Netflix has played a big role inLindsay Lohan’s comeback as an actor, but her three films on the streaming service aren’t all the same in terms of quality. Many ofLindsay Lohan’s best moviescame when she was a child and young adult, and the actor had a dip in popularity in the mid-2000s. While she never stopped acting, Lohan had a marked comeback in 2022, when she made her first Netflix original movie,Falling for Christmas. Since then, Lohan has made two more original films with the streamer, and some of them are on the list of thebest Christmas movies on Netflix.
The three movies Lohan made with Netflix -Falling for Christmas,Irish Wish, andOur Little Secret- ranged in quality. None of them were ground-breaking films, but all of them had something to offer, be it good laughs or comforting and heartwarming holiday stories. While they do all offer something positive and a reason to watch, not all of Lohan’s Netflix movies were equally good. They all ranged in critical reception, rewatchability, and overall quality, and only one of her newest films can be considered the best.
3Irish Wish
Irish Wish Is A Charming & Serviceable Rom-Com, But It Failed Its Irish Theme
Lindsay Lohan’s second Netflix movie,Irish Wish, certainly had a lot to like. The film’s Irish setting was a major advantage, as every scene had some beautiful scenery and interesting visuals.Lohan herself was also a treat to watch as Maddie Kelly, as she effortlessly conveyed her own charm and humor throughout the movie.Irish Wishalso has a very simple and predictable plot, but it works to its benefit in many ways and turns the film into more of a cozy, comfortable watch than a boring one. There’s no big surprises, butIrish Wishwasn’t really trying to reinvent the genre.
Irish Wish Review: Lindsay Lohan’s Second Netflix Rom-Com Is A Silly, Flawed Watch
Despite awkward dialogue and too much magical meddling, Netflix’s Irish Wish helped along by a swoon-worthy Ed Speleers and Lindsay Lohan.
The main reasonIrishWishis at the bottom of Lohan’s Netflix movies is because it just didn’t rise to the same level her other films reached. It had a few glaring flaws, likeIrish Wish’s problems with depicting Irelandand its problems with over-relying on tired rom-com tropes. The biggest issue it faced, however, was with its characters.Even with Lohan in the lead role, Maddie just wasn’t a very interesting or sympathetic character, and she felt like a pale imitation of Katherine Heigl’s character in27 Dresses. Maddie’s romantic interests also weren’t terribly compelling, and their chemistry just wasn’t enough to carryIrish Wishto the end.
Irish Wish
Cast
Irish Wish is a romantic comedy film directed by Janeen Damian and released in 2024. Lindsay Lohan stars as Maddie Kelly, an editor who is in love with the man she ghostwrites for with one major problem: her best friend is engaged to him. After a seemingly innocuous wish comes true, Maddie finds herself engaged to the man of her dreams - but soon realizes she may have been looking for love in all the wrong places.
Another reasonIrish Wishfails to compete withFalling for ChristmasandOur Little Secretis somewhat baked in. Basing a romantic comedy around the theme of Ireland simply isn’t as interesting or alluring as basing one around Christmas and the holidays.While it may fill an overlooked niche by being a St. Patrick’s Day rom-com,Irish Wishjust doesn’t have as much steam as Lohan’s Christmas movies do, and it’s hard to imagine it becoming a yearly watch for anyone. It’s certainly not a terrible movie, but among Lohan’s other recent films,Irish Wishseems forgettable in comparison.
2Our Little Secret
Our Little Secret Did Well As A Christmas Movie, But It Didn’t Devote As Much Effort To Being A Good Rom-Com
Lindsay Lohan’s most recent Netflix collaboration,Our Little Secret, was an improvement overIrish Wish, but it still fell short of the bar she set for herself. There were a couple of highlights of Lohan’s second Netflix movie.Thecast ofOur Little Secretwas extremely talented - Lohan and Kristin Chenoweth were standouts - and each of their characters had something important to add to the film. There were also a few genuine laughs sprinkled throughout the movie, from Avery’s (Lohan) hallucinations at church to the wild secrets the Morgan family revealed at theend ofOur Little Secret.
Our Little Secret Review: Lindsay Lohan Christmas Rom-Com Has Very Little Comedy, Even Less Romance
Our Little Secret has a solid lead in Lindsay Lohan but fails to give her interesting things to do when she’s not interacting with Kristin Chenoweth.
Our Little Secretalso used its holiday setting well enough, and it offered a good blend of earnest, heartwarming Christmas moments and good jokes.That, combined with a rather novel concept of two exes trying to hide their relationship from their new partners, madeOur Little Secreta fairly interesting Christmas rom-com. However,Our Little Secretalso had some glaring issues. It only earned 38% onRotten Tomatoesfor a reason, and it’s mainly becauseOur Little Secretdidn’t focus enough on the romantic part of its romantic comedy genre.
Our Little Secret
Our Little Secret is a holiday drama in which two resentful exes find themselves spending Christmas together after discovering that their current partners are siblings. The film explores themes of reconciliation and the complexities of family dynamics during the festive season.
The main problemOur Little Secretfaced was not that it didn’t have the right ingredients, it’s that it didn’t combine them very well. The most glaring example was between Lohan and her co-star, Ian Harding.The two romantic leads of the film had very little chemistry together, and it doesn’t matter how good they are on their own if the relationship that defines the rom-com doesn’t work.Our Little Secretalso doesn’t do much to differentiate itself from other Christmas-themed rom-coms, and the genre is too saturated to give it a pass for being so unmemorable.
62%
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38%
WhileOur Little Secretcertainly won’t stick in anyone’s mind for long, the parts of it that have become memorable did so for the wrong reasons.Our Little Secrettook a few risks, which is fairly admirable. Some of them paid off, such as its animated and narrated storybook-esque introduction. Others, however, did not. The most glaring and completely out of tune was the time skip montage.On its own, the recap of the past 10 years isn’t terrible, but it glossed over some major events and served more as a “so bad it’s good” moment, which is something that was too common inOur Little Secret.
1Falling For Christmas
Lindsay Lohan’s Comeback In Falling For Christmas Is Still Her Best In Recent Years
Lindsay Lohan’s best Netflix movie was her first,Falling for Christmas. Aside from being billed as Lohan’s return to well-received movies,Falling for Christmasalso works as a good rom-com and an even better way to get in the holiday spirit.WhileOur Little Secretwas also a Christmas movie,Falling for Christmasleaned into its setting even harder, which ended up being a good thing. From tinsel to ugly sweaters and visits to Santa,Falling for Christmasfeels like maybe not an essential Christmas movie, but one that might be worth revisiting every few years.
Falling for Christmas
Falling For Christmas is a romantic comedy Christmas-themed film starring Lindsay Lohan as Sierra Belmont, a spoiled heiress, and Chord Overstreet as Jake, a kind-hearted lodge-keeper. When Sierra heads on holiday to a lodge and gets in a skiing accident, she somehow gets selective amnesia. She can’t remember her name or background, but her personality remains intact. Despite this, the lodge keeper, Jake, does his best to care for her as the two begin to fall for one another while she tries to regain her memories.
Falling for Christmasalso feels, arguably, like the most Hallmark-adjacent romantic comedy Lohan has made, yet that isn’t a bad thing.From its somewhat contrived concept of amnesia blended with holiday magic to its predictable plot,Falling for Christmasisn’t a shocking film. It is, however, enjoyable, and there’s more than enough room for movies that don’t make for particularly challenging watches. In many ways,Falling for Christmasfeels comforting, like drinking a mug of hot chocolate, which is far from a bad thing for a Christmas movie to feel like.
Falling For Christmas Review: Lohan Dazzles In By-The-Numbers Christmas Rom-Com
The movie doesn’t put much effort into drawing in its audience because they are already there, eager to watch the return of Lindsay Lohan.
There’s also a reasonFalling for Christmasmarked the beginning of Lohan’s resurgence as a movie star: she’s quite good in it.Lohan has always been a charming lead actor, but her charisma and positive screen presence were firing on all cylinders inFalling for Christmas. It was enough to overcome some of the film’s flaws, and she was a big reason it received 62% onRotten Tomatoes. She’s easily the best member of thecast ofFalling for Christmas, and a major reason her character, Sierra, had any chemistry at all with her romantic interest, Jake (Chord Overstreet).
Lindsay Lohan’s Rom-Com Return Is The Perfect Chance For A Sequel To This 20-Year-Old Disney Movie
Lindsay Lohan is making a big comeback to the rom-com genre, and it’s the perfect chance for Disney to make a sequel to a forgotten Lohan movie.
All of Lindsay Lohan’s comeback movies have something in common: they proved that she’s still at the top of her game. As she moves away from her Netflix deal and the romantic comedy genre, Lohan’s upcoming movies are almost sure to be top-notch. Herupcoming movieFreakier Fridayshould give her a chance to show off her comedic skills, and there’s no telling what she could do after that. The future ofLindsay Lohan’s career certainly looks bright, and there’s no denying that her Netflix rom-coms had a hand in her comeback.
