Don’t Sleep Until Christmas: A Holiday Rom-Com Review

Don’t Sleep Until Christmas is a holiday romantic comedy that debuted on Freeform in 2018 and later found a new audience on Netflix. The film features real-life couple Odette Annable and Dave Annable and follows two strangers in Chicago dealing with insomnia. This connection could lead to something delightful, but there’s a twist—Odette’s character, Lizzie, is engaged to another man, portrayed by Charles Michael Davis, and finds herself falling in love with someone new. It’s an unusual dynamic, and honestly, not a romantic pairing I felt inclined to support.

Key points: Lizzie Hinnell (Odette Annable) is an event planner in Chicago who seems to have sorted out her life, at least on the surface. Recently, though, she’s been battling insomnia, causing her to step out of her meticulous comfort zone. While trying to finalize her wedding details with her dashing fiancé Josh (Charles Michael Davis) and her somewhat overwhelming mother, Mrs. Wright (Sheryl Lee Ralph), she finds herself too groggy and irritable to engage in the conversation. At one point, her sleeplessness leads to a significant mishap: she disrupts a bus driver’s routine (who, curiously, is British?) and ends up in jail, later getting bailed out by her future mother-in-law. Quite the predicament for Lizzie.

Billy Wilson (Dave Annable) isn’t exactly the epitome of success either. He’s a bartender who’s been stuck in a rut, struggling against his own insomnia and dealing with a recent breakup. His dream is to open his own bar, but he lacks the resources to make it happen—until one eventful sleepless night. In an effort to wear himself out, Billy decides to run at 3 a.m. Coincidentally, Lizzie, also sleep-deprived, is out driving to pass the time and accidentally hits him with her car.

In the aftermath, rather than going to the hospital as one might expect, they end up snoozing in the car and wake up refreshed. However, Lizzie’s insomnia returns post-encounter, leading her to concoct a bizarre plan: to sleep next to Billy as a means to reclaim control over her life. Sure, it’s strange, but she sweetens the deal by offering to help fund his bar. And so, their peculiar relationship begins… what could possibly go wrong?

Which movie does it remind you of? While watching Don’t Sleep Until Christmas, I couldn’t help but think of another film where the female lead abandons a seemingly ideal partner for someone much less compatible. It’s a familiar trope that’s hard to overlook.

Featured performance: Charles Michael Davis brings a heartfelt touch to his role as Josh Wright. Watching Lizzie navigate her chaotic life at his expense might just pull on your heartstrings. Justice for Josh!

Sheryl Lee Ralph, even in a minor role, brings a vibrant energy to the screen, perfectly portraying Lizzie’s difficult mother, making it easier to sympathize with her character’s struggles.

Memorable dialogue: I couldn’t help but laugh when Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Mrs. Wright quipped, “I wish I’d left you alone in jail,” highlighting her character’s candor.

Gender and skin: The film is riddled with innuendos about intimacy—from jokes about “sleeping together” to Billy waking up to a rather awkward situation beside Lizzie. However, we see no actual sexual content, just an emotional connection.

Our view: This movie presents one of the odder backdrops seen in holiday films. I mean, why would a woman choose to sleep in a stranger’s car late at night? And what makes her leave her attractive, successful fiancé for someone just as lost? Why does Billy, even after being hit by a car, fall asleep without a fuss? The sexual undertones present during their public discussions only add to the confusion.

My biggest wonder? What do Billy and Josh even see in Lizzie? Throughout the movie, she appears negative and self-centered, sidelining others’ feelings as she makes questionable decisions. Despite hoping for her to succeed, the lack of common ground between her and Billy makes it hard to envision a happy ending. Their poor choices, all in the name of love and sleep, are more unsettling than amusing.

On a positive note, I appreciated that the film was shot on location in Chicago and made commendable efforts to feature a diverse cast. The supporting characters—Josh, Mrs. Wright, and others—outshined Lizzie, who, for the most part, dominated the screen time with a rather unlikable disposition.

Our call: In conclusion, Don’t Sleep Until Christmas doesn’t quite add up. The romance between Lizzie and Billy falls flat and borders on infidelity. It might be best to pass on this one.