While a farfetched holiday film, I think there are those who may enjoy it. But I have to admit, “A Christmas Kiss II” is one of the few holiday films that didn’t resonate well with me for this Holiday Film Marathon 2023. I didn’t care much for it at all.
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TITLE: A Christmas Kiss II
FILM YEAR: 2014
DURATION: 83 Minutes
CHANNEL: MarVista Entertainment
Directed by Kevin Connor
Written by Joany Kane
Executive Producers: Michael Moran, Fernando Szew
Music: Roger Bellon
Cinematography: Theo Angell
Edited by Sharyn L. Ross
Casting by Dean E. Fronk, Donald Paul Pemrick
Production Design by Steve Ochoa, Diana Wright
Costume Design by Shi Tang
Starring:
Elisabeth Harnois as Kenna Kingston
Adam Mayfield as Cooper Montgomery
Jonathan Bennett as Sebastian
Lola Glaudini as Mia
Ray Laska as Mr. Kingston
Celesta Hodge as Brittany
Steven Schub as Helmut
For day 14 of the holiday marathon, I am watching the 2014 holiday film “A Christmas Kiss II”, no relation to the first film but the fact they are both from MarVista Entertainment (the holiday telefilm aired on Ion TV) and the film features a short appearance of actress Elisabeth Rohm, reprising her role as Miss Hall (from the first film).
This holiday film revolves around a fashion assistant named Kenna Kingston (portrayed by Elisabeth Harnois), who hopes to become a fashion designer and get her boss to see her work. Meanwhile, since it’s the holiday time, she is looking forward to having time with her father, but he is busy with his own family, wife and kids.
While Kenna is preparing for the company Christmas party, her boss Mia Montgomery (portrayed by Lola Glaudini) has a surprise when her playboy sibling, Cooper Montgomery (portrayed by Adam Mayfield), comes to visit.
As both Kenna and Cooper get on the elevator, the elevator suddenly stops.
And with a mistletoe inside the elevator, Cooper kisses Kenna and then suddenly the two start making out immediately inside the elevator.
As Cooper returns to his girlfriend Brittany (portrayed by Celesta Hodge), he can’t help but stop thinking about Kenna.
While Kenna can’t help but think about kissing Cooper, but also upset because she saw him return back to his girlfriend, who called Kenna a bimbo.
The following day, Mia talks about how she can’t handle her brother being in town because he messes around with women and has no work ethic and there is not much she can do because both of them are equal partners of the fashion company. Kenna tells her boss that she should just tell him to his face and Mia agrees and tells Kenna to go fetch her brother to bring him back to the office.
But what Kenna doesn’t know is that her boss’s brother, is the guy she made out with inside the elevator.
With that being said, I have quite a few thought about this holiday film. One is about workplace sexual harassment and possibly one of the worst leading men character role I have seen on a holiday telefilm. Cooper is absolutely a d-bag. Power harassment, sexual harassment but the film tries to paint Cooper as a guy who changes and falls in love with Kenna. But going against the trend of Holiday Telefilms, as Kenna’s neighbor, Sebastian (portrayed by Jonathan Bennett), is a guy who listens to Kenna’s problems, always there for her emotionally (and brings her food), you expect Kenna and Sebastian to grow close to each other as he is the better friend.
But fans shouldn’t feel so badly about Jonathan Bennett not being the leading man in this holiday telefilm, as this film literally kicked off his holiday telefilm career and has appeared in many holiday telefilms since then.
Usually the good guys get the girl in holiday telefilms. In the case of “A Christmas Kid II”, the bad boy gets the girl. While the good guy, is just pushed to the side of the film.
I do think this film touched a nerve with viewers, primarily as the male character is not the coolest character in the film. He starts off like a d-bag and pretty much keeps it up for almost the entire film but of course, the film tries to show redemption that he could changing to a loving partner of Kenna.
While a farfetched holiday film, I think there are those who may enjoy it. But I have to admit, “A Christmas Kiss II” is one of the few holiday films that didn’t resonate well with me for this Holiday Film Marathon 2023. I didn’t care much for it at all.
