December 15, 2019

My Top 5 Black Christmas Movies of 2019


Every year, I wait, and I wait, and I wait for Christmas movies to start airing. It is honestly my guilty pleasure where I enjoy countless hours watching Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movies where hardly anyone looks like me. Out of all the cities these people travel to, are stuck in and never a community of black folk. Oh, but this year was different. While I still enjoyed a Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movie here and there, this was the year of the #StrongBlackLead (and Directors). Networks like BET, OWN, and TV One stepped it all the way up for the culture. I found myself tweeting my excitement a time or two as I watched. I even shared several calls between my co-workers, friends, cousins, and grandma reminding them to tune in and watch with me. Since this is the season to give, I’m sharing with you my top 5 Black Christmas movies of 2019. There are 10 days until Christmas, so trust me you have time to watch, record and share your excitement too.

 

#1 Christmas Belles- BET
 
This was my FAVORITE movie of the season. I think this movie resonated with me because the plot included 30-something BFF’s that were basically tired of being single and ready for Mr. Right. With a new, young, handsome, and single Pastor taking over their church; the games began to as they tried to rule the other out for his attention. This movie was absolutely hilarious, gave me The best part of this movie as the impromptu song from actress Raven Goodwin to actress Dominique Perry chiming “don’t be mad cause you’re cute, and you got the juice”. That song and that moment is something that I could see happening between my friends and me. It was also good to see the original Aunt Viv, Janet Hubert as well as James Evans (I am a HUGE Good Times fan) John Amos. This movie was also directed by Terri J. Vaughn AKA Lovita Alizay Jenkins-Robinson.




#2 ‘Twas the Chaos Before Christmas-BET

I absolutely LOVED this movie and was a little bit partial because it was set in DC, I saw a few monuments, the Blackstonian, and I believe I even heard a little go-go music in the background (your girl LOVES go-go music). The plot includes two families looking to rent a house in DC for a Christmas vacation. Turns out, the exact same house was booked on the same dates for two families and of course this is where the chaos begins when they opt to celebrate individually under one roof.
I enjoyed watching both Sherri Shepard and Affion Crockett bring their humor to the screen. This movie was also directed by Terri J. Vaughn, sis has been working all season!


#3 Baking Christmas- OWN
This movie warmed my heart because it was all about family and passing down a family business. The premise was a mother that was ready to retire and travel but didn’t know what to do with the family’s bakery. An idea of a bake off came about after all three kids expressed interest in the business. This movie really showed what can happen when a family comes together. I was excited to see actress Khalilah Joi from Wendy & Julian, one of my favorite scripted series at Black and Sexy TV.


#4 Radio Christmas- Lifetime

This was the only movie that really reminded me of a classic Hallmark Christmas movie. The premise was a radio host forced to move to Bethlehem to begin broadcasting. Of course, girl meets boy and town is saved in some sort of way. There was a bit of a spin on this movie though. And the main character was played by none other than Keshia Knight Pulliam. Her love interest Michael Xavier was quite the eye candy.





#5 Merry Liddle Christmas-Lifetime


Two words... Kelly Rowland. That’s the MAIN reason why I checked this movie out. What I loved most was the soundtrack, which should totally be released because Kelly did an amazing job on the songs. This premise of this movie included a successful woman who decided to host Christmas for the first time at her dream home. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Aside from Kelly Rowland, I was happy to see actress Bresha Webb playing a totally different character from what she usually plays and killing it. Also, the main love interest Thomas Cadrot is the new Edris Elba for me; someone cue My Type by Saweetie.



Since this year was full of culture filled Christmas movies, below are my honorable mentions:
- Hip Hop Christmas- BET
-Dear Santa I Need A Date- TV One
-Holiday Rush- Netflix