12 Dates of Christmas (2011 TV Movie) User Reviews

It's a Groundhog Christmas Eve

[P3n-E-W1s3 · 7/10 · 19 December 2016]

This takes the concept of Bill Murray's movie Groundhog Day and adds a dash of Christmas Spirit... but only a dash.

It is basically a love story... Not just of Kate, but the other people that transect her life, and her coming-to-terms and accepting other people's love interests.

It doesn't have a dark side as Groundhog Day did where Bill Murray went through a few suicide days; Kate has a bad day where she gets grumpy with people, though the director shoots it with humour.

The only thing that concerned and irked me a little was the way Miles would just walk away when things got a little tough or strange. Wouldn't you want the love interest to have a little interest in his supposed love, give her some benefit of the doubt? What would the future be like with this type of man?

That said, I really enjoyed the film, though I wouldn't really call it a "Christmas Movie" as it's only set on Christmas Eve. It is a movie where you can cuddle up close with your loved one and just enjoy the lighthearted script (which made me feel good throughout the movie and made me laugh a few times too) with good acting and decent direction.

Groundhog's Christmas Day

[statuskuo · 7/10 · 31 December 2011]

I liked this move. It is sweet and good hearted. But it is, more or less, a remake of "Groundhog's Day." And that's not saying that is a bad thing,

Kate is stuck in a past she cannot shake. She had an ex-boyfriend that she feels she missed the bus on when he is moving on with his life. A death of a mother. Her father dating a very sweet woman she disapproves of for no other reason than it isn't her mom. So she wishes that she could fix things. Well, in movies like this, some magical force fulfills this.

Now she's an unwilling participant in re-living this one day.

Ordinarily, I would say, the repetitive nature of these incidences would be aggravating and painful to re-watch. I dismiss them since we're suppose to be going through the same process as Kate. She has a blind date with Myles (Mark Paul-Gosselar's character...who inexplicably doesn't have a listed name in IMDb). His character is really improbable conglomeration of everything sweet a girl would want in a guy. He doesn't exist but only to be tolerably normal. Then the onion begins to peel. Because most of us need a lifetime to discover the person in front of us. Kate is in purgatory to be sure. And so...which could easily derail us into not caring, OR worst turning against Kate. Director James Hayman skates so fine on that line, he finds the joy in being able to repeat her world. Well, entertaining to us anyway. I think the message is clear...which was clear for "Groundhog's Day"...we're resigned to a lot of things in our lives, until we break the pattern. And that pattern is to give into what sometimes the world wants for us. It's not giving up, it's embracing it.

Yeah, I'm a sucker for this movie. So, if you venture to watch it, keep this in mind...great performances. Mark-Paul Gosselar is surprisingly low-key. He's every man. A good center. Nothing spectacular in his life...just so simple. He has dreams, but they don't interfere with his good deeds.

You will feel good you took the time to watch.

Rip-off of "Groundhog Day" is actually very enjoyable

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 30 November 2017]

I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 (C H R I S T M A S ) MOVIES AND SPECIALS.

SO PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

In this film Amy Smart plays Kate. The character finds herself reliving Christmas Eve (including a blind date with a man named Miles) over and over again. She must discover how to break the cycle – should she attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend Jack, or should she pursue Miles, or something else?

I love everything this movie did. I love the fact when Kate realizes that "she will relive the same day over and over again" she decides to feast on every dessert imaginable.

This film also had lots of heart and its one of the better Christmas films. I will watch this again.

Merely scratched the surface of a "Groundhog Day" Romcom

[Lew777 · 6/10 · 7 December 2022]

Don't get me wrong - I was expecting a complete rip-off of Groundhog Day with Amy Smart as the protagonist, reliving Christmas Eve & all the complications of rekindling an ex-love, a blind date as well as other friendships along the way. It worked better than expected and Amy Smart's natural sassiness & upbeat acting gave it a lot of positivity. What I think the film was missing, was just a depth of character in the feelings and conversations which worked so well in Groundhog Day, especially in the secondary characters. Even so - not a bad try and worth a watch. The all-round acting was good so will appeal to most people.

Pretty enjoyable though doesn't feel as sincere as Groundhog Day

[davesawesomeinbox · 6/10 · 26 December 2019]

No Spoilers:

Before I say these mean things allow me to first point out that the movie was pretty enjoyable and if you are looking for a light easy holiday movie and have already burnt through all the really good ones, then go ahead and watch this. It isn't bad, just not deserving of "really good" or "great". It is actually a little good. 5/10 would be "just okay", which is why I'm giving it a 6/10, because it wasn't boring and did make me smile some.

In the beginning of the film they showed her as being very shallow. They made the mistake of never showing her as having wised up. She continued to be shallow through to the end. Yes she wizened a little, but not enough.

The movie never really gets deep enough to allow Amy Smart to show off her acting skills (she is a proven good actor). Not much of anything very heartfelt happens. No tears shed. No real feeling of caring for the characters.

Some of the plot feels a bit carelessly thrown together as if with a mindset of "yeah this will fill in the basic romcom blueprint good enough".

Felt like another movie training people to think that everyone is mystically fated for "the one" and that marriage is everything. Ironically it actually tries, for a brief moment, to suggest that her obsession with marriage instead of enjoying the day was the cause of some of her past problems.

Anyways. I kind of enjoyed it, but it felt shallow like the main character.

Tru Calling Christmas

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 21 December 2013]

Amy Smart plays an insensitive woman who only cares about herself who is given the chance to make her life and the lives of others about her happier if only she stops being so self-centered. After falling over in a department store she bumps her head and re-lives Xmas Eve over and over (twelve times, to be precise) until she gets it all just right.

Normally I wouldn't bother with such fluff, but Amy Smart is gorgeous and really ought to be in more movies. The score is basically lifted wholesale from A Charlie Brown Christmas and there is not much atmosphere. You could basically transpose the story from December 24th to any other day of the year (Groundhog Day, for example) and it wouldn't be much different.

I wasn't once bored watching it though, and it's an acceptable addition to the holiday TV viewing.

Christmas Eve is here again

[Lejink · 5/10 · 23 December 2013]

Might as well get the "G" word out of the way up front, as this likable Christmas TV movie shamelessly groundhogs its main plot device from a better-known earlier movie, the two twists being that this time it affects a female and that it occurs (or should that be recurs?) on Christmas Eve.

Amy Smart is the girl whose Christmas Day can't get started after a Christmas Eve fall in a department store sees her day rewind every time the clock strikes twelve. From there we see her make the anticipated journey from a truculent self-obsessive who won't accept her new step-mom, creeps out her ex-boyfriend who's obviously moved on from her and finally rudely walks out of a blind date with a handsome young widower to a regular Christmas angel who rights the lives of everyone she bumps into before finally making up with them all, including the guy as she finally gets past her twelve days of Christmas spell.

Smart is amiable in the lead part, a lightweight cross between Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Anniston and the circular time motif is deftly handled even if some of the situations she resolves are more sugary than a cane plantation.

Nicely shot around New York in bright December sun-light, this was an attractive, undemanding, feel-good Christmas movie worth seeing once, but just the once!

Groundhog day formula works here

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 13 December 2016]

This ABC family Christmas movie is better than some of the recent Hallmark holiday movies. The writing is sharper and the cast is likable - more A list for TV than usual. The Groundhog Day formula has been used in TV movies sometimes unsuccessfully, but here they got the right elements of Groundhog. Each repeated day is different enough and builds upon the last with sufficient humor and inventiveness. A young lady pining for her ex is set up on a blind date.

Amy Smart has enough vitality without being annoying and she pulls the role off quite well. Mark Paul Gosselaar is a likable enough romantic lead.

If you have to pick one Christmas movie to watch this one is okay.

Heart-Warming and Funny

[glanners-70803 · 7/10 · 1 January 2021]

Essentially 'It's a Wonderful Groundhog Day' stars Amy Smart as a fairly self-centred person who ends up reliving the same day over again. A simple production, with excellent support from Mark-Paul Gosselaar, sees Smart giving a good central performance with a satisfying character arc. The supporting cast are great too. Heart-warming and funny in just the right places.

Each day, every day

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 19 December 2016]

12 Dates of Christmas is a festive version of Groundhog Day with maybe a bit of A Christmas Carol thrown in.

Amy Smart is reliving her Christmas Eve as she wakes up each time on the floor of a department store. She is selfish, self obsessed and rude. She has not got over her ex boyfriend and wants him back. She does not like her stepmother and when she is fixed up on a blind date she quickly walks out on him within a few minutes to go see her ex.

Each time she reawakens she realises she needs to fix things, become a better person and care for others around her.

This is a lightweight romantic comedy, a bit fluffy but also overlong. I just felt that it run out of plot rather early on but there was still some time left to go.

A bit more depth than your average holiday rom-com

[JaynaB · 8/10 · 6 December 2014]

This was a surprisingly fun and charming holiday movie.

It does hit the familiar tropes of the groundhog day trope of repeating from the same moment, and the romantic element.

However, the heroine very quickly figures out her repeats don't have to keep repeating exactly the same. She learns about life, and herself, and uses the days to try things she was afraid of, and get to know people in her neighbourhood.

Although there are some leaps and it's not entirely clear just how many repeats she gets - or, despite the title, whether she gets 12 dates with the same fellow - this is a charming movie with a bit more depth than the average holiday rom-com.

It missed something

[dontakeitpersonal · 6/10 · 20 December 2020]

Adaptation of groundhog day. For some reason it didn't sit with me right. It missed something but I cannot put my finger on it. After a while, it felt long and stretched.

A silly rom com but its passable

[lisafordeay · 5/10 · 1 December 2020]

12 Dates of Christmas is a TV romantic comedy starring Amy Smart as a woman who relieves Christmas Eve over and over again and falls for her blind date while trying to win her ex back.

Will she go back to her ex? If you like silliness do check it out.

Hi

[steinkels · 7/10 · 21 December 2015]

The film Twelve Dates of Christmas reminds a lot of people of Groundhog Day, but set on Christmas Eve. Now, 12 Dates of Christmas may not be the most popular Christmas movie, but it gets across the theme better than any other Christmas movie I've seen, the theme of this movie is to treat others the way you want to be treated. What the 12 Dates of Christmas is about, is where Kate (main character) goes shopping for her ex-boyfriend, Jack, on Christmas Eve because she thinks that he is still in love with her. After she gets the present for Jack she decides to go home, now this is where it gets interesting. She has about 10 more steps until she is was officially done shopping for jack, but right when she gets off the escalator to leave she gets sprayed in the face with perfume. This is where some parts get a little too cheesy, the acting is good for the movie and the overall theme they are trying to get across works extremely well. In a review on Letterboxd, user Angie says, "So what if it's not Christmas time? So what if this movie is very cheesy? It's also sweet and extremely cute. It shows me that you can make so many people so much happier if only you let yourself." The theme for 12 Dates of Christmas is that you should treat others how you want to be treated. The reason that the name is like that is because each day after she "wakes up" she is waking up on the ground at the same time at the same place from when she got sprayed in the face with the perfume. The days and how she wakes up become somewhat repetitive, but overall there is a good concept for each of the days, on the first day she is very confused and doesn't know what is going on but she just plays along because she believes it is a dream. The second day she wakes up being very confused so she decides to go to the doctor, after the doctor, she decided to go to her ex-boyfriend's house to try and get him back again. Each day after the second it becomes clearer that she has a problem and she somehow needs to fix it. The problem being her living the same day over and over again, and the only way for her to fix the day is if she makes the day perfect for everyone including her. The last day is probably the most important, on the 2nd day she meets a girl and her boyfriend who were putting up lights, the guy was putting up lights for his girlfriend because that was his gift to her, but Kate ended up making a masterpiece for the guy to show his girlfriend. The next thing she did was help pick out Jack's engagement ring for Nancy, then she sets up her best friend, invites all of Miles hockey team that he coaches over to her dad's house for dinner, and the only way she can "wake" up is if Miles kisses her at 12 A.M. Most of these movie reviews are saying that this movie does get a little repetitive and that it reminds them a lot of a groundhog day, but they are also saying that it does get the theme of the movie across very good. "You probably haven't seen this movie, or even heard about it before. If you like romantic comedies, and Christmas themed ones then you should watch this right now. Now, there are also some negative reviews such as, "While not the first movie to blatantly rip off "Groundhog Day", it might be the worst. It quite horrible, with sub- par acting and sloppy writing. But it's a direct to TV Christmas movie. It doesn't have to be good, as long as it provides a small portion of holiday spirit. And it did."(letterbox)Critics give 12 Dates of Christmas a 3/5, now personally I give it a 4/5 I believe that this gets across the point that everyone should treat others kindly no matter what the cost.

Resources Salli Newman, A.A. (Producer), & James Hayman, A.A. (Director). (2011). 12 Dates of Christmas. United States: ABC Family Letterboxd.com (2011) 12 Dates of Christmas. Retrieved December 18, 2015, from https://letterboxd.com/film/12-dates-of-christma

Groundhog Day v2.0?

[jeffamaillists · 7/10 · 23 December 2017]

So this movie is basically a remake of "Groundhog Day", but with a female character and on Christmas eve.

It's still pretty entertaining, but the parallels to "Groundhog Day" are just too frequent to ignore...

Other than that, it's a cute, romantic movie.

"Here I Go, Again, On My Own"

[Kamurai25 · 7/10 · 21 September 2020]

Really Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.

This is about as close as I can find to a gender flipped "Groundhog's Day", granted it's not as good as Bill Murray, but Amy Smart carries this movie really well, even with Mark-Paul Gosselaar giving a great performance, there is only so much you can do with an opposing romance role if you're not in most of the scenes.

We get to see a great growth of character, exploration of herself and her world as she repeats days, looking for a way out.

The message is a little blatant, "Get over the ex", but the reality of struggling with such a thing is exampled plenty well, and surprisingly similar to "While You Were Sleeping" is very much about togetherness and family (born to or made), especially around the holidays.

This is a fun holiday time-shift loop to add to your marathon of time-loop movies.

Time is precious

[Abandoned_Moose · 4/10 · 14 September 2016]

12 Dates of Christmas is instantly forgettable. Time is precious and don't waste yours watching this. Groundhog Day did it much, much better.

Amy Smart is cute and you may get warm tingles every now and then. However, it's cheesy and the message is more how to avoid spending Christmas alone and get a partner rather than kindness and/or forgiveness. It's also very commercial, schmaltzy, gaudy and lacking in imagination considering where it could have gone with the story line.

I'll try and think of some positives: the dog on the bed is pretty good, the baking lady is cool and Amy Smart does have a nice smile. Still, watch something else - like Groundhog Day for the fiftieth time.

I've seen this movie so many times

[shellbellsstewart · 10/10 · 4 June 2022]

Every. Single. Year.

This is our Christmas tradition. "I spritzed you and you passed out!"

We are at a stage where we dread it now but hey traditions are traditions and it's a light feel good movie (although the main character is highly unlikable)

Only 6 more months to go!!!!!

Some language in a Christmas movie? Seriously?

[jstoner2 · 7/10 · 14 November 2021]

We like to watch Christmas movies as a family. Not at all happy to hear some foul language in it in front of my kids. I did forget to look it up here on IMDB first but it is not on their parents guide as a warning anyways. It was a great movie but we will not watch it again unfortunately.

Not worth watching

[suhstayn · 1/10 · 22 April 2016]

I choose to watch this movie because (1) Amy Smart - who I have liked in everything I have seen of her (2) Christmas movie - which I generally enjoy even when a lower standard (3) good IMDb reviews.

I didn't have big expectations are anything. I just wanted something close to average with a Christmasy feel to it with Amy Smart as the headline attraction.

But this movie could not even meet those low standards.

Despite only being 1hr 25min, the movie dragged on and on. The Groundhog Day stuff where Amy Smart relieves the same day over and over got very irritating. I rarely felt like Smart was making progress from Day to the next.

None of the characters were the type you would adhere to. You were never rooting for anybody. The love interest was a paper thin character who was too perfect. Smart was the only other character developed in the story. Nothing about her was particularly interesting beside how pretty she was.

I would never watch this movie again. It was a struggle to get through even once and would be even harder a 2nd time. I have been flip-flopping between 1 or 2 stars.

Better than your average made-for-TV Christmas movie.

[libbygirl · 8/10 · 6 November 2018]

I have pretty low expectations for movies of this genre, but this one really surprised me. The script wasn't cringeworthy, the acting wasn't cringeworthy, and the story, though it's pretty predicable, wasn't littered with clichés. Not only I was able to watch past the first 20 minutes, but I would actually watch this movie again.

Best watched with fast forward

[zsur-84837 · 5/10 · 14 December 2017]

Miles is handsome and Amy Smart is pretty. Acting is good. The dialogue at the start is clever. Other reviewers have done a good summary of the story.Too bad the script writers lost their way and copped out for 12? replays of the same scene as a vehicle to carry the story. Mercy! I refuse to watch it again so I can count them.

Five Gold Rings ... out of ten.

[southdavid · 5/10 · 10 June 2020]

My alphabetical run through Disney Plus lands me on "12 Dates of Christmas" an ABC television TV movie from 2011 that is firmly in the inoffensive-Christmas-themed-Romantic-comedies-sub-genre that is so inexplicably popular and plentiful. So, one sunny June afternoon, I watched it, and whilst I'd never go as far as describing it as being "good", it was, just about, "acceptable".

Kate Stanton (Amy Smart) is preparing to make one last attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend. On Christmas Eve, after choosing an expensive gift in a department store, Kate falls to the floor after being spritzed in the face by a perfume clerk. Having recovered, she blows off her neighbour's nice gesture and cuts short a promising blind date with Miles (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) only to discover that her ex has moved on and has a new girlfriend. Dispirited, she heads to bed only to awaken, back on the floor of the department store on Christmas Eve, with the chance to do it all again.

So yes, it's another film in the long line that take the "Groundhog Day" story idea and apply it in another setting. Kate retains her knowledge of what she learned in the previous day and uses it to improve the lot for people she meets and along the way she gets a valuable insight into herself, and what's important in life. I would say the concept that she's got 12 goes at this doesn't feel like it plays into it very much. Whereas Bill Murray had hundreds of days to perfect the things he chose to learn in "Groundhog Day" Kate goes from entirely unable to cook, to making advanced level cakes in one day. That said, I feel like most of my good will was earned by Amy Smart and her game but breezy performance as the lead, in other hands the character, and therefore the film, would have been much less endearing.

And that's what the film is, light fluffy nonsense, with no points to make, designed to keep you mildly entertained. In that regard, it's successful and I didn't hate it like I have some other films in the same genre but it's pretty far from being worthy of your time.

My holiday fascination with ABC Family Christmas movies continues...

[Robert_duder · 8/10 · 26 December 2012]

I love a great Christmas movie and this year while cooking I discovered the treasure trove of ABC Family Christmas movies. I have no doubt that giving movies like this a high review will bring all sorts of criticism but I don't care. I review films according to how much they entertain me and 12 Dates of Christmas was awesomely entertaining!! I loved it!! I can really only think of a single criticism for the film and that was that it ran just a shade too long. Obviously a film with this type of story, the "Groundhog Day" schtick is in danger of feeling repetitive and it does but just barely. It certainly isn't enough to take away from the enjoyment of the film. It is sort of the perfect "magical" Christmas movie to have someone relive Christmas Eve over and over again until they learn a lesson about themselves and their life. The film has strong morals, it has a strong lead female character with a great message and will make you laugh and even brings tears to your eyes in the end. As far as a great Christmas film this one nails every category you can think of from magic, to romance, to laughs.

This is certainly and easily one of the best performances I have ever seen from Amy Smart. I've never really seen her do anything spectacular despite popping up in so many films. She really gets a chance to shine in this film as the focus of the movie. Her character is shy and lost and looking for love in all the wrong places and watching her change throughout the film truly puts the magic into this and she is fantastic. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is absolutely perfect in this movie as well. Him and Smart together are just fantastic. They have the best chemistry of any of the ABC Family Christmas couples I watched. The supporting cast are all familiar character actors and they all do a great job in their parts. Some particularly strong roles were Jayne Eastwood, Mary Long, Benjamin Ayres, and Peter MacNeill as Smart's neighbour, step-mother, ex-boyfriend and father respectively.

With a long history in Television director James Hayman clearly knows his way around a good script. Obviously comparisons to Groundhog Day are not unwarranted nor is that a bad thing. The concept is almost identical but the fact that its Christmas Eve and she spends so much time trying to make things go the way she thinks she wants makes for a sweet and heartfelt movie. I would watch this again and again because its a feel good movie with really terrific characters, good acting, a beautiful romance and just a very sweet story that will satisfy any Christmas movie fiend or romance addict. ABC Family clearly knows how to put together these movies and I for one and am a huge fan. 8.5/10

Corny Xmas Dating

[steveshailer · 4/10 · 17 November 2019]

Hollywood sugar-coated romance. One for the depressed.