FreddiePrinzeJr – Credits Rolling

Thirty years after the original, I Know What You Did Last Summer has been given the legacy sequel treatment. When a group of friends inadvertently cause a car accident, they make a pact that they will never discuss the events of that night. One year later they discover that someone knows what they did and this person is hellbent on revenge.

I only got around to seeing the first two films about a month ago. My first foray into this franchise was with the 2021 television series. When I heard that a sequel was being made and that it featured a bunch of actors that I like, I decided to finally do my homework. These films were right up my alley which I guess is no surprise considering the creator, Kevin Williamson, was also behind Scream.

This new version was a total blast. Right from the beginning we are brought into the lives of this new group of friends: Ava (Chase Sui Wonders), Danica (Madelyn Cline), Milo (Jonah Hauer-King), Teddy (Tyriq Withers) and Stevie (Sarah Pidgeon) and the night that changes their lives forever. Though the acting chops weren’t the best, I absolutely loved every moment that Cline was on screen. Danica had so many fabulous one liners that were delivered flawlessly. I also thought Wonders did a decent job as our leading lady.

With any legacy sequel there needs to be plenty of callbacks to the original. The major one here was the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt as Julie James and Freddie Prinze Jr. as Ray Bronson. This was the series that catapulted them to stardom and seeing them back in these iconic roles was truly brilliant. My crush on Prinze Jr. was also reignited throughout the almost two hour runtime.

It was obvious pretty early on that the stakes were so much higher. There were so many jump scares and the kills themselves were way more gory and surprising. I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t closing my eyes during many of them. Where the film dwindles is in its final act when one of the twists comes so out of left field it will certainly leave viewers divided. I was completely shocked, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I do think it could have been explained better though.

Overall I Know What You Did Last Summer may not have been necessary, but I had a great time with it. I felt like it did a great job encapsulating that nineties feeling and went full force on the slasher front. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it didn’t have to be.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Pop star Angelina (Aimee Garcia) used to be on top of the world, but she hasn’t felt that way lately. When the head of her label suggests she write a Christmas song, Angelina is beside herself. Ever since her mom passed away a couple years ago, she’s struggled to find the holiday spirit. But when she stumbles upon a video of one of her fans on social media, Angelina feels her luck may be changing. Cristina (Deja Monique Cruz) and her dad Miguel (Freddie Prince Jr.) are surprised when the superstar seeks them out. Learning that Miguel writes music, Angelina believes that all her problems will soon be over.

I had high expectations for my second Christmas film of the season, though if I’m being honest, I really wanted to watch this because of Freddie Prinze Jr. My teenage heart could hardly contain itself when news broke that he was finally coming back to the silver screen. A heartthrob then and now, I enjoyed nothing more than being able to watch him for an hour and a half uninterrupted.

Having previously starred in Netflix’s Lucifer, being able to see Aimee Garcia in something new was a treat. The role of Angelina could have been an interesting one, but at times I felt like something was missing. It was as if the emotions weren’t as genuine enough and her lines didn’t quite meet the eyes. At least she can sing! I wish she had better chemistry with Prince Jr. too. The familial relationship between Miguel, Cristina and Frida (Socorro Santiago) was fine enough, but it felt all too familiar after having just watched Falling For Christmas a week ago. That being said, I did appreciate the heavy Latino influences and learning more about a quinceanera. Additionally, the role of Monique (Zenzi Williams), Angelina’s dutiful assistant provided some much needed comedic relief.

Christmas With You had all the ingredients for a fabulous holiday movie and while there were some cute moments, I expected more. The fact that the storyline was very similar to this year’s Marry Me didn’t help as that was such a home run for me.

Rating: ♥♥