Netflix has released its new Netflix original film, “Holidate”, on Oct. 28, just in time for the winter holiday season. Directed by John Whitsell, this romantic-comedy movie follows Chicago-native Sloane (Emma Roberts), a girl who is tired of her family’s mocking of her single status after she meets Jackson (Luke Bracey), a pro golfer in need of a companion, while waiting in line to return a Christmas gift. Because Jackson experiences the single harassment as well, the two make a pact that states they will attend each other’s big, festive holiday parties as each other’s “holidates.”

Although the plot sounds cliche and overdone, Whitesell does a phenomenal job with rearranging the angle of the movie by mixing in chaotic comedy. For example, Jackson explodes a firework on his finger during a Fourth of July event.

However, it was easy to predict the outcome of the movie. Despite the small, crazy comedic bits thrown in throughout the plot, I felt this hour-and-a-half movie served as a time to wait for the moment when Sloane and Jackson would eventually fall in love and live happily ever after.

Even though Roberts and Bracey did a fantastic job portraying their cutesy characters and underlying romantic chemistry on camera, these performances did not make up for the predictability of the film. The overall makeup of the film felt bland and lazy and I felt impatient while waiting for the predictable ending.

Despite Roberts’ and Bracey’s excellent performance with their roles combined with the very few comedic scenes, “Holidates” felt like another, typical rom-com. Almost every scene was predictable and boring, as the plot lacked originality and effort. Though rom-coms aren’t designed to excite and thrill the audience, “Holidates” could have used some more uniqueness and originality to spice up the holiday season. You can find “Holidates” in the “new releases” section on Netflix.

⅖, not yet rated.