Stream It Or Skip It: ‘A Make or Break Holiday’ on Hallmark, a hilarious movie starring the winner of ‘Finding Mr. Christmas’

In Hallmark’s new romantic comedy A Make or Break Holiday (emphasis on comedy, this one has a lot of great jokes and comedic performances), Hunter King stars as Liv, a woman who has just moved in with her boyfriend Daniel (Evan Roderick). As Christmas approaches, the two hit a rough patch and decide to take a break, but it’s too late for their families to cancel their travel plans, so they have to secretly pretend they’re still a happy couple while hosting their guests.

The Gist: Liv (Hunter King) and Daniel (Evan Roderick) are about a year into their seemingly perfect relationship. They just bought a house together, and they’re getting ready to host both of their families for Christmas, but the stress of it all is weighing on them. Liv is a bit of a control freak, nitpicking everything that Daniel does that she deems not quite right, and pretty soon, they’ve both had enough of each other. After having a fight where they agree to take a break, they realize they probably shouldn’t host their families for the holiday anymore, but out of guilt, obligation and non-refundable airfares, neither can tell their families not to come, and that’s how they end up with a house full of people. And because they don’t want to ruin everyone’s Christmas, they try to keep it a secret.

Eventually, Daniel’s sister Kim (Brittney Wilson) figures out what’s up – she fancies herself a sleuth, having watched The Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley: The Case of Thorn Mansion a few hundred times as a kid, so she can sniff out when things seem off. Liv also confides in her brother Reid (played by Finding Mr. Christmas winner Craig Geoghan) about their troubles. Kim takes it upon herself to try and fix the situation, “Sibling Trap” them, if you will, (to the dismay of the slightly doofy Reid, who really does not want to get involved), but Liv and Daniel don’t necessarily need anyone’s help because the thing is, secretly, they’re still totally in love, they’re both just too stubborn and too bad at communicating to admit it.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? If you cross The Family Stone‘s “everybody trying to survive the holiday under one roof” vibe with The Parent Trap (Kim jokes that she’ll be playing the roles of American and British Lindsay Lohan in an attempt to get Liv and Daniel back together), you get A Make or Break Holiday.

Performance Worth Watching: If you’ve been watching the weekly reality competition Finding Mr. Christmas on Hallmark for the past couple months, you’ll be delighted to see Craig Geoghan, who plays Reid, in action here. He plays a perfect dumb jock type who seems emotionally out of his depth when Liv enlists him as a relationship sounding board, before eventually dropping some serious self-help advice. And since we’re talking about Finding Mr. Christmas, keep an eye out for the show’s host, Jonathan Bennett, who steals a scene as a frazzled restaurant employee who, at one point, yells at Liv’s dad, “Who do you think you are, Mr. Christmas?!”

Memorable Dialogue: “A break is a breakup,” Daniel’s sister Kim tells him when she learns the truth about Liv and Daniel’s situation. “Not according to Rachel on Friends,” Daniel says. “It is according to Ross on Friends,” she replies. “You’re on Ross’s side on Friends?” Daniel asks, disgusted. Has there ever been a more relatable conversation?

A Holiday Tradition: It seems like every Christmas, Daniel and Liv find themselves coincidentally under some mistletoe and they’re forced to kiss.

Does The Title Make Any Sense? While it initially seems like Liv and Evan are committed to breaking up, it turns out, these two kids can make it after all!

Our Take: A Make or Break Holiday is the second Hallmark movie of the season penned by Danielle Morrow and Vanessa Marano, and the two writers have proven that they are completely locked in on what separates an okay Hallmark movie from a really great one. (Their other film from this season was Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.) Like A Bills Love Story, A Make or Break Holiday features a sprawling ensemble, and despite the large cast, each character has a very specific and fully-fleshed out personality; you know exactly who they are from the get go, which helps create a realistic world within the movie.

In the case of A Make of Break Holiday, Liv is stubborn and controlling – this manifests in her very particular need to decorate the house just so, and she (relatably) is annoyed that when she delegates tasks to Daniel and they aren’t done to her standards. After Daniel, who proves a little too easygoing about her to-do list, makes one too many mistakes, she flips out, which sets the whole plot in motion. But once you meet Liv’s parents, who are even more particular and exacting, things start to make sense. This world-building and the dynamics of their extended families are a solid foundation for the film which is also genuinely funny and full of unexpected and hilarious pop culture references. (Daniel’s grandmother gives a particularly rousing and inspirational speech at one point about the power of family, only to reveal that she’s quoting Dom Toretto from Fast 5. I also want Morrow and Marano to know that their references to the show Wings in both of their scripts have not gone unnoticed.)

As Countdown to Christmas draws to an end with just a few films left, A Make of Break Holiday is helping this holiday season go out on top.

Our Call: STREAM IT! With a truly funny script and generally hilarious but heartfelt performances, A Make or Break Holiday is a can’t miss entry on the Countdown to Christmas.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! (At least, that’s what Andy Williams promised.) The holidays are a time to celebrate with family, friends, food, and, let’s not forget, fun things to watch. Whether you’re huddled up with the whole family in your living room or cozying up under the covers with your tablet, let Decider be your guide to all things festive this holiday season.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.