Some might say it takes a $100 million to make a Netflix hit, but apparently that really is not the case when it comes to this time of year. While Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein is still performing with a monstrous viewership at the top of the streamer’s chart, a festive movie that should have been left back in 2018 has overtaken KPop Demon Hunters to claim an appropriate number 2 spot in the form of No Sleep ‘Til Christmas.
If you haven’t heard of the film, you are not alone. No Sleep ‘Til Christmas was originally released on Freeform, the Disney offshoot cable channel, and languished there for years. Despite also being available on Disney+ in some countries, the film’s arrival on Netflix ahead of the upcoming torrent of their new hit-and-miss festive releases, has finally gained it an audience…who, unfortunately, seem to mostly hate it, to the point several even claim it has “ruined Christmas.” These people clearly didn’t see the stripper snowman guy they let out last year.
No Sleep ‘Til Christmas stars real-life couple Dave and Odette Annabel and was part of Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” project almost a decade ago. The synopsis of the movie reads a little like this:
“Two insomniac strangers plagued by exhaustion come together in the most unexpected way. Lizzie is a high-end event planner preparing for her own life’s biggest event — her wedding. She lies awake nightly while her devoted fiancé Josh rests peacefully, unaware of how to solve her issue. When a sleep-deprived incident causes her to run into Billy, a low-key bartender who is just as sleepless and frustrated as she is, they discover that they can only fall asleep while next to each other. What seems like an odd coincidence, and frankly a disruption to their lives, might be more meaningful than they’d like to admit.”
While reviews were brutal of the stars’ abilities to carry the movie (with some massively disagreeing, obviously), both actors have been in some pretty big TV shows and movies. Dave Annabel has most recently integrated himself into Taylor Sheridan’s universe of shows, having played Lee Dutton briefly in Yellowstone and Neil in Lioness. He also appeared in Netflix’s ill-fated The Waterfront, playing Wes Larsen in five episodes. Odetta, meanwhile, has an extensive list of past credits, from her debut in 1990’s Kindergarten Cop, through Coverfield and two Beverly Hills Chihuahua movies, to TV shows including Banshee, Supergirl, and Walker.
Is ‘No Sleep ‘Til Christmas’ Any Good?
Like every movie, No Sleep ‘Til Christmas has its fans, but they are greatly outnumbered by those who never want the film to darken their doorstep again. It only attracted 3 reviews from critics, and surprisingly, two of them are positive. However, one of them, from Amanda Waltz of the Pittsburgh City Paper, concedes that “the conceit of No Sleep ‘Til Christmas is a stretch. That it actually manages to sell it is nothing short of a miracle.” Audiences have a very different opinion on the subject.
Starting at the brutal end of the chain, Daniel C kicks things off saying, “The movie ruined Christmas. Horrible, honestly horrible. I cannot enjoy a movie where I hate both main characters.” Randal S added to the sub-one-star reviews, calling the story “messed up” and expressing “pure rage towards the main character” by the end of the movie. In a recurring theme across almost every review, the film’s biggest problem is attempting to get audiences to like a central character where they “don’t seem to realize they made the main character the villain.”
No Sleep ‘Til Christmas may end up ruining your festive spirit, but if you still want to see it for yourself, then the movie is available now on Netflix.
- Release Date
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December 10, 2018
- Runtime
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85 minutes
- Director
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Phil Traill
- Writers
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Phil Traill, Steve Smith
