Lindsay Lohan made three rom-coms with Netflix that helped relaunch her as a movie star, but not all of them were hits, and only one is the…
Netflix has played a big role in Lindsay Lohan‘s comeback as an actor, but her three films on the streaming service aren’t all the same in terms of quality. Many of Lindsay Lohan’s best movies came 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 the best Christmas movies on Netflix.
3. Irish 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 Wish also 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, but Irish Wish wasn’t really trying to reinvent the genre.
The main reason Irish Wish is 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, like Irish Wish‘s problems with depicting Ireland and 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 in 27 Dresses. Maddie’s romantic interests also weren’t terribly compelling, and their chemistry just wasn’t enough to carry Irish Wish to the end.
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 reason Irish Wish fails to compete with Falling for Christmas and Our Little Secret is 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 Wish just 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 Wish seems forgettable in comparison.
2. Our 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
Our Little Secret also 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, made Our Little Secret a fairly interesting Christmas rom-com. However, Our Little Secret also had some glaring issues. It only earned 38% on Rotten Tomatoes for a reason, and it’s mainly because Our Little Secret didn’t focus enough on the romantic part of its romantic comedy genre.
The main problem Our Little Secret faced 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 Secret also 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.
While Our Little Secret certainly 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 Secret took 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 in Our Little Secret.
1. Falling 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 Christmas also works as a good rom-com and an even better way to get in the holiday spirit. While Our Little Secret was also a Christmas movie, Falling for Christmas leaned into its setting even harder, which ended up being a good thing. From tinsel to ugly sweaters and visits to Santa, Falling for Christmas feels like maybe not an essential Christmas movie, but one that might be worth revisiting every few years.
Falling for Christmas also 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 Christmas isn’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 Christmas feels comforting, like drinking a mug of hot chocolate, which is far from a bad thing for a Christmas movie to feel like.
There’s also a reason Falling for Christmas marked 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 in Falling for Christmas. It was enough to overcome some of the film’s flaws, and she was a big reason it received 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. She’s easily the best member of the cast of Falling for Christmas, and a major reason her character, Sierra, had any chemistry at all with her romantic interest, Jake (Chord Overstreet).
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. Her upcoming movie Freakier Friday should give her a chance to show off her comedic skills, and there’s no telling what she could do after that. The future of Lindsay Lohan‘s career certainly looks bright, and there’s no denying that her Netflix rom-coms had a hand in her comeback.
