User reviews

Mistletoe Mixup, at first glance, is your typical Hallmark/Lifetime/etc. Christmas movie. Pretty lonely girl, handsome lonely guy, beautiful Christmas decorations, lots of snow, another handsome lonely guy.

Wait. What?

The plotline of two brothers competing for the girl is nothing new. We've seen it a million times before. The gimmick here is this, the brothers are being played by real-life brothers, Joey and Matthew Laurence. Although in the hands of some actors, this might have proven a weak premise, but the chemistry between the Laurence brothers is wonderful and carries the movie as a very enjoyable holiday treat.

Evidently this was a labor of love for the entire Laurence family. The character of Grandma was played by Joey and Matthew's real-life mother and while she's not as gifted an actress as her sons, her performance is winsome. Another Laurence brother, Andrew, directed Mistletoe and also appears in it briefly as their brother, Seth.

All in all, i'd definitely recommend Mistletoe Mixup. I don't know if i'm ready to call it a Christmas classic just yet, but it's definitely a fine addition to the Christmas libraries to be shown each season.

Merry Christmas y'all.

As far as "Hallmark " Christmas movies go, this one is a keeper. Definitely not going to win an academy award, but it's fun! The plot is slightly different than all the rest. Still has the romantic happy ending,as per the usual. I laughed several times. I give it thumbs up.

This is very similar to all of the other holiday TV movies BUT it features the adorable Lawrence brothers and their real life mom. I loved the brother battles. It's much better than the regular holiday movies. It has the predictable mix of snow, holiday decor, holiday magic, attractive people, family and fun. And the predictable ending. Enjoy!

The movie is mostly Lawrence brothers antics with both of them courting Holly, ineptly. That's all you need to know.

I think the three main actors probably had fun. They connect on screen.

There are some funny gags and some dumb ones and I'm not sure which was which. There is also a karaoke bit with the three brothers combining for O Holy Night. Most of it is legit, but it degenerates at the end like most of the things the brothers do.

I think it's crazy that Holly didn't run screaming after the first lunch with the family. Did you notice they all sat and argued for a good while with not one of them touching their sandwich?

The editing and sound are awful and their voices never fully matched their mouths.

Like who even edited this movie and let that pass?

Hopefully you aren't looking for a good movie if you're watching this one.

We weren't expecting to even watch (just on for background), but it was actually entertaining and very clean with wholesome family values. Rare in movies these days. No over-the-top acting or "jumping into bed" the first night stuff.

This movie is really bad -- bad acting, bad directing, bad make-up, bad writing. In fact, the reviews panning it are better written and more entertaining than the movie itself.

Just a sweet movie featuring Lawrence brothers who are super nice in person btw....so it's nice to see them in a fun family Christmas romp. Of course it is predictable but that's just the formula for a sweet little Christmas movie.

First of all why would they put a 28yr old with a 45yr old man that is so creepy. The movie wasn't funny at all. I think it would of been good if a younger guy more her age was in movie. And the other brother looks like if he needs a bath.

This is a hysterical movie! The brothers fighting is so realistic! Do you even have boys? I love this movie! The Laurence family is a family like mine...messy and loud! I love their "grandmother/mom" She is a classic!

I watched this because I used to love Joey Lawrence when he was in Blossom (before he became a narcissist) and it was cool the whole family was in it.....that is, until I started watching it. How is it that Joey Lawrence is in his like third decade or so of acting and he is terrible at it?

Horrible writing/storyline (barf). Bad acting. Not sure why their mom was in it. Maybe she was bored. I wish she would have found another hobby cuz acting ain't it. What was very annoying was sometimes the words didn't match their mouths, the sound wasn't good at all. Who edited this?

Please, don't waste your time.

If nothing else is true of holiday-themed movies, and holiday romance movies in particular, they are at least consistent. Contrived, ham-handed, cheesy, and overbearing in their manufactured cheer, but consistent nonetheless. One might reasonably wonder if writer, director, cast, and crew alike lower themselves to participate in such an affair, or if they earnestly enjoy the kitsch (or the easy paycheck). Of course some titles are meaningfully sincere, but some are so unapologetically overdone in their writing and direction that it's not unfair to ask if they're intended to be a parody of the genre. 'Mistletoe mixup,' for the record, belongs to the latter category. Dialogue, scene writing, characters, the narrative at large, and even the opening scene are so direct as to readily inspire slack-jawed bewilderment and skepticism, and never is an opportunity missed to add to the pile (the karaoke scene leaves me at a loss for words). This isn't to say that it's not well made, or kind of charming in its way, but there's no mistaking that it belongs squarely among certain saccharine company that only the most open-minded or Christmas-loving of viewers could possibly appreciate.

The editing and cinematography are very well done, the filming locations are gorgeous, and the production design and art direction are smartly crafted. Director Andrew Lawrence runs a tight ship. The wardrobe is fabulous, and the hair and makeup work is lovely; the star's blonde locks have never looked better. And I do actually like the cast, all of whom embrace the lighthearted tomfoolery. The only person here I'm familiar with is Danielle C. Ryan, but I've seen her more than enough to know she's a capable, versatile actress, and she commands the gauche lead role well. Donna Lawrence is clearly having a blast as the peppy grandma who speaks her mind. And hey, credit where it's due - despite the artifice of the picture, there's some genuine wit and humor at play once the story advances into the second act, and the conflict figures in. While the picture is bent strictly toward utmost warmhearted schlock, one can see how Kaylin Richardson's screenplay shares a kinship with similar fare that the major studios might put out (that would be less restrained in terms of sensationalism). Why, there are even a couple small moments here and there that seem to diverge so much from the dependable formula of this feature's brethren that 'Mistletoe mixup' shakes things up just a tiny bit. This cheese may be overcooked, but it's still kind of tasty.

Even by the standards of what this represents, it's not perfect. The introduction of another supporting character, who will help to resolve the conflict, feels too much like a sidebar. That resolution itself, the better part of the third act, leans a little too far into sentimentalism and sets aside the more fun-loving side of the movie that made the second act so fun. And in both these instances, the protagonist is weirdly deemphasized, somewhat becoming a supporting character in her own film. All this is to say, the result is strangely uneven in a way that would theoretically have been easy to avoid. Still, this only wants to be a silly, heartfelt good time, and despite everything, it doesn't achieve that goal. It looks, sounds, and feels like a TV movie, even though it's not, and just one look at the promotional imagery and the premise tells one exactly what to expect. For those who can get on board with the style, though, it's still enjoyable on its own merits, with swell contributions from all to bring it to life. Don't go out of your way for 'Mistletoe mixup,' but if you're looking for something light and frivolous, you could do much worse.

I simply cannot say enough bad about this film. To begin with the acting, script, and direction are laughable, miles below the Hallmark Cadillac standard for this sort of holiday dreck. Then, too, we have the story of a passive, easily persuadable young woman who welcomes being controlled by her two possessive suitor brothers as they fight over her and make decisions for her, each one a scary control freak. These dashing "young men" whom she can't seem to resist are both nearly 2 decades older than she is, Joey Lawrence (45) looking and sounding like a grizzled ex-con from Jersey. In fact, the four cast members of the Lawrence family resemble something out of a bad episode of the Sopranos, and they're individually and collectively awful. Worst of all is Donna Lawrence, who plays "Grandma" (but who is actually mother to cast members Joey, Matthew, and Andrew Lawrence), bewigged and bewildered, scarier looking than Norma Bates in the basement. I cannot unsee this monstrosity---it is is the worst thing that I've seen in decades.

I'm a sucker for sappy and low budget Christmas movies. However I was so distracted by Joey Lawrence's painted on goatee and Botox and lip fillers and lip gloss I couldn't keep it on my TV. I'm sure the rest of the cast did a fine job but whoa- let's maybe slow down with the plastic surgery, it's gotten cartoonish.

Cute, corky and funny! What else do you people want? Easy breezy fun Christmas movie to watch. I love Joey Lawrence in anything, plus his brothers? Yes, please!

This movie is like every other Christmas love movie, cheesy. This movie is a good choice if you like to cringe and laugh at the production quality of movies. The acting is off, the music is weirdly placed and the story line is predictable. There are better Christmas movies to watch. Again, let me emphasize that the acting is off and really weird!

This was such a cute movie. The Lawerence Brothers are always a pleasure to watch. It was a cute storyline that could have turned out disastourous with the wrong actors/directors but thankfully that wasn't the case. I would recommend.

And btw Matthew Lawerence is still a fox 😉

So bad. Awful. Don't waste your time. Bad. Just bad. Needs 150 characters. So.... Bad. Awful. Terrible. Trite. Holy hell this sucks. Makes hallmark look Oscar-worthy. BAD!!!!

Well, I've heard of keeping it in the family but this takes the cake. I knew I was in trouble when I saw Lawrence all over the opening titles but thought, what the heck. I'll give it a shot.

Let's start with Joey. I knew he was in the movie but when I saw him in the Christmas tree scene I thought it was a brother. He wasn't recognizable as Joey. Maybe when you reach a certain age you should consider a different haircut. And, there was just something about those eyebrows. WT... It looked like someone had pasted a couple of dead caterpillars up there. For whatever reason I've never been a fan. Right from the start on Gimme A Break with that silly tag word: Whoa! He's never been able to lose that New York/Jersey accent which adds to his silliness. Sorry Joey. Next.

Enter Matthew. Well, he and his character are pretty likable in this but ya know, some guys just shouldn't do the scruff look. If you can't do a full beard don't do any. Please. I found myself rooting for him anyway.

The acting itself isn't so terrible as to make it unwatchable but this movie would have been better served with decent writing. Also, there aren't enough people who like this family enough to watch them all together. It just smacks of nepotism. I'm over it.

Sorry. I didn't mean to make this a Lawrence bashing but it's challenging not to go there. Show me something with just Joey or just Matthew. Get past the silliness and do something real.

Danielle would do herself well to read the script before accepting a part. Who's managing her, for Godsakes? She's able and way above this mess.

A silly terrible mess. They should've spent more time on development of the relationship rather than fighting over a girl with your brother. Wish I were a consultant.

Even while fast forwarding through it and attempting to do a Christmas movie drinking game it was still terrible and not even laughably. This poor woman was fought over in a "cock fight" (yes that's said in the movie) and neither man was worth her! Terrible acting and writing and the costume designer needed to get that man some bigger suits! The grandma looked and moved like a robot? Was she real? She's not on imdb? The baby model at the beginning was the only good part of this movie.

Will this win an Oscar, no. Will it warm your cold heart, judging by the other critics here, also no. But for those of us who appreciate these kind of movies for what they are, I say it's excellent. Great to see the Lawrence Brothers back on screen again. Very cute movie, great for wrapping presents to.

The bad reviews are accurate. I had to watch most of the movie on mute because the dialogue was so cringy. Who made this creepy movie? It's like a fourth grader wrote a screenplay. I cannot think of anything more displeasurable, or awkward, than attempting a romance with two brothers in the same family. I laughed only once-when the third brother jumped into the karaoke rendition of O Holy Night-I turned up the volume. But then it got unbearably awkward again and I couldn't hit the Mute button fast enough. I honestly enjoyed reading the bad reviews for it more than the movie itself. There's some kind of justification in knowing that the sentiment of cringe was shared.