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Home - Movies - Christmas Rescue (2023) – Movie Review/Summary

Christmas Rescue (2023) – Movie Review/Summary

If you ever wondered how far can Christmas movies go to make it seem like love can push past damn near anything, come and read about “Christmas Rescue.”

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted onDecember 16, 2023 2:20 PMDecember 25, 2024 8:13 AM Hours Updated onDecember 25, 2024 8:13 AM
Title Card - Christmas Rescue (2023)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.


Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.


  • General Information
    • Content Rating Explanation
  • Plot Summary
    • Character Descriptions
      • Chelsea
      • Keith
      • Dwayne
      • Charles
      • William
      • Kym
      • Rose
  • Review
    • Highlights
      • Eventually, You Move Past The Grays Of The Relationship
    • Low Points
      • Dwayne and Charles
    • On The Fence
      • Forgiveness In 24 Hours?
    • Who Is This For?
    • Recommendations

General Information

Director(s)

William Givens-Jensen

Screenplay By

Robin Givens, William Givens-Jensen, and Shateka “SJ” Johnson

Based On Work By

N/A

Date Released

December 14, 2023

How To Watch

BET Plus

Genre(s)

Comedy

Romance

Young Adult

Holiday

Film Length

1 Hour 24 Minutes

Content Rating

Rated TV-14

Noted Characters and Cast

Chelsea

Samantha Neyland Trumbo

Keith

Cameron Bailey

Dwayne

Catfish Jean

Charles

Donny Carrington

William

Mario Van Peebles

Kym

Raven Goodwin

Rose

Robin Givens

Content Rating Explanation

  • Dialog: Nothing notable
  • Violence: Nothing notable
  • Sexual Content: Nothing notable
  • Miscellaneous: Drinking

Plot Summary

Three is the magic number in “Christmas Rescue.” It has been three years since Chelsea’s mom, Rose, died, three years since she has seen her ex, Keith, and his best friend, Dwayne, and three years since Chelsea’s current fiancé, Charles, had his company listed as a Fortune 500 company. But, despite the time that has passed and Chelsea moving on, Keith, with Dwayne, decide to kidnap Chelsea on her wedding day, likely with help from Chelsea’s best friend Kym, to the dismay of Chelsea’s father, William.

Now, as you can imagine, since Dwayne and Keith pulled a fire alarm and kidnapped Chelsea, Charles is worried, but with William having an idea who did it, and with Keith getting Chelsea to agree to give him 24 hours to win her over, the cops aren’t called. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t major issues between all parties that may not lead to 9-1-1 needing to be called.

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Chelsea

Samantha Neyland Trumbo as Chelsea
“Samantha Neyland Trumbo as Chelsea,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

Chelsea is a marketing wizard who was supposed to get married to her father’s business partner, but then she was kidnapped by the man who abandoned her around the time her mom died three years ago.

Keith

Cameron Bailey as Keith
“Cameron Bailey as Keith,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

If you go by William’s opinion, Keith is a dreamer. He was a sweet kid who he didn’t mind having around the house, especially since his mom and dad weren’t an active part of his life. But as for being with, even marrying his daughter? Keith wasn’t seen as good enough.

Dwayne

Catfish Jean as Dwayne
“Catfish Jean as Dwayne,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

Dwayne is Keith’s best friend, who is a chef, speaks French, and is a known mother’s boy.

Charles

Marion Van Peebles as William and Donny Carrington as Charles
“Marion Van Peebles as William and Donny Carrington as Charles,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

Charles Duncan owns a Fortune 500 company that William is working with in hopes of keeping the company afloat.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Rolling Into Christmas.”

William

William is Chelsea’s father, who is a widow, owns a construction company and works with Charles to keep his business afloat.

Kym

Raven Goodwin as Kym
“Raven Goodwin as Kym,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

Chelsea’s best friend Kym is pro her getting back with Keith.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Single Black Female.”

Rose

Robin Givens as Rose
“Robin Givens as Rose,” Christmas Rescue, directed by William Givens-Jensen, 2023, (OWN)

Rose is Chelsea’s mother and Keith’s surrogate mom, who was encouraging and inspiring in Keith’s life.

  • The actor is also known for their role in “Never Heard.”

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

Highlights

Eventually, You Move Past The Grays Of The Relationship

Yes, this is that type of Christmas romance movie – the kind where a person is already in a committed relationship, in this case at the altar, and then someone swoops in, and you are expected to get on board.

For most movies, it is hard to get past the jumping around from relationship to relationship, but what “Christmas Rescue” does is make sure you are taking the intruder’s side and, on top of that, giving the intruder history with the person they are trying to win back.

To add to the situation, Keith and Chelsea have known each other since they were 9, and Chelsea’s mom LOVED Keith like he was her own. William? Not so much, but you get it – no one could potentially be good enough for his daughter. And the more you learn about them, the more you see how Chelsea’s mom could act as a bridge to them reconciling, and the easier it gets to try to move past the fact that he literally kidnapped this woman to get a chance to talk to her.

Low Points

Dwayne and Charles

While Kym is a comical character you can appreciate, Dwayne and Charles are just caricatures. Charles is the prissy rich boy who doesn’t like to get his hands dirty and couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting him. Then Dwayne? When I say I sighed and rolled my eyes every time that man was on the screen.

You see, the problem with Dwayne is that he is extra in the worst way. He’s a momma’s boy, has a slew of fat kid jokes that he doesn’t always feel in on, and he also acts as a means of slowing down Chelsea and Keith reconnecting. Whether it is interrupting their moments, not coming through for things Keith asked him to do, or being unnecessary comic relief.

On The Fence

Forgiveness In 24 Hours?

Let’s play out the entire scenario: Keith and Chelsea have been friends since they were nine. Keith has spent every Christmas with Chelsea and a lot of time beyond that since his mom is gone and his dad worked a lot.

With the foundation established, they eventually dated for a long time, but with William making Keith feel less than and pushing Chelsea to do better and be better, they didn’t get engaged or become something more. Then her mom dies, and Keith disappears until three years later when Chelsea is about to be locked down by marriage.

I don’t know about you, but 24 hours doesn’t seem like enough to unravel the abandonment and then all the drama that comes from us learning what led to Keith’s disappearance. It just isn’t enough time, and then when you add in he kidnapped her? Which is CRAZY?! If you don’t find this couple cute or Keith endearing, you may struggle to overcome the obstacles many Christmas romances put in place.

Who Is This For?

“Christmas Rescue” fits the mold for those who love a messy romance.

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

  1. Something From Tiffany’s
  2. A Christmas Stray

Check out our movies page for our latest movie reviews and recommendations.


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Listed Under Categories: Movies, Mixed (Divisive)

Related Tags: BET Plus, Cameron Bailey, Catfish Jean, Comedy, Donny Carrington, Holiday, Mario Van Peebles, Rated TV-14, Raven Goodwin, Robin Givens, Romance, Samantha Neyland Trumbo, Shateka “SJ” Johnson, William Givens-Jensen, Young Adult

Amari Allah

Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.

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