A California Christmas: City Lights

A year after they met, Callie and Joseph run a dairy farm and winery together and are planning to marry. His family's company is in San Francisco and it is not doing well; he has to go back to the city. The couple move there. City life, the family business and Joseph's old circle begin to strain the relationship. Shaun Piccinino directs from a screenplay by Lauren Swickard. Lauren Swickard plays Callie and Josh Swickard plays Joseph; the two are married in life. Amanda Detmer is in the cast. It was released on Netflix on 16 December 2021 and continues A California Christmas of 2020. The template is entirely familiar: a Christmas romance, city against country, family pressure and a relationship repaired at the last moment. The film never leaves it. The first film idealised country life; here the city is built as the bad side and the contrast is repeated in the same way. The image is bright and clean; the Californian vineyards and San Francisco are shot in the aesthetic of a promotional film. It runs about ninety minutes. Who it is for: viewers who like Christmas romance and undemanding television films. Who it is not for: the script is predictable, the conflict is artificial, and none of the characters has a real problem.