Holiday Break: Hard Left Turn Into Horror

For our second holiday break episode, we step away from Westbridge and into full 2000s ABC Family chaos with Holiday in Handcuffs (2007), starring Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez. This unhinged Christmas rom-com follows Trudie, a woman having a very bad December, who kidnaps a stranger to pose as her boyfriend for the holidays—because obviously that’s the logical solution.

We break down the increasingly wild escalation of Trudie’s choices, the deeply uncomfortable family dynamics, the absolute refusal of anyone to believe a man claiming he’s been kidnapped, and the many, many coats Melissa Joan Hart wears throughout the film. We also discuss why this movie feels like it exists in the same cinematic universe as Killing the Competition. It’s messy, darkly funny, and somehow still very festive—perfect for a chaotic holiday break watch.