Your Christmas or Mine 2 is a sweet and funny festive sequel
Sex Education star Asa Butterfield reunites with Cora Kirk for a sweet second helping of Your Christmas or Mine.
Chances are you're considering tuning into the sequel after enjoying the first festive outing, which saw young lovers James (Butterfield) and Hayley (Kirk) destined to spend Christmas apart – and with the other's families – following a last-minute train change.
The same fate forms the basis of the sequel, with viewers finding the two, once again, reliant on public transport to ferry them to their Christmas destination. This year, the two families have decided to come together for the holidays, setting off to the Swiss slopes for some picture-perfect piste action.
But while the first leg of the journey goes to plan (their flight), it's the second stop that causes the chaos (airport taxis). Hayley's spirited clan find themselves in unexpected luxury at the Hotel Schafberg, while James's more refined relatives arrive at a rustic chalet that wouldn't feel out of place in a scene from the Nativity.
The race is on once again to reunite the two sweethearts before the big day dawns, but the homecoming doesn't exactly end all their problems.
Watch Your Christmas or Mine 2 on Prime Video
In truth, Your Christmas or Mine 2 feels like pulling on an old faithful Christmas jumper. There's the warm familiarity of the cast with some cheery festive embellishment, but like its predecessor, it's predictable and clichéd.
Returning viewers will certainly enjoy Macclesfield's finest being back and bringing the merriment, with another comic turn from Line of Duty's Daniel Mays as Hayley's dad Geoff.
His antics continue to cause exasperation for mum Kath (Waterloo Road's Angela Griffin) and ditsy Auntie Kaye (Coronation Street star Natalie Gumede), with Hayley's grandad and brothers Ant and Dec completing the party.
The Crown's Alex Jennings returns with Game of Thrones actor David Bradley as James's dad Humphrey and Grandad Jack. However, there's a new addition to the family in the form of 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski, who plays Diane, Humphrey's new girlfriend.
Krakowski is on form as a stereotypical American snob, impeccably dressed with high expectations and a multitude of self-care musings. But, she's not the evil stepmother you expect her to be, with a deed near the end of the movie securing her status as a good samaritan.
Fellow blonde Bea Evrington (Rhea Norwood) is another new face who turns up unexpectedly on the slopes. She's a long-lost family friend of James who serves a purpose causing friction between our Romeo and Juliet, but she conveniently disappears from dialogue and screen soon after the couple's reconciliation.
Being a Christmas rom-com, there's a few nods to the king of the genre Richard Curtis – who's also back this Christmas with Genie – and two of his best-loved movies, which will no doubt delight fans.
Hayley's skiing skills leave much to be desired and are reminiscent of a certain big-pant-wearing journalist in her own snow adventure (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason). Meanwhile, James's Christmas present to his girlfriend feels like a nod to that Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley scene in Love Actually.
The most romantic moment is however left till last, in a sentimental twist suggesting it's not the last we've seen of the Taylors and Hughes, and capping the sequel as a sweet treat that definitely delivers the festive feels.
If those Hallmark and Netflix Christmas movies have taught us anything, it's that nicely presented packages pushing Christmas narratives certainly have their place in the world – and Your Christmas or Mine 2 is a highlight among them.
Your Christmas or Mine 2 is available to watch now on Prime Video.
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