Stream It or Skip It: ‘A Christmas Intern’ on Lifetime, in Which A Retired Jackée Becomes an Intern to Help Her Daughter’s Business Over the Holidays

One thing I can really respect about 2023’s Lifetime holiday movie slate is that there are titles telling the stories of people of all ages, because hello, there’s no age limit on experiencing romance or Christmas magic! A Christmas Intern is one such movie that not only centers on an older woman finding newfound love and purpose in the second half of her life but also makes an effort to represent different generations and bridge the gap. But does this Jackée Harry, Ciarra Carter, and Vivica A. Fox-led movie do enough to earn a spot on your holiday streaming list? Keep reading to find out.

A CHRISTMAS INTERN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Alexis Willis (Ciarra Carter) is the Los Angeles-based young and accomplished CEO of Cyber Santa, an online gift-giving business in its first year of operations. She’s hoping to keep things running smoothly through a very busy holiday season in order to secure an investment from River Road Capital, whose executive Charlotte (Vivica A. Fox) sends employee Donte Rogers (Doug Rogers) to check on the business and make sure it’s worth the investment. But when sparks start flying between Charlotte and Donte, they struggle to balance a budding relationship while also attempting to remain dedicated to their respective jobs.

Complicating matters further is the fact that Alexis’s mother, Cecilia (Jackée Harry), has shown up at her daughter’s home out of the blue, deciding to fly in from Florida after Alexis says she won’t have time to visit for Christmas. Determined to spend time with her daughter while also helping her to the best of her abilities, Cecilia decides to come out of retirement to become an unpaid intern at Alexis’s start-up that desperately needs extra help but can’t afford to add anyone else to payroll with River Road breathing down their necks. Though she initially shakes things up at Cyber Santa in ways that Alexis and some of her employees aren’t prepared for, Cecilia just might end up being the breath of fresh air they all need to help make it through the holiday season happy and whole.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: It’s kind of impossible not to watch this movie about an older person starting over at the bottom as an intern at a very young, tech-savvy company, only to offer an unexpected and beneficial fresh perspective, without being reminded of 2013 comedy The Internship.

Performance Worth Watching: Jackée Harry is lovable, charismatic, and natural as Cecilia Willis. She lights things up whenever she’s onscreen and has good chemistry with most of her scene partners, in particular Ciarra Carter. The two really sell the mother-daughter relationship, and it’s hard not to admire Harry’s Cecilia in her unwavering and energetic support of Alexis.

Memorable Dialogue: “Fortune favors the bold!” And evidently, it favors people who say this exact quote multiple times. WE GET IT, DONTE, JEEZ!

A Holiday Tradition: It’s a tradition for Cecilia and Alexis to always spend Christmas together no matter what’s going on and where they are. For this reason, Cecilia flies from Florida to California to stay with her daughter for the holidays, thus sparking her journey to becoming a Christmas intern.

Does the Title Make Any Sense?: There’s an intern and it’s Christmastime, makes plenty of sense to me.

Our Take: A Christmas Intern is undoubtedly a cheesy holiday movie, but the likable characters, especially the mother-daughter duo Cecilia and Alexis, breathe genuine life and warmth into the story, making any cheesiness more endearing than anything else. Plus, what’s the holiday movie genre without a bit of schmaltz?

If anything, the actors all seem to understand that these movies sometimes require a little bit of goofiness and whimsy, and they all seem to fully embrace that, which ends up giving all of the characters added personality that shines through the screen. In addition to some cute romances you actually root for, there are also great dynamics between characters that are refreshing to see, namely in the way that they’re able to openly communicate with one another and be open to change and growth. Some holiday movies might have made Cyber Santa VP of marketing Gemma (Jamie Bernadette) a villain, so it was very refreshing and nice to see her and Cecilia initially butt heads but then get along after Gemma reflects on her behavior and apologizes.

With that example in mind, A Christmas Intern also does a nice job of representing generational differences around work culture and communication. The whole issue of advertising solely digitally versus also incorporating print media and radio was an interesting one, and it was nice to see people overcome pride to be willing to collaborate, change, and grow. Also it was awesome seeing both Cyber Santa and River Road Capital being led by women. Let’s go, ladies!

Overall, A Christmas Intern is predictable, for sure, but the story is unique enough by Christmas movie standards, and also is bolstered by a strong cast who understood the assignment, so overall it ends up still feeling like an enjoyable, easy watch that’s also weirdly informative about finance. I mean, where else can you find a holiday movie that can teach you about the Christmas spirit, the importance of family, and venture capitalist practices? Now that’s range.

Our Call: STREAM IT! A Christmas Intern is a cute mother-daughter story just unique and charming enough to feel worth watching this holiday season.