I really LOVED this movie! Kelly Rowland is adorable and she did an excellent job acting. I also loved her music in the movie. The other actors - Kelly's family members - were awesome, too, and they contributed to a lot of hilarity and hijinks when they descended upon Kelly's beautiful new house! LOL Such a sweet movie, well written, with relatable characters. I'm so glad there is a sequel!
25 Reviews
Liddle charmer
TheLittleSongbird13 April 2021
Despite it not being one of the most inspired of titles, the premise did sound quite charming. Also saw 'Merry Liddle Christmas' for three other reasons. One was my love of Christmas. Two was that it was part of my Lifetime (and Hallmark) Christmas film completest quest. Also, Kelly Rowland has always struck me as a likeable performer and knows her stuff when it comes to singing, mentoring and performing when she was judging on talent shows.
'Merry Liddle Christmas' is not a great film and it is easy to see why there are and will be those that didn't care for it, but it is charming and inoffensive enough. It is not one of the best 2019 Lifetime Christmas films. Nor is it one of the worst. More a solid middling effort. Was unsure about 'Merry Liddle Christmas' to begin with, have felt this with quite a number of Lifetime's Christmas films, but sticking with it it did get a good deal better and not something to dismiss of the bat.
It's not flawless by any stretch. It did to me start off a little on the slow side and some of the dialogue seemed too cheesy and stilted to begin with.
Thomas Cadrot was rather stiff and just delivers his lines fuctionally but with not enough feeling. Would have liked more spark between him and Kelly Rowland, which was too often lukewarm until having some glow towards the too neat end.
Rowland however is a sheer delight and radiates in charm and sass, never looking ill at ease. She has a supporting cast that give enthusiastic performances, especially Debbi Morgan. The chemistry generally was fun and charming, not disconnected. The direction is fully competent once the story finds its footing. Visually, it looks good in particularly the scenery which is nicely complemented by the photography. The music is pleasant and not intrusive, not always the case with Lifetime (even more Hallmark) films. "We Need a Little Christmas" is a lovely song and is inspiring.
Furthermore, the script is far from perfect, but is sweet and raised a number of smiles while not being too heavy on the sentiment. The story isn't perfect to begin with, but is mostly very charming and warm-hearted with an authentic atmosphere. While the characters are familiar in type, my way of trying and failing to avoid the word cliched, they to me had personality and ones that didn't come over as stale or annoying.
Overall, pleasant if not exceptional. 6/10.
'Merry Liddle Christmas' is not a great film and it is easy to see why there are and will be those that didn't care for it, but it is charming and inoffensive enough. It is not one of the best 2019 Lifetime Christmas films. Nor is it one of the worst. More a solid middling effort. Was unsure about 'Merry Liddle Christmas' to begin with, have felt this with quite a number of Lifetime's Christmas films, but sticking with it it did get a good deal better and not something to dismiss of the bat.
It's not flawless by any stretch. It did to me start off a little on the slow side and some of the dialogue seemed too cheesy and stilted to begin with.
Thomas Cadrot was rather stiff and just delivers his lines fuctionally but with not enough feeling. Would have liked more spark between him and Kelly Rowland, which was too often lukewarm until having some glow towards the too neat end.
Rowland however is a sheer delight and radiates in charm and sass, never looking ill at ease. She has a supporting cast that give enthusiastic performances, especially Debbi Morgan. The chemistry generally was fun and charming, not disconnected. The direction is fully competent once the story finds its footing. Visually, it looks good in particularly the scenery which is nicely complemented by the photography. The music is pleasant and not intrusive, not always the case with Lifetime (even more Hallmark) films. "We Need a Little Christmas" is a lovely song and is inspiring.
Furthermore, the script is far from perfect, but is sweet and raised a number of smiles while not being too heavy on the sentiment. The story isn't perfect to begin with, but is mostly very charming and warm-hearted with an authentic atmosphere. While the characters are familiar in type, my way of trying and failing to avoid the word cliched, they to me had personality and ones that didn't come over as stale or annoying.
Overall, pleasant if not exceptional. 6/10.
Cute Christmas movie about family chaos!
MovieQween-336221 December 2019
This was a cute movie about how crazy our families can all be, especially around Christmas but we love them anyway! Kelly Rowland was adorable and I loved her clothes/style! My only wish was there was a little more emotion in the story. Overall though, it was a good one from lifetime!
family
Kirpianuscus4 December 2021
The first temptation is to be very critic about this film. And you are not wrong. It is superficial, chaotic, unrealistic, a salad with too many ingredients salt or pepper, not just well acted. But... . It is a film about family. Not exceptional, maybe not the most realistic but honest. A dog and kids, sisters, grandparents , boyfriend, a TV producer in the worst moment. A sort of romance not very convincing. And Kelly Rowland - not ignoring the contribution of Debbie Morgan - as axis of this very fragile construction. But, in the end, pretty acceptable.
In my case, the motif to be very, very indulgent with this film is the angel of the top of Christmas tree and its story, as resumee of family spirit.
So, a not pretentious but far to be bad, amusing and inspired in few scenes film.
In my case, the motif to be very, very indulgent with this film is the angel of the top of Christmas tree and its story, as resumee of family spirit.
So, a not pretentious but far to be bad, amusing and inspired in few scenes film.
Black love
lashe1724 December 2021
It's 2021 put a lead black character male who loves black women this guy had zero chemistry with the beautiful Kelly Roland it was a disservice to the movie lifetime stop bringing this fake image to the we have google now and want to see couples that would like one another in real life! We care we truly do!
It could've been so much better
RebeccaKeys842 December 2019
This movie could've been so much better without the misbehaved kids and untrained dog. Its so ridiculous to think that a single person, much less an entire family, would be okay with how the kids (who are too old to not know any better) behaved. Without them and the dog running around all over, this could have been decent.
Black love
lashe1724 December 2021
Annoying
buttabiscuit26 December 2019
This movie could have been good without the typical corny family drama caused by bad kids and a dog and family members who had no respect for someone else's household. It's also hard to appreciate a movie where the characters have an unrealistic "no big deal" type of reaction to the chaos around them.
So annoying
nmartin-755752 December 2019
An easy afternoon watch
BevMorre4 December 2019
Meh, it gave me exactly what I expected: an easy, uncomplicated, made-for-television holiday movie. If you're tuning in for the romance, skip it - Kelly's love interest is a dud. He's a body delivering lines, not an actor that makes you believe he's actually romantically intrigued. Kelly did great. Overall, it's a Lifetime movie - it gave me what I knew it would & I had no other expectations outside of that. The rating reflects this thought.
Disposable Christmas goodness.
doctorsmoothlove4 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
"Merry Liddle Christmas" is a cutely named 2019 Lifetime Christmas marathon movie. See, the gimmick of this one is that the family's last name is "Liddle." It's very cute and totally disposable just like the movie. After nearly 40 Christmas films this year, it's surprising that no one has just made a standard family comedy movie until now.
Kelly Rowland stars as Jacquie, an executive who has to film her new home at Christmas in order to get a promotion at her company. I can't recall why, but it is only mentioned as a plot buildup. Jacquie designs her home in a modern style with brilliant whites and grays in the paint and decorations, even the christmas trees. When her family arrives, they are mortified by how untraditional the Christmas decorations are. The family are played by actors you may recognize from recent tv shows. We have the obsessive mom and dad, annoying younger sister who can't keep a job, and the struggling middle brother. The brother has two children who ask Jacquie where her real family is as they chase Louie the dog.
Her real family may be across the street. It's first member is a hunky Hot Guy Tyler played by Thomas Cadrot. He doesn't offer much to the film. He's mostly just tall and in need of a shave. Tyler and Jacquie have a few good scenes together discussing how terrible she is at flirting and how stressed out she is. This film didn't really need a romance subplot at all. At least Cadrot smiles well to give you the impression he isn't just showing up for a paycheck.
Everything plays out exactly as you would think if you've ever seen a family comedy before. I got a lot of Christmas Vacation vibes from this one. Rowland is a great straight actor for everyone else's funny parts. Her face contorts all sorts of ways as various things happen.
The only negative I must address is the inclusion of a scene where Jacquie's younger siblings drink Bailey's Irish Cream. Immediately after this scene, there was a real commercial for that product. It left me with the impression that the entire movie was made just for that product placement scene to enhance the commercial. I must reduce a star for that. Otherwise, this is passable.
Kelly Rowland stars as Jacquie, an executive who has to film her new home at Christmas in order to get a promotion at her company. I can't recall why, but it is only mentioned as a plot buildup. Jacquie designs her home in a modern style with brilliant whites and grays in the paint and decorations, even the christmas trees. When her family arrives, they are mortified by how untraditional the Christmas decorations are. The family are played by actors you may recognize from recent tv shows. We have the obsessive mom and dad, annoying younger sister who can't keep a job, and the struggling middle brother. The brother has two children who ask Jacquie where her real family is as they chase Louie the dog.
Her real family may be across the street. It's first member is a hunky Hot Guy Tyler played by Thomas Cadrot. He doesn't offer much to the film. He's mostly just tall and in need of a shave. Tyler and Jacquie have a few good scenes together discussing how terrible she is at flirting and how stressed out she is. This film didn't really need a romance subplot at all. At least Cadrot smiles well to give you the impression he isn't just showing up for a paycheck.
Everything plays out exactly as you would think if you've ever seen a family comedy before. I got a lot of Christmas Vacation vibes from this one. Rowland is a great straight actor for everyone else's funny parts. Her face contorts all sorts of ways as various things happen.
The only negative I must address is the inclusion of a scene where Jacquie's younger siblings drink Bailey's Irish Cream. Immediately after this scene, there was a real commercial for that product. It left me with the impression that the entire movie was made just for that product placement scene to enhance the commercial. I must reduce a star for that. Otherwise, this is passable.
Terrible, Worst Christmas Movie Made
inurinsama7 December 2020
Empty characters and story. There is no way this movie was written by an African-American and it shows. Inauthentic reactions, meaningless subplots, bad acting... The only good things about this movie are the costumes and great technology.
Boring
shawnhenry-4861830 December 2021
I loved it
dejafletcher21 December 2019
I loved the fact that this was an all black cast on Lifetime which is rare. This year they stepped they're game up and added more black characters. On the other hand this movie shows that family isn't perfect and no matter what we can love each other the way we are.
Lastly, I loved Kelly she did such an amazing job.
Lastly, I loved Kelly she did such an amazing job.
It's Mid
SeaElle1115 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This film challenges tired stereotypes about successful women needing the whole family package. The Liddle family, a stereotypical Black Christian family, falls into the trap of perpetuating outdated beliefs. It explores why people cut ties with their families, highlighting messy dynamics. The judgmental attitude towards Jacquie's traditions and Ava's rude question about her "real" family add discomfort. Despite mediocre writing and subpar acting, standout performances include Debbie Morgan as the passive-aggressive grandmother and Bresha Webb as the responsibility-dodging sister, Kiara. They eventually apologize for being themselves but it's short-lived. The theme of the family ignoring Jacquie's boundaries justifies her distancing. I've seen this movie twice. One was against my will while getting my hair braided and the other time was today because I let Hulu autoplay.
Oh my Christmas trees. This movie was INCREDIBLE.
Hallmarklover2477 December 2019
MERRY LIDDLE CHRISTMAS!!!!! In my opinion this was one of the best Christmas movies Lifetime has put out this 2019 Christmas season so far. Everything about this movie I loved. It showed what really happens when families come and stay with you a few days before Christmas and during Christmas. But WOW! Kelly Rowland did such a good job in this movie! I loved her sisters in the movie too. They were both hilarious. & the sisters husband was good & I loved the kids & the parents were adorable. There is so much hecticness in this movie with all the things that happen while the family stays at Kelly Rowlands house but it makes for great laughs and so many emotions! You'll laugh, you'll cry and it just made my heart so full of happiness! I've already watched it twice and plan on watching it again this weekend. Any review that is bad clearly those people are never happy with any movie because this movie had everything. And I love the bond between the entire family. It was so sweet and they all were hysterical and played all of their characters perfectly. This will be a favorite of mine every Christmas now and I really hope they put this one on DVD eventually because I would buy it in two seconds. It shows the meaning of Christmas and true love between a family and their strong bond. All the christmas feels you could want during the Christmas season. Well done Lifetime! <3 you made my favorite lifetime movie this season and now one of my favorite movies out of all of the lifetime christmas movies. Cant wait to watch it for years to come. Please bring Kelly Rowland back to future Lifetime Christmas movies. I truly hope shes a lead actress in another new Christmas movie next year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'd LOVE to watch her in another one.
Awful
EdenCherry26 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I went in not expecting much from this movie. But my low expectations were still not met. This movie was, in a word, awful. I'm all for cheesy Christmas movies but this gave my lactose intolerance a flare up. I don't even know why this movie was classified as a drama comedy. There was zero drama and zero comedy. Everything magically worked itself out. There was absolutely no conflict. As someone who was raised in a family of three sisters - there is ALWAYS drama. Especially around the holidays. Add in spouses and kids - even more drama. I am not sure why I continued to watch this movie. Sheer boredom maybe. Or maybe I was holding out some hope that the words "drama comedy" would not be taken lightly. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
Great Family Christmas Story
kfunder7 December 2019
This was a great film. All cast did an exceptional performance. The film reminded me so much of when I first bought my house years ago and invited family over for Christmas. My little innocent niece accidentally spilled red koolaid over my brand new carpet. I could relate to almost every character. Kelly Rowland was great.
An Instant Classic
thatssojohorrible20 February 2021
Too critical about a funny entertaining Christmas movie
lyfranklin-6045930 December 2021
This movie was funny and entertaining. The characters were great. There is so much criticism towards this movie which opinions are fine but for some the concept is unrealistic. It's not! I've seen all three of the merry liddle Christmas movies and they were all great!!!! Again entertaining and all black characters were intelligent and career focused and financially secured. Again this is not unrealistic to see at all. I've watched many holiday movies and everyday lifetime/LMN and I'm a hallmark Christmas movie fan. This year holiday movies especially have been some horrible actors and I've seen better movies in the past. This movie was about a young black woman who had her career and life together and purchased a new house and wanted her family to see it and spend time together. Society is so broken because most people don't gather as families because most don't take time to cherish any moments in general. It's crazy how these reviews are so judgmental. If this movie was of a white family most would find it realistic and these reviews would not exist. Education and wealth exists in all races on some level.
A "clean" movie....Loved it!
lovepsalms4 December 2020
Very seldom can you find movies on public TV that doesn't have such vulgarity, perversion, witchcraft, and murder. This is a rare find -- not a big movie watcher anyway but when I do watch, this is an easy classic! Great job!
Great Christmas Movie
minak-7586728 December 2022
Warning: Spoilers
High production value Christmas movie with a nice story. The dialogue was realistic as well. I loved the diversity of the cast. I loved the family dynamic. Although the family is a bit much, and some of them are inconsiderate, they are not intentionally hurtful or terrible people that should be forgiven b/c they are family or b/c it is the holidays.
I loved the set, her house was believably gorgeous and it made sense that she would not want to have it messed up by kid and animal hi jinks. I also liked the love interest. He was handsome, respectful, and had a personality. I also like that they didn't immediately "fall in love". They simply embarked on a new relationship together.
The worst part was the weird little girl who kept asking rude questions and was never corrected or chastised for it. Otherwise, a heart warming movie that is fun to watch and family friendly! Well done Lifetime!
I loved the set, her house was believably gorgeous and it made sense that she would not want to have it messed up by kid and animal hi jinks. I also liked the love interest. He was handsome, respectful, and had a personality. I also like that they didn't immediately "fall in love". They simply embarked on a new relationship together.
The worst part was the weird little girl who kept asking rude questions and was never corrected or chastised for it. Otherwise, a heart warming movie that is fun to watch and family friendly! Well done Lifetime!
So realistic
mmenendezyj25 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Chick ruins a dress from Paris.
Friend says, "at least I fixed the button."
Kelly decides it's all good and postpones the wedding.
Great movie.
I highly recommend to anyone who feels like wasting some time and have better things to do.
Friend says, "at least I fixed the button."
Kelly decides it's all good and postpones the wedding.
Great movie.
I highly recommend to anyone who feels like wasting some time and have better things to do.
See also
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