The Perfect Holiday

Name: The Perfect Holiday
Released: 2007
Duration: 96 min

48/100Festive FactorWhy it scores 48 ↓

Not BBFC rated96 min
Comedy · Romance

A mall Santa, a wish whispered in the grotto and a single mum who has stopped expecting anything for herself.

Plan this film night ↓Can the kids watch? ↓

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Explore this film 4 sections

The CineClaus Christmas score

Festive Factor

Christmas in good measure.

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 about half.10/20

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

The little seasonal details3 of the 10 kinds of Christmas icon we count turn up on screen.5/15

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.

72/100

Cosiness Rating Rating

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 →

The story

About The Perfect Holiday

A divorced mother of three is worn down by single parenting, so her youngest daughter whispers a wish to a mall Santa: send mum a nice man. The Santa is a broke songwriter who takes the job on, and a romance starts in the run-up to Christmas. His big break depends on a song handed to the rapper who happens to be her ex-husband, while two feuding holiday spirits drift through the story in disguise, one nice and one naughty. It is a warm, cheerful romantic comedy built around the department-store Santa tradition.

The CineClaus verdict

A mall Santa, a wish whispered in the grotto and a single mum who has stopped expecting anything for herself.

The set-up is sweet and the cast is good company, even when the script plays it safe. The two feuding spirits who narrate are the oddest part, and some of the jokes land harder than the romance.

It is formulaic and you will see the ending coming, but that is half the comfort. Put it on with a mince pie and low expectations.

The family desk

Can the kids watch?

Not BBFC rated

Our take: better for ten and up: there is romantic innuendo and some mild language, and the only peril is slapstick and one scary-looking fall.

Content advice & accessibility

Not BBFC rated: The BBFC has no classification for this film, so it has no UK certificate. Our age guidance above is editorial, not an official rating.