A Make or Break Holiday 2025 Movie Review
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.
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.
