Holiday Watch: I’m Not Ready For Christmas

Holly Nolan is an advertising maven looking to become a partner in the agency. She does have one small quirk that might get in her way: she’s become a pathological liar. When her niece asks Santa to make it so Holly can’t tell a lie, Holly’s life becomes complicated.

It takes Holly a little bit of time to realize that lying is no longer part of her adult or professional repertoire. Amazingly, while reconnecting with her sister and niece, building a new romance, and dealing with a difficult client, she manages to find success. Mostly. And then she’s faced with a moral dilemma that has life- and business-changing consequences.

I’m Not Ready For Christmas is obviously a knock-off of the Jim Carrey vehicle, Liar Liar. Without the manic comic actor’s scenery chewing, the story is laid bare…and it’s both the better and worse for it.

The setup of Holly’s (Alicia Witt) ambition and liarly way at the expense of personal relationships takes longer than the premise requires. On the other hand, the reconnecting with her sister Rose (Brigid Brannagh) and her niece, as well as the building of a relationship with Drew (George Stults) is touching and amusing without being cloying. Unfortunately, the plot device of designer Greydon Dupois (Maxwell Caulfield) never takes off. While he’s thankfully not over-the-top, he is self-involved enough and frequently inserted at just-the-wrong-time-for-our-main-character to feel contrived instead of organic to the story.

I have a feeling that the setup and the designer both read better in the script, otherwise the creators would have extended Holly’s redemption and romance. (It’s odd that I have a similar complaint with another Alicia Witt holiday movie, A Very Merry Mix-up.)

I’m Not Ready For Christmas suffers some in comparison to the movie it’s based on, but it’s not a terrible attempt. Despite its shortcomings, there are many good moments that help to save it from mediocrity (not the least of which is Santa, ably played by Dan Lauria). If you let it stand on its own, you’ll probably enjoy it.