Twas the Chaos before Christmas (2019)

(On TV, December 2021) Competent enough to avid mockery but not enough to be memorable, Twas the Chaos before Christmas drapes the double-booked holiday destination trope with Christmas decorations. Mismatched families from upper-class New York City and middle-class North Carolina realize that they’re booked at the same Washington, DC rental house and so learn to live together and learn from each other. You can probably figure where the rest of the story goes — the uptight rich mom learns how to let loose and decorate festively, while the younger daughter and son from both families match well together. The initial conflict between the two families dissipates in a cloud of holiday spirit and the film becomes less and less dramatic until it’s time to wrap it up. Unlike other Christmas films (of which I’m seeing far too many these days), this one doesn’t bet everything on romance and does go for actual comedy. It’s a bit too muted for my preferences, but it works relatively well. Veteran actress turned director Terri J. Vaughn is already accumulating an impressive filmography in a few short years: her films aren’t terrific, but they’re usually better than average, and she clearly knows how to work a limited budget into something that looks reasonably good. Twas the Chaos before Christmas may not be the kind of film that sticks in mind, but it’s good December filler and doesn’t inspire sarcastic put-downs like many others of its ilk.