Creative writers strive to find anything other than the often used New York City as a setting for Holiday movies, and the 2019 Netflix original “Holiday in the Wild” takes that to the next level.
When Manhattan upper classman Kate has her life upended by an unexpected divorce, she finds herself in the unique locale of Zambia, surrounded by jungle life on the African continent. Here she finds love, of course, but more importantly, herself, as she works at an Elephant sanctuary in the never-ending battle against poachers.
Borrowing the good and bad of a Hallmark Christmas movie, “Holiday in the Wild” has its moments of fun and merriment amidst some sloppy writing and odd pacing. It was written by Neal and Tippi Dobrofsky, and directed by Ernie Barbarash – all names you haven’t heard from before, and it shows.
‘Sex and the City’ star Kristen Davis plays Kate, and proves she’s a perfect choice for a cheesy Christmas movie. Davis has a certain cuteness factor that makes her loveable whenever she’s on screen. As the movie opens we see her obsessive nature as she plans out her family’s Christmas cards (despite it being August) and her broken heart moments later when her dull husband announces he’s leaving her. Kate is a tough woman, proving this when she travels to Zambia alone, and while the majority of the movie is set amidst the African safari, we thankfully get a few shots of Kristen Davis strolling around amidst the chaos of Manhattan.
Opposite Kristen Davis is Rob Lowe in the role of Derek, a typical stud who is afraid to let love in after the death of his wife (in true Hallmark style, it’s better to kill off the former partner than just have the marriage end in divorce). Derek is the ultimate outdoorsman; flying a tourist plane by day and working at the sanctuary at night. He’s the type of guy you like but can get annoyed with quickly. “Some people say it’s (the Cape Buffalo) the most dangerous animal out here. But it’s not.” Derek explains to Kate when they first meet. “What is?” She asks. “We are…” Okay, we get it. Humans are the worst.
“Holiday in the Wild” has some deficiencies that come as a result of poor writing and character direction. An antagonist is introduced in the sultry blonde Leslie (Haley Owen) but her character proves to be virtually pointless as far as the story goes. A scene near the end where Kate takes a new job is also just useless padding.
That said, it’s a really fun movie. Davis and Lowe are on-screen veterans, and prove they can handle even unorthodox roles such as this. They’re great together and have a pretty genuine rapport. It’s obvious they had fun making the movie. I loved the decision to cast middle aged adults. With Davis (54) and Lowe (55) it’s nice to see people other than 20 year old models struggling to find love. Fezile Mpela as Jonathan is a good comical addition to the cast. And as an animal lover myself, there’s plenty of shots of the majestic Elephants in their natural habitat, complete with babies bandying about, filmed at an actual African sanctuary.
I can’t give it a high grade due to the aforementioned shortcomings. But “Holiday in the Wild” is an enjoyable one time story that adds something different to the traditional Christmas movie story.
