the holiday fix up movie review

The Holiday Fix Up (2021)

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The holiday fix up.

Directed by Brian Herzlinger

When Sam, the designer behind a popular home renovation show, returns to her hometown during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop as her lead contractor. The only problem — he's the guy who broke her heart and she's the one who got away. Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn's annual Christmas Eve Harborfest.

Jana Kramer Ryan McPartlin Maria Menounos Steve Vinovich Brandon Ford Green Brian Sills Lisa Lynn Dempsey Isabelle Van Vleet Shaughn Maleryn

Director Director

Brian Herzlinger

Producers Producers

Andrew Gernhard Dustin Rikert Colin Theys

Writer Writer

Jessica Koosed

Cinematography Cinematography

Pete Villani

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Margret H. Huddleston Stephanie Slack

Production Design Production Design

Jere Sallee

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Costume design costume design.

Keith Nielsen

Makeup Makeup

Hairstyling hairstyling.

Off Camera Entertainment Synthetic Cinema International Lifetime

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English Portuguese

Alternative Titles

The Christmas Fix Up, Karácsonyi felújítás, Świąteczna renowacja, Reformas no Natal, Romance v Bell Harbor, Vianoce v Bell Harbor

Romance Comedy Drama TV Movie

Releases by Date

11 dec 2021, releases by country.

• TV Lifetime

85 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Abbey ★★

someone should get murdered in one of these

Review by Rachel Wagner

The composer tried extra hard in this movie. It was cute

Review by theburkenation ★★½

"He's never had a real Christmas in his life."

Very bland and easy to digest. The perfect Christmas movie to have on in the background while you are baking or wrapping presents. The slow-motion snowball throw-down was legitimately hysterical, though.

2021 RELEASES RANKED

Review by miasgreendress ★★

still don’t really understand how they know the old guy and Rita

Review by Emily Heinen ★★½

mm mm mm goes down like a saltine cracker

Review by abby ★★ 1

i exclaimed “HOLY SHIT ITS THE GUY FROM TWINKLE ALL THE WAY!” as if twinkle all the way is a world renowned film. also the ryan seacrest cameo ????

Review by saba ♉︎ ★ 3

im ngl i dont think there was a point during this where i had any idea what was going on

Review by brifilms ★★½

I was very excited for this film, I mean come on, it’s a Maria Menounos lifetime movie, how could it be bad? Well, whenever she’s on screen it’s a perfect 5 star film, when she was just cooking or throwing snowballs or saying funny stuff. But geeeez, these 2 leads are super boring, the guy is also a complete asshole and I just didn’t care!!!!!!!

But hey, Maria Menounos is a national treasure.

Hallmark movies are truly just better than Lifetime movies.

Review by Robert ★

I do rate these holiday movies against each other and not against actual movies. But even on that scale, this one’s really lazy garbage.

Review by Dave Rubbinaccio ½

Unfortunately not enough of our Noovie Trivia queen Maria Menounos

Review by maddiest ★★

aggressively fine. mcpartlin giving big himbo vibes as usual.

Review by anushka ★★★½ 1

anything for captain awesome 🫡

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The Holiday Fix Up Reviews

No All Critics reviews for The Holiday Fix Up.

Currently available on 3 streaming services.

The Holiday Fix Up (2021)

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The Holiday Fix Up streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "The Holiday Fix Up" streaming on Hulu. It is also possible to buy "The Holiday Fix Up" on Amazon Video as download or rent it on Amazon Video online.

When Sam, the designer behind a popular home renovation show, returns to her hometown during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop as her lead contractor. The only problem — he's the guy who broke her heart and she's the one who got away. Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn's annual Christmas Eve Harborfest.

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The Holiday Fix Up

When Sam, an interior designer, returns home during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop as her contractor. The only problem - he's the guy who broke her heart, and she's the one who got away. more

When Sam, an interior designer, returns home during the holidays ... More

Starring: Jana Kramer Ryan McPartlin Steve Vinovich

Director: Brian Herzlinger

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When Sam, an interior designer, returns home during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop as her contractor. The only problem - he's the guy who broke her heart, and she's the one who got away.

Starring: Jana Kramer Ryan McPartlin Steve Vinovich Maria Menounos Brandon Ford Green

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The Holiday Fix Up (2021) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'the holiday fix up' online.

Need to watch ' The Holiday Fix Up ' in the comfort of your own home? Tracking down a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Brian Herzlinger-directed movie via subscription can be a challenge, so we here at Moviefone want to do right by you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription options - along with the availability of 'The Holiday Fix Up' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'The Holiday Fix Up' right now, here are some specifics about the Off Camera Entertainment, Synthetic Cinema International, Lifetime tv movie flick. Released December 11th, 2021, 'The Holiday Fix Up' stars Jana Kramer , Ryan McPartlin , Maria Menounos , Steve Vinovich The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 25 min, and received a user score of 61 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 17 well-known users. Interested in knowing what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "When Sam, the designer behind a popular home renovation show, returns to her hometown during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop as her lead contractor. The only problem — he's the guy who broke her heart and she's the one who got away. Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn's annual Christmas Eve Harborfest." 'The Holiday Fix Up' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Amazon Video, Hulu , Vudu, and Hoopla .

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Jana Kramer's New Film 'The Holiday Fix Up' Is All About 'Second Chances'

The Holiday Fix Up  premieres Dec. 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Lifetime

You've already got the entire Lifetime holiday movie slate DVR'ed , but if you needed extra inspiration to pour the cocoa and snuggle up with a few feel-good holiday films this weekend, PEOPLE in 10's Andrea Boehlke spoke to Jana Kramer, whose Holiday Fix Up premieres Dec. 11, about why you'll love her film — and her best tips for keeping that good energy going all year round.

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Sam gets paired with Coop as her lead contractor - the guy who broke her heart.

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About the movie.

When Sam (Jana Kramer), the designer behind a popular home renovation show, returns to her hometown during the holidays to help renovate the Bell Harbor Inn, she gets paired with Coop (Ryan McPartlin) as her lead contractor. The only problem – he’s the guy who broke her heart and she’s the one who got away. Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn’s annual Christmas Eve Harborfest. Will they be able to fix the mistakes of their past to build a future together? Maria Menounos also stars.

The Holiday Fix Up is produced by Off Camera Entertainment with Stephanie Slack, Margret H. Huddleston, Jana Kramer and Ryan McPartlin as Executive Producers. Written by Jessica Koosed Etting and directed by Brian Herzlinger.

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The Holiday Fix Up

Cast & crew.

Jana Kramer

Ryan McPartlin

Steve Vinovich

Maria Menounos

Brandon Ford Green

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The Holiday Fix Up

1 HOUR 30 MINS

A woman who is renovating an inn gets paired with a contractor who once broke her heart.

Cast & Crew

Jana Kramer Sam

Ryan McPartlin Coop

Steve Vinovich Jack

Maria Menounos Josh

Brandon Ford Green Rob

Brian Sills Josh

Keven Undergaro Nick

Liliane Klein Local Customer

Brian Herzlinger Director

Jessica Koosed Etting Screenwriter

Colin Theys Producer

Stephanie Slack Executive Producer

Margret H. Huddleston Executive Producer

Jana Kramer Executive Producer

Ryan McPartlin Executive Producer

Pietro Villani Cinematography

Pancho Burgos-Goizueta Original Music

Jere Sallee Production Design

Keith Nielsen Costume Design

Liz Lewis Casting

Angela Mickey Casting

Where to Stream

Upcoming TV Airings

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News about The Holiday Fix Up

‘The Holiday Fix Up’ Star Jana Kramer on Bringing DIY to Lifetime’s Holiday Lineup (VIDEO)

Your Complete 2021 Lineup of TV Holiday Movies

‘The Holiday Fix Up’ Trailer: Can Exes Rediscover Love While Renovating an Inn? (VIDEO)

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Where Was Lifetime’s The Holiday Fix Up Filmed? Who is in the Cast?

Directed by Brian Herzlinger, ‘The Holiday Fix Up’ is a romance drama Christmas movie that recounts a story of second chances. The film follows Sam, a designer who decides to aid in the renovation of the Bell Harbor Inn voluntarily after returning to her hometown. She has not only made a name for herself as a designer but also has her own home renovation show. When Sam starts helping with the renovation, she unexpectedly gets paired with Coop, her former lover who has once broken her heart.

As they join hands to get things done for the inn’s annual Christmas Eve Harborfest, the ex-couple begin to fall in love all over again. Sam and Coop’s romantic journey is set against beautiful backdrops that emit an ambiance of the festival season. If you are intrigued by the visuals and wish to learn more about the film’s production or cast, then we have got you covered.

The Holiday Fix Up Filming Locations

The filming of the romantic drama movie took place in Connecticut and Tennessee. The former served as the primary shooting location, and the production reportedly took place entirely in Summer 2021. Curious to learn the specific details of the filming? Allow us to be your guide.

Mystic, Connecticut

The principal photography of the Lifetime film took place in the coastal village of Mystic, located in New London County in Connecticut. Spread over an area of 3.8 miles square, the small village was historically a prominent shipbuilding seaport village. Filming in the summer months proved rough for the actors and the crew members. Actors Ryan McPartlin and Maria Menounos confessed in an interview that shooting the snowball fight scene was especially excruciating.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXSJTkOJykW/

Some places in the village were decorated with Christmas ornaments to provide a festive vibe. Interestingly, the production company, Synthetic Cinema International, has filmed several other movies in the region over the years. A few scenes of ‘The Holiday Fix Up’ were also filmed at Yetter Road Christmas Tree Farm, located at 94 Yetter Road in Mystic. Since 1974, the family-run Christmas tree farm has been dealing in trees for the Yuletide season, as well as customized wreaths, garland, handmade ornaments, tree stands, wreath hangers, among other things!

Other Locations in Connecticut

Some scenes were also shot in Norwich. Also located in New London County, the historic city is no stranger to film and television productions. ESPN’s ‘The Bronx Is Burning’ was filmed in the region at Dodd Stadium. Just a few miles away from Norwich, Ledyard also served as one of many shooting locations for the festive movie. Interestingly, the city has also featured in MTV’s self-improvement reality television show ‘MADE.’

Nashville, Tennessee

While ‘The Holiday Fix Up’ was shot entirely in Connecticut, the recording of the song “Second Chances” took place in Nashville, Tennessee. The production took place in Castle Recording Studios. Located at 1393 Old Hillsboro Road, it was built by John P. Welch between 1929 and 1932.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUz8crKpdzq/

Ever since Castle Recording Studios was turned into a studio in 1983 by Jozef Nuyens, over 500 gold and platinum artists have recorded albums in the world-class recording facility.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVOnQzTPV2G/

The Holiday Fix Up Cast

Jana Kramer headlines the Lifetime movie by essaying the role of Sam, the designer who is tasked to renovate the Bell Habor Inn. The actress is best known for ‘ A Welcome Home Christmas ‘ and ‘Christmas in Louisiana.’ Ryan McPartlin appears as Coop, Sam’s former lover and lead contractor. You may recall watching the Chicago-born actor in ‘L.A.’s Finest’ or ‘Once Upon a Main Street.’

Additionally, Steve Vinovich portrays the character of Jack. His acting credit includes ‘The Young and the Restless’ and ‘ Days of Our Lives .’ Other noteworthy cast members include Maria Menounos (Jenny), Brandon Ford Green (Rob), Brian Sills (Josh), Keven Undergaro (Nick), Lisa Lynn Dempsey (Eve), and Isabelle Van Vleet (Rachel). The film also features Stephanie Owen, Tanya Thompson, Liliane Klein, and LoDeon.

Read More: Best Romantic Movies of All Time

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A Renovation Rehabilitates an Run-Down Romance In Lifetime’s ‘The Holiday Fix Up’

Published Dec. 11 2021, 12:57 p.m. ET

Not only do Jana Kramer and Ryan McPartlin star in The Holiday Fix Up — which premieres on Lifetime tonight, Saturday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. ET — but as executive producers, they also got to “fix up” the climax of the Christmas TV movie.

“When we were filming, me and Ryan were like, ‘Something needs to happen at the end,’” Jana told People recently. “So we changed the script, we changed the location, and we were able to do that because we were also executive producers on it. So it was cool to be able to have that full-circle moment where, watching it as a team, it paid off.”

What’s ‘The Holiday Fix Up’ about?

The Holiday Fix Up follows Sam, a designer and the host of popular home renovation show, who goes home during the holidays to renovate a local inn. That’s where she meets up with Coop, the lead contractor on the project.

“The only problem — he’s the guy who broke her heart, and she’s the one who got away,” Lifetime’s synopsis teases. “Sparks fly as they work closely to get the renovations done in time for the inn’s annual Christmas Eve Harborfest. Will they be able to fix the mistakes of their past to build a future together?”

Who’s in the cast of ‘The Holiday Fix Up’?

Jana Kramer and Ryan McPartlin lead the cast of The Holiday Fix Up , playing Sam and Coop, respectively. Jana is a country singer and actress known for her role on One Tree Hill , and Ryan made a name for himself as series regular on the TV shows Chuck and L.A.’s Finest .

Ryan also cast TV host Maria Menounos as his sister in The Holiday Fix Up , as he told TV Insider earlier this month, and he teamed up with Sugarland’s Kristian Bush to write the song “Second Chances,” which Jana performs in the movie. “Turned out I wasn’t so bad at the lyrics!” he added. “It’s just my favorite thing ever.”

The cast also includes Godfather of Harlem ’s Steve Vinovich, I’m Dying Up Here ’s Brandon Ford Green, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ’s Brian Sills.

The Holiday Fix Up was written by Jessica Koosed and directed by Brian Herzlinger, the latter of whom previously helmed the TV movies A Christmas Switch , Twinkle All the Way , and A Welcome Home Christmas . Brian is also the filmmaker who chronicled his quest to go on a date with Drew Barrymore in the aptly-titled 2004 documentary My Date With Drew .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jana Kramer (@kramergirl)

Where was ‘The Holiday Fix Up’ filmed?

The Holiday Fix Up was filmed in Connecticut this summer, according to CT Insider . And Muddy Waters Café in New London, Conn., has a prominent role in the movie.

“[The director] came in, and literally within a minute, says, ‘This is the spot,’” café owner David Preka told CT Insider . “We are very pleased. … Our customers are happy. We’ve been receiving so much support — it’s been one busy week.”

Though the Connecticut scenery may look frosty in The Holiday Fox Up , don’t be fooled: The cast and crew of the TV movie battled summer heat during production. “They had to keep the fans and the blow dryers going — the race against the sweat is always the toughest part,” Ryan said.

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The Return of Santa Claus: The Movie — The Box Office Bomb Beloved By Brits

“ Santa Claus: The Movie ” (1985) is back. British company Silver Salt Restoration has painstakingly restored the film and their sparkling 4K remaster is now showing on big screens across the UK. It’s also available as a digital download and on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD, with the home viewing options likely to prove popular presents this Christmas. 

In Britain, where the film was a hit on its initial release and often appears on lists of the best-ever Christmas movies, this is unsurprising. In the US, where it was a box office bomb, has a 22% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and often appears on lists of the worst-ever Christmas movies, the news is astonishing.

“I’m frankly stunned to learn that Santa Claus: The Movie is so beloved over there [in the UK]”, says Alonso Duralde. As the author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas and co-author of I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies , Duralde is well-qualified to articulate the prevailing American opinion of the film.

He tells me it’s “shrill,” “overdone” and “obnoxious”. He featured it in Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas in his chapter on the world’s worst Christmas films and also included it on a list of “7 Christmas Films So Bad, They’re Bad” that he wrote for Rotten Tomatoes . To me, as a British millennial, “ Santa Claus: The Movie ” seems as out of place there as “ A Christmas Story ” (1983) or “ Elf ” (2003) would be. 

The two films that BBC Television has shown most often on Christmas Day (usually the day when UK TV audiences are largest) are “White Christmas” (1954) and “Santa Claus: The Movie”. In 2013, when Channel 5—another of the major British television networks—chose “The Greatest Christmas Movies Ever” for a countdown show it tends to rerun every December, “Santa Claus: The Movie” was included. And, in 2020, when BBC Radio listeners were asked to vote for the “12 Films Of Christmas”—the dozen best holiday films—Santa Claus: The Movie naturally made the list. 

Ask a cynic why “Santa Claus: The Movie” is popular in the UK and the answer you’ll most likely receive is “childhood nostalgia”. And there is truth to that. For many of us who were children in Britain in the 1980s or ’90s, the promise of the film’s title—that it delivers the definitive vision of Santa Claus onscreen—holds true. It defined our idea of Santa.

Tell me to imagine Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and what I see in my mind is pretty much David Huddleston , resplendent in his red costume, piloting his sleigh past the Statue of Liberty and shouting “Merry Christmas, pretty lady!” Tell me to imagine where Santa lives, and what I envision is more or less the charming wooden workshop where Dudley Moore , and all the other elves in the movie, craft brightly colored toys. 

But, while childhood nostalgia could explain the return of “Santa Claus: The Movie” to British theaters now, it can’t explain why the film was a hit here—and a flop in America—when it opened. There are plenty of other reasons for that.

One is that the cast features several actors that British audiences were predisposed to like. Although Dudley Moore was a star in America after “ 10 ” (1979) and “ Arthur ” (1981), he had been a star in the UK since the 1960s and, being British, was beloved by British audiences in a way he wasn’t in America. Many of the film’s supporting players were familiar figures on British TV. For example, Melvyn Hayes, who plays another of Santa’s elves, had played the breakout character in the classic BBC sitcom “It Ain’t Half Hot Mum” (1974-81), a show that made little impact in America but was cherished in the UK.

Asked why he thinks “Santa Claus: The Movie” was so disliked by American audiences, Duralde suggests something that was often pointed out by American critics in 1985: “The blatant product placement” for Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. It’s true that McDonald’s and Coca-Cola each make obvious appearances in the movie but to Brits that doesn’t seem strange. To us it seems unremarkable that, in 1980s America, a child who finds himself homeless and hungry would stare longingly through a McDonald’s window or—when given the opportunity—would thirstily guzzle a Coke. For people who did not live in the USA in the 1980s but nevertheless saw American products dominating their movie and television screens, it often seemed that all of American culture was a gigantic advertisement for Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, so to arbitrarily single out one Christmas movie to criticize for glorifying hamburgers and Coke seems odd, if not outright absurd.

According to Duralde, another reason the film failed at the US box office is that “John Lithgow’s performance seems wildly excessive to American audiences.” Lithgow plays the scheming toy mogul B.Z., who aims to commercialize Christmas so completely that Santa Claus is forced to retire. Duralde thinks that “maybe the Yuletide panto tradition makes [Lithgow’s performance] more palatable to UK viewers.” And there he and I agree. A “panto”—or pantomime—is a British holiday stage show that features numerous stock characters, one of which is the “pantomime villain”: an outrageously hammy bad guy who wants to ruin the lives of everyone around him. Lithgow’s performance fits the template perfectly.

The actor has repeatedly voiced his distaste for “Santa Claus: The Movie,” and has expressed bafflement that, when he’s in Britain, it is often all anyone wants to talk to him about. So it seems that Lithgow managed to give one of the all-time great performances as a pantomime villain without fully realizing what he was doing. 

What’s more, outside America, the character he plays doesn’t feel all that improbable. To international viewers, the idea of a US businessman so rapacious he seeks to squeeze more money out of parents by turning March 25th into “Christmas 2” seems a pretty accurate portrait of unchecked American capitalism.

The remastered version of “Santa Claus: The Movie” is available for home viewing in the US, although it won’t receive a theatrical release. In its new 4K splendor, the film finally looks as good as it always has in my memory—and, on behalf of the millions of Brits who love it, I urge American viewers to reconsider one of the sweetest of all Christmas films.

The best time to fall in love with “Santa Claus: The Movie” was when you were six years old in 1985. The second-best time is now.

Scott Jordan Harris

Scott Jordan Harris is a film critic from Great Britain. Formerly editor of The Spectator’s arts blog and The Big Picture magazine, he is now a culture blogger for The Daily Telegraph; a contributor to BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme and Front Row.

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