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Two presents joined by taut red tinsel stand on snowy steps with detached tags below, beside a glowing doorway and a quiet blue winter garden.

Essential Christmas · 2023

EXmas

Name: EXmas
Released: 2023
Duration: 93 min
Cast: Leighton Meester, Robbie Amell, Michael Hitchcock

60/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 60 ↓

UK certificate 1293 min
Comedy · Romance

Two exes turn up for the same family Christmas and neither will leave, so they compete for the family's…

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Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓

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Explore this film 9 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas all the way through.

Two paper elves inspect a miniature snowy doorway with glowing windows and two presents linked by gold tinsel on a warmly lit workshop bench. — A little magic in the making.

Five ingredients make the Festive Factor.
Open an ingredient to find out more.

Christmas in the storyChristmas drives it, but another occasion could stand in.20/30

What we ask: Take Christmas out. Does the plot survive? Worth up to 30 of the 100 points.

A world dressed for ChristmasVisibly Christmas for most of it.15/20

What we ask: How much of the running time is visibly Christmas? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

The little seasonal details8 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.12/15

What we ask: How many kinds of Christmas icon turn up on screen: trees, lights, snow, carols and the rest? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

A Christmas heartHow far the ending rests on goodwill, family and belief: partly.10/20

What we ask: Does the ending depend on what Christmas means: goodwill, family, redemption, belief? Worth up to 20 of the 100 points.

A returning traditionNiche at Christmas (under 25,000).3/15

What we ask: Is it actually watched at Christmas in the UK? Worth up to 15 of the 100 points.

77/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

Mostly warm in tone. Mild threat. A happy ending.

How we score →

What do these scores mean?

Festive Factor measures how Christmassy a film is. Five ingredients add up to 100: story (30), setting (20), seasonal details (15), emotional heart (20) and returning tradition (15).

Cosiness is a separate score for warmth of tone, sense of safety, visual comfort, a reassuring ending and how easily you can settle into it.

How the Festive Factor works →

Your next film night

Where to watch

United KingdomChecked 23 Oct 2026

Prime Video

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Streaming changes constantly and we cannot promise it is still right - check the service before you settle in. Streaming availability information provided by Streaming Availability API by Movie of the Night (opens in a new tab).

The story

About EXmas

A man flies home to surprise his family for Christmas and finds they have already invited his ex-fiancee, who is settled in and more popular than he is. Neither will leave, so the two of them compete, with every dirty trick available, for the family's vote on who stays through Christmas Day. Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell lead a screwball Christmas romcom made for Amazon's free streaming service.

The CineClaus verdict

Two exes turn up for the same family Christmas and neither will leave, so they compete for the family's affection until one of them cracks. Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell play it as a screwball duel, and the best bits are the dirty tricks, including a batch of cookies that are not what the family thinks.

Critics split between one of the better ones and a forgettable one, and both are fair: the jokes are hit and miss, and the ending is never in doubt. Free to watch in the UK, which helps.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Our take: rated 12 by the BBFC for moderate sex, sex references, drug references and language. A sex scene in silhouette, plenty of innuendo and a family accidentally eating cannabis cookies make this one for teenagers and adults rather than a family night.

Content advice & accessibility

Our age guidance: Editorial, separate from the official 12 certificate, and never looser than it.

The people behind the film

Cast and crew

The faces in front of the camera, and the people who brought the story to life.

Main cast

In billing order

A smiling woman with long brown hair and red lipstick, in a sparkly dark high-neck top with layered gold necklaces, against a grey backdrop.

Leighton Meesteras Ali

A smiling man with short dark spiky hair in a black hooded jacket, looking off to one side in front of a blue event backdrop.

Robbie Amellas Graham

A close head shot of a man with short brown hair and a faint smile, wearing a dark collared shirt against a pale yellow wall.

Michael Hitchcockas Dennis

Behind the camera

Directed by

Jonah Feingold

Photo credits

Portraits via Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence, approved for this page by a person. Sources and full photographer credits:

Leighton Meester · Daniel Batalles · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Robbie Amell · Heroes & Villains · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab).

Michael Hitchcock · Jangeles2008 · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab).

Jonah Feingold · Tessa Bury · Source image (opens in a new tab) · CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab).

Step into the story

Filming locations

The real places behind EXmas. Choose one to explore.

Find it on the mapBritish Columbia

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Filming location

British Columbia

Canada

The snowy small town and family house were shot in British Columbia, Canada, standing in for the Midwestern US setting of the story.

Open in OpenStreetMap ↗ (opens in a new tab)Scene source ↗ (4 Filming: Where was EXmas filmed, opens in a new tab)

A little more EXmas

Film facts &
behind the scenes

For the fans who stay after the credits.

On set

Shot in British Columbia, set in the American Midwest

The snowy small town on screen is not where the story says it is. Production took place in British Columbia, Canada.

Read the story

Source: 4filming.com ↗ (opens in a new tab)

On set

A second Freevee romcom for BuzzFeed Studios

BuzzFeed Studios made it as its second Amazon Freevee romantic comedy, after Puppy Love earlier in 2023. Jonah Feingold directed from a script by Dan Steele.

Read the story

Source: buzzfeed.com ↗ (opens in a new tab)

And at a glance

The Christmas in it: Snow on screen. Snowy small town with decorated trees and lights on every street.
Releases and certificates: 17 Nov 2023: On streaming. Launched free with ads on Amazon Freevee in the UK, the same day as the US, Germany and Austria.

Sources & a note on these facts

Each production story is linked to its source, in our own words. Ending details stay behind a spoiler reveal.