Timely for the season, writer/director Alexandra Swarens’s The Holiday Club is a romance that is sort of a comedy. Its structure jumps through the major holidays over a year from Valentine’s to Valentine’s. The narrative tries to bake up something for all of those who love, loathe, or laugh at “regulated” celebrations who are bound to find at least a couple of scenes that match their views; either pro or con festivities. Leading the way is Mak Shealy as the slightly bored computer programmer Sam (she does her best at instantly—if forbidden, due to a current love, Kayla, played gamely by Catherine Baget—falling head-over-cupcake for baker-extraordinaire, Bailey—Swarens doing double duty starring in the script that she also wrote.
Likewise, Bailey is also saddled with current beau, Marky (easily filling the wayward recipe ingredients is Maddie Small), who outwardly professes her love while secretly, er almost, sneaking a smooch in the stalls (“I was drunk, it was just a kiss.”).
And so, the holidays fill the plotline’s menu:
On St. Paddy’s Day, it’s an awkward date in a Chinese restaurant, curiously featuring scrumptious, freshly baked buns on the side.
For Easter there’s a round of, literally, cheesy treats—one of which goes horribly south as the salt was mistaken for sugar! (How hilarious that I experienced the exact same problem this past Christmas, as the turkey brine was used for the foundation of the gravy—talk about life imitates art!!) But none of that matters compared with a social app revelation and a “just curious” kiss confession.
“… A Rom-sort-of-Com that follows the major holidays over a year …”
A trip to the movies (When Harry Met Sally, perhaps not the best choice for a burgeoning romance) is soon followed by an, apparently, helpful double date allowing both of the principals to move on from shattered/teetering relationships. What could go wrong?
Halloween is a hoot, notably featuring a pumpkin seed fight (you can’t make this up) that ends in some long poignant kisses between the “just friends” women which merely begs the question, “What took them so long?” (Well, there are a few more holidays to go…)
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s offer an imaginative mix of jealousy, “Let’s take a break” and an extra lonely turning of the calendar. But there’s also a madcap “Toss the plastic rings on the reindeer antlers” (hilariously done up by Bailey’s dad—Jim Azelvandre happily making the most of his brief screen time and mom—Lisa Coffey offers a fine mix of sympathy and fun) scene that, finally, brings real com into the rom. Serving as male foils/confessors are Sam’s workmate (an appropriately fatherly Joseph Moreland) and Bailey’s go-to girl, Deon (Alan Tyson deftly adds another element of spice to the mix).
Valentine’s II promises to bring the buns, cupcakes, and tarts to a satisfyingly delicious end, and the holidays come full circle, leaving it to all viewers—and the adventurous couple—to decide if their appetites have been fully satisfied.
With an original score from Matthew Donner and a cornucopia of songs intermixed into the comings, goings, despairing, and joy, The Holiday Club keeps the ear as engaged as the first-rate cinematography by Sydney Lawson does the eye.
Do order some takeout from a nearby bakery and see who turns up to your door bearing baked goods!
