5 Times Freevee's EXmas Made Us Laugh Harder Than Any Other Christmas Movie

When you sit down to watch a Christmas movie, there are a few things that you expect to see; houses overflowing with only the most festive decorations, enthusiastic families in matching sweaters obsessed with everything Christmas, and two people falling hopelessly in love surrounded by the magic of the season. You're probably not expecting to see spiked Christmas cookies and a manger scene complete with a dinosaur baby Jesus, though. 

The new Christmas film "EXmas," streaming on Freevee from November 17, 2023, is by far the funniest movie of the season. The plot revolves around Graham (Robbie Amell) and Ali (Leighton Meester), two exes who have been broken up for months. When Graham returns home for Christmas, he's in for a shock as Ali is staying with his family for the holidays. 

Upset that his folks don't seem to see how evil she is for breaking his heart, Graham sets out to prove that Ali can't be trusted. However, what ensues is a series of holiday hijinks that just might see them falling back in love. What keeps this 2023 holiday movie from falling into the "been there, done that" category is its unexpected sense of humor. So get ready to laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh while watching "EXmas" this festive season. 

Cozy holiday decor is an essential part of any classic Christmas movie. The featured houses are typically full of it, instantly turning a plain old set into a holiday wonderland. The Stroop house in "EXmas" is no different; Graham's parents are Christmas fanatics, and their home is decked out to the nines inside and out, complete with a large manger scene in the front yard. 

However, much to Graham's mother's shock, the baby Jesus from the manger scene is stolen just a few days before Christmas. In an attempt to paint themselves like the heroes in this situation, Graham and Ali go to the store to replace it and save the day. Unfortunately, they discover that the only baby Jesus replacements in stock are rubber duck and T-Rex versions. 

The audience gets to see Ali and Graham laughing together as they commiserate over the lack of options, giving us a sweet glimpse into their past relationship. With no real solution to the problem, they decide to buy the T-rex Jesus. Even though Graham's parents aren't exactly thrilled about the replacement, they put the dinosaur into the manger anyway. Desperate times call for desperate measures, especially during the holidays.

Holiday parties are another expectation that audiences have when settling in to watch a Christmas film, but festive goats are probably not the kind of guests anybody anticipates seeing at such celebrations. Graham's family takes Ali to the Christmas party at the local car dealership, assuming it will be a merry time, but it's just one mishap after another. 

First, Ali meets Graham's high school nemesis, Brady (Thomas Cadrot), striking up a conversation with him that makes Graham jealous. In retaliation, Graham flirts with a woman named Jess (Donna Benedicto), in a misguided attempt to upset Ali. As if the competition between the two exes wasn't enough to make the party entertaining, the Christmas goat sends it over the top. 

During Graham's mother's speech about the spirit of Christmas, Ali wanders off and finds the goat that the dealership had at the party roaming around the building. She screams, as she's deathly afraid of them, and scrambles on top of a car trying to get away from it. Ali's irrational fear is hilarious, but the situation is made even funnier by the fact that Graham was the one who unlocked the goat's gate and let it loose. What's Christmas without a few pranks between exes?

The holidays are all about family and friends, and "EXmas" displays this message front and center. From the very beginning of the film, it's obvious that Ali has a strong connection to Graham's parents and his sister, Mindy (Veronika Slowikowska), almost as though she's part of the family. After the Christmas party at the car dealership, Ali invites Brady to go drinking with their group, and Graham invites Jess. While the jealousy between the exes is apparent, their competition is quickly set aside when Graham learns that his sister has just been dumped by her girlfriend. 

In solidarity, Ali, Graham, and Graham's brother, Elliott (Steven Huy), get drunk with Mindy before heading home for the night. All four stumble in the door, trying to sneak into the house as though they're still in high school and late for curfew. Graham even jokes about waking their mom up so she can make them something to eat, prompting Mindy to scream for her and then dissolve into laughter. While the scene shows the genuine connection the group shares, it also makes us laugh as Mindy expresses how much she loves all of them and then proceeds to throw up in the sink.

As Graham sets out to sabotage Allie so she looks bad in the eyes of his parents, he targets the one thing she loves most in the world: baking. On Christmas Eve, Ali is busy making cookies, and Graham takes it upon himself to upstage her and create something better. He purposely uses all of the butter in his recipe, forcing Allie to hunt for something else. She finds a jar of butter in another refrigerator and uses it in her cookies instead, thinking nothing of it. 

At dinner, everyone eats the cookies except for Graham and Jess, and they start to notice that something is very obviously wrong. They soon learn that Ali accidentally used Graham's father's THC butter for the cookies, making the entire family high. Everyone laughs, including Graham's mother, who is usually against any kind of weed. The performances are hilarious, especially as the camera zooms in on the actors' faces as the THC takes effect. 

It gives them a sense of feeling off, effectively showing the audience which of the family members is feeling the effects and which are not. Accidentally spiking the Christmas cookies and getting stoned was not on Ali's Christmas bingo card, but sometimes the holidays are unpredictable.

Like every classic Christmas movie, Ali and Graham get their happy ending when they finally confess their love for each other and reunite right at the end. Flash forward one year later, and Graham's family arrives in Los Angeles as Graham and Ali are hosting them for Christmas instead. All of the loose ends are tied up in a neat bow, just as we'd expect, as the happy family prepares to celebrate the holiday season together. 

However, it's not the end of the story. Flash forward another year, and the Stroops are celebrating Christmas together again, this time with Graham and Ali's new baby. The doorbell rings, and Mindy opens it up to find her ex-girlfriend on the other side. Graham reveals that he's invited Heather to spend the holidays with them, just like she invited Ali two years ago. 

Not only is their sibling dynamic fun to watch, but Graham's revenge plan for his sister leaves the film with a twist ending instead of wrapping it up with a happy couple at its center. Such a nontraditional Christmas movie should have an unpredictable ending, and we can't help but wonder if we haven't seen the last of the Stroop family. Could they be back again next year?