The slapsticky holiday-set rom-com 'The Perfect Holiday' is lame, not strictly in the sense of being exceedingly pathetic – which it is – but more so in the sense that the whole thing could stand to be amputated, for the greater good. It’s not terribly romantic, it’s not terribly funny, and it’s not terribly Christmas-centric, as much as it purports to be all of these things; more often than not, it's just terribly... terrible.
Okay, stay with me here: Gabrielle Union simply wants a genuine compliment from a nice man. Her daughter subsequently asks mall Santa and struggling songwriter Morris Chestnut to grant her wish, which he soon does. The two pine for each other and flirt when they finally meet; however, Chestnut’s concerned for the ethical quandaries of being both a part-time Santa and an inadvertent business associate of her ex, rapper Charlie Murphy. Oh, and all the while, Terrence Howard and Queen Latifah repeatedly appear as a pair of seasonal sprites; he’s naughty, she’s nice.
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