Lifetime
Not to be outdone by Hallmark Channel, Lifetime is jumping in on the holiday movie bandwagon again this year with its ‘It’s a Wonderful Lifetime’ series of films in which no one is abducted or murdered. A refreshing change of pace from the rest of the year. And the network is kicking things off with two of its heavy-hitters — Brandy Norwood and Vivica A. Fox. The first of the two holiday films this week stars Brandy in Christmas Everyday (a title suggested by her own 2023 song).
Following the death of her father, Fancy (Brandy Norwood) has been more determined than ever to uphold her father’s cherished Christmas traditions as her mother Evelyn (Debbi Morgan) has also begun losing her sight. But things aren’t a smooth ride as Fancy simultaneously is planning her bridezilla baby sister, Belle’s (Sy’rai Smith), wedding while competing against co-worker Germaine (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman) to take over as creative director at the fashion house they work for. Needing upgrades to her mother’s house to help her navigate better and safely with limited vision, the project has to kick into high gear when Belle and her fiance decide to get married on Christmas Eve in the house, a family tradition. But when a water pipe bursts and disrupts the fairytale wedding plans, Fancy finds herself unexpectedly drawn to the rugged, yet charming, contractor Jaylen (Robert Christopher Riley) who is tasked with making the repairs in days instead of weeks. Fancy is also finding herself coming to terms with her long-time relationship which seems to be built more on success and power than love, something made even more painfully clear as Fancy spends more time with Jaylen. Through all the chaos, she learns valuable lessons about faith, family, and the true meaning of Christmas.
As a title, Christmas Everyday doesn’t make much sense except in the context that it is a song by Brandy, but it has nothing to do with the plot of the movie. That being said, the movie is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas so there’s the connection, however tenuous it may be. It’s a fairly standard plot with the workaholic Fancy always putting others’ needs ahead of her own. She explains that after being unable to attend her prom due to a lack of money, she swore she would never let that happen to her little sisters … but she’s gotten herself into such a situation that she seems to be taken advantage of, especially by the bride-to-be who happily accepts Fancy’s offer to pay for the four-tier wedding cake she wants and design the wedding dress of her dreams … until Fancy’s co-worker Germaine comes along and offers to design one for her that will get her on the cover of some magazine. She just tossed Fancy away for viral fame. And all of this is going on while Fancy has to compete against Germaine for the artistic director of the fashion house they work for when the owner decides to retire. And she has to keep an eye on the renovations of her mother’s house. And she has to deal with her constantly absent boyfriend, assuring everyone that it’s fine because his job and the promotion he’s angling for are important. But when he gets wind of her opportunity, he only sees them as a power couple, while contractor Jaylen sees her as a person with her own needs. Plus Jaylen has also made Fancy consider following her dream of designing her own fashions, wedding dresses in particular, but that would require her to resign from her comfortable, secure position that she already has. Fancy is not one to take chances like that … unless she has a partner who would fully support her, and all of that becomes even more complicated when she gets her promotion and boyfriend Richard gets his, prompting a proposal at the worst time — at her sister’s pre-wedding party. Will she accept and live a life of comfortable security, or will she follow Jaylen’s lead and throw caution to the wind and forge her own path ahead without Richard (but possibly a contractor) in her future?
As the formula Hallmark has successfully established dictates, Fancy will choose the right path and will end up with a kiss with the right partner before the credits roll. There’s not a lot new here. But the interplay of Fancy and Jaylen does build nicely, and Jaylen’s relationship with Fancy’s mother Evelyn certainly makes Evelyn feel that he is the better match for her daughter, even at one point pushing them to attend a party together — as a date — so Fancy doesn’t have to go alone. There is a subplot about Evelyn’s failing eyesight and how this is impacting her work as an artist, mainly in woodcarving, and Jaylen even goes the extra mile to retrofit her studio so she can continue to work (even if it comes with a few injuries until she gets her bearings, which prompts Fancy to lash out at Jaylen for even suggesting that her mother could continue her carving without her eyesight). It all, of course, works out in the end which is good because midway through the viewers are probably yelling at the TV for Fancy to dump her absent boyfriend and go for Jaylen.
While this movie doesn’t set the world on fire with its originality, it is crafted with care by director Roger M. Bobb. Each scene carries the story forward, everything is staged and lit properly, the house is beautifully decorated for Christmas. Everything about Christmas Everyday‘s production is the polar opposite of The Christmas Campaign (the second of Lifetime’s holiday movies to premiere this year). Bobb also gets natural performances from the cast, most of them feeling like real people in real situations. There is one exception which we’ll get to in a minute.
Lifetime
Brandy Norwood is always a reliable performer in these movies, and her take on Fancy shows that she is a career-driven person but she isn’t consumed by climbing the ladder. She is firmly rooted in her family, she wants what’s best for her mother and sisters even if it comes at her own expense. Brandy makes Fancy a well-rounded character, someone the audience can identify with and root for. Debbi Morgan also turns in a nice performance as mom Evelyn, frustrated not only by her failing eyesight, but also by the death of her husband less than a year earlier, raging a bit at God for taking these things away from someone who has always been so devoted to Him. She shows Evelyn’s frustration at not being able to master her tools when she tries to get back to her passion, but she also gets to have some fun playing matchmaker for Fancy and Jaylen. She does have one very touching scene where, in despair and pain in her workshop she has a vision of her husband, assuring her that he is always with her and that she will be alright. Morgan just brings a lot of heartfelt emotion to that moment that will leave you with a few tears in your eyes.
Robert Christopher Riley is very good as Jaylen. He has no problem gently ribbing Fancy after she seems to ghost him at their first meeting about her mother’s home upgrades (she had a business thing come up that took longer than expected), but he just fits in well with Evelyn and Fancy, never being too forward with Fancy, but showing that his interest in her is slowly growing during his time at the house. And the fact that he’s basically on call for any emergency only makes it clear that he sees something in Fancy that perhaps she doesn’t even see herself. Even when they do have a moment and he feels it’s okay to move in for a kiss, he accepts her rejection in the moment with grace and doesn’t let it affect the working relationship they already have. He just makes Jaylen a real charmer, which is important since you have to root for him and Fancy to realize they are the best fit for each other.
Sy’rai Iman Smith and Kajuana S. Marie also turn in good performances as sisters Belle and Deena, and even though Belle is given the title of ‘bridezilla’, she’s pretty tame compared to the ones we’ve seen on reality shows. The most egregious thing she does is dump Fancy for Germaine in the middle of a fitting for her dress, but no matter what she still has Fancy’s back when the need arises. Marie’s Deena is the more practical of the three, a real straight-shooter when it comes to how she feels about her sister’s relationship and how she may be a bit over-protective of their mother and too coddling to Belle. All three of the actresses give their sisters different personalities, but they all still function as a family unit because no matter what one may think of the other, there is always love that keeps them together.
Now, about that one questionable performance — I don’t know if it was just an acting choice or something the actor and director collaborated on, or if it was something the actor was required to do, but Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman’s Germaine is just a bit too over-the-top flaming. Yes, we get that the character is gay, but this performance just reinforces every negative stereotype people have of gay men being extremely effeminate and catty. The performance gives more RuPaul’s Drag Race Werk Room than actual workplace behavior. I suppose Germaine is meant to be the comedy relief, but in this day and age aren’t we past the point of gay characters being punchlines? Maybe it’s just me, but I felt that performance was just a bit too much.
Overall, Christmas Everyday isn’t the best holiday movie ever made — and it could have been set at any time of the year — but it’s pleasant enough with a realistic romance that slowly builds over the course of the story, and most importantly highlights the bonds that hold a family together through all the highs and lows life has to deliver. The direction is skilled, the production is lovely, and the strong cast make this one worth your while.
Christmas Everyday has a run time of 1 hour 27 minutes, and is rated TV-PG.
Christmas Everyday Trailer
Lifetime
Listen to Christmas Everyday by Brandy Norwood featured in Christmas Everyday