Everything to know about Netflix’s book adaptation ‘In A Holidaze’
Christmas movies love telling us that one magical holiday can put a life back on its feet, but In a Holidaze offers you a more mischievous proposition: what if Christmas refused to let you leave until you got your act together? Christina Lauren’s 2020 bestseller has been crying out for the screen treatment on that premise alone, and Netflix has now taken the hint.
The streaming adaptation comes from writer-director Tiffany Paulsen, whose résumé already includes the festive rom-com Holidate, so she knows her way around Mistletoe. Netflix is turning the film into a holiday romance, with Maddie Ziegler leading a cast that also includes Rob Lowe.
Book readers will know what this is about: a woman who feels stuck in life makes one big romantic mistake and asks the universe to show her what would make her happy. Surprisingly, she gets more than she bargained for. Instead of a clear answer, she wakes up at the start of the same holiday and has to live the whole thing again.
So, yes, Netflix has taken the idea of Christmas romance and slipped a time loop under the tree. Here is what you need to know about it.
What is In a Holidaze about?
Maelyn Jones is stuck living with her parents and is miserable in a dead-end job. Our story begins when she is facing what may be the final Christmas at the Utah cabin, where her family has celebrated with close friends for years. Then comes the romantic blunder, followed by Mae asking the universe to show her what will make her happy.
Cue the cosmic fine print. Mae finds herself thrown back to the start of the holiday, reliving Christmas until she can work out what she wants and, crucially, who she wants beside her when the loop breaks. Netflix has kept the same central device, describing her as a directionless twentysomething trapped in the holiday cycle after a romantic mistake.
Who is in the cast?
Maddie Ziegler heads the ensemble, with Graham Phillips, Elias Kacavas and Rob Lowe among the first names Netflix announced. The wider cast includes Patton Oswalt, Jackie Sandler, Andrea Anders and Gil Bellows, which gives the film considerably more comic firepower than your garden-variety Christmas romance.
When does In a Holidaze arrive on Netflix?
No need to consult the Christmas stars for this one: In a Holidaze premieres on December 2nd, giving Netflix an early entry into the month’s festive marathon.