Dove-approved for all ages.
The Dove Take:
An Accidental Christmas is a heartwarming Christmas story surrounding two children who will stop at nothing to help rekindle their parents love for one another.
