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A California Christmas: City Lights

A California Christmas: City Lights

Romance · Comedy · Drama · 2021

Follows Callie and Joseph one year after they fell in love, now running a dairy farm and winery, but their romance is threatened when business and family obligations call Joseph back to the city.

Movie details

A California Christmas: City Lights

2021 Romance · Comedy · Drama 1h 45m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Follows Callie and Joseph one year after they fell in love, now running a dairy farm and winery, but their romance is threatened when business and family obligations call Joseph back to the city.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over A California Christmas: City Lights?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Shaun Paul Piccinino

Written by

Lauren Swickard

Lauren Swickard

Lauren Swickard

Callie

Josh Swickard

Josh Swickard

Joseph

Ali Afshar

Ali Afshar

Leo

David Del Rio

David Del Rio

Manny

Natalia Mann

Natalia Mann

Hannah

Gunnar Anderson

Gunnar Anderson

Connor

Noah James

Noah James

Owen

Court is in session

Put A California Christmas: City Lights on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.