Alicia Silverstone plays a character who is aggressively into green technology, veganism, crafty DIY lifestyle, and preaching against consumerism.
And I mean AGGRESSIVELY.
Every scene becomes an opportunity to lecture someone about environmental responsibility. Every interaction includes some comment about waste, consumption, or how everything is killing the planet.
It's the energy of that one mom at school pickup who makes every conversation about her lifestyle choices and makes you feel judged for existing differently.
You know the type. The one whose kids look miserable. The one who turns every casual interaction into a performance of moral superiority.
That's the character for the entire movie.
And it's EXHAUSTING.
Side Note: I Was Vegan For Years
Let me establish something: I was vegan for years. I get it. I understand the importance of caring about the environment and making conscious choices.
But I also let my kids live their lives. I didn't make every moment a lecture. I didn't turn my values into everyone else's burden.
That's the difference between having principles and being insufferable about them.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas features a character who's chosen the insufferable route. And watching it feels like being trapped at a dinner party with someone who won't stop talking about their lifestyle while judging yours.
No, thank you. I'd rather stay home in my PJs and order in.
Christmas Rom-Coms Have ONE Job
The Christmas rom-com genre exists for a very specific purpose: to make you feel good.
That's it. That's the whole job. Simple.
Give us attractive people falling in love. Give us snow and twinkling lights. Give us wholesome family moments. Give us the fantasy of a perfect, cozy Christmas where everything works out.
We're not watching these movies for realism or social commentary or environmental activism. We're watching them to ESCAPE.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas decided that wasn't good enough. It decided a Christmas rom-com needed to also be a platform for environmental messaging.
And in doing so, it forgot to be fun.
The Tone Is All Wrong
Christmas movies work because they create a specific feeling. Warm. Cozy. Hopeful. Romantic. Even when there's conflict, it's the kind that gets resolved with hot chocolate and a heartfelt conversation.
This movie's tone is JUDGMENTAL.
The main character spends the entire runtime making people feel bad about their choices. About their decorations. About their consumption. About their Christmas traditions.
Nobody wants to watch a Christmas movie where the protagonist makes everyone around her feel guilty and miserable.
We get enough of that in real life. Christmas movies are supposed to be the break from that.
It's Not Even Consistent
Here's what really gets me: the character lectures everyone about consumerism and environmental responsibility while living in a house that's fully decorated for Christmas.
Where did all those decorations come from? Did they magically appear? Were they made from recycled wishes and sustainable dreams?
No. They were purchased. They're consumer goods. They're contributing to the exact thing she's lecturing everyone else about.
You can't spend 90 minutes preaching about anti-consumerism while surrounded by the fruits of consumerism. Give me a break. Seriously.
The Kids Look Miserable
One of the most telling details reviewers noted: the character is "downright rude to both kids" and engages in "non-stop nagging."
That tracks.
Because the joyless eco-warrior aunt energy isn't just directed at adults. It extends to her children, too.
And there's something deeply depressing about watching a Christmas movie where the kids don't seem to be having fun because an adult is too busy lecturing to let anyone enjoy themselves.
What This Could Have Been
Here's the frustrating part: you CAN make a Christmas movie with environmental themes that's still fun.
You could have a character who lives sustainably but does it with JOY. Who shows people alternatives without judgment. Who makes conscious choices feel appealing rather than punishing.
You could make being environmentally conscious look FUN instead of miserable.
But that would require the character to be likable. To have warmth. To let people enjoy things while gently suggesting alternatives.
Instead, we got lectures. Judgment. Joylessness.
And that doesn't work in a Christmas rom-com. It doesn't work in ANY rom-com TBH.
The Chemistry Problem
When your main character is insufferable, it's really hard to root for the romance.
Because you're not thinking "I hope they get together!" You're thinking, "Why would anyone want to be with this person?" No wonder they got a divorce.
That's a red flag wrapped in sustainable recycled paper.
The romance can't work if we don't like the person we're supposed to be rooting for.
And in A Merry Little Ex-Mas, the insufferable eco-aunt energy kills any romantic chemistry before it can develop.
The Verdict
A Merry Little Ex-Mas had the ingredients for a perfectly fine Christmas rom-com: Alicia Silverstone, Melissa Joan Hart, a holiday setting, and romantic potential.
But it forgot the most essential ingredient: FUN.
Instead of being a cozy escape, it's a 90-minute lecture from the most insufferable character imaginable. Someone who sucks the joy out of every scene by turning Christmas into an opportunity to judge everyone's consumer choices.
Christmas movies are supposed to make you feel good. This one just makes you feel exhausted and guilty.
If you want a fun Christmas movie, skip this one. There are literally hundreds of other options that remember that Christmas entertainment is supposed to be ENTERTAINING.
Save yourself the lecture. Watch something that actually feels like Christmas.