Lindsay Lohan’s comeback into acting was in the form of a Netflix team-up for the rom-com Falling for Christmas. This holiday flick followed a spoiled heiress who developed amnesia after a skiing accident and was tended to by a lodge owner during Christmas. Lohan will continue servicing the genre with her upcoming Netflix movie Irish Wish, and I’m loving the romantic-comedy path she’s on.
Before the release of Falling for Christmas, Lindsay Lohan scored another rom-com for Netflix called Irish Wish about a bridesmaid who wishes for true love after her best friend gets engaged to the love of her life, only to wake up as the bride-to-be. However, living her fantasy shows her that her soul mate could be different than what she imagined. While The Parent Trap actress has been in plenty of rom-coms before, she explained to Tudum by Netflix what it is about her new role that shows a different side to her as an actress:
Maddie’s [one of the only] characters that I’ve played [who’s] a woman on her own making her way in the world. We shaped her in a way that she was a bit more insecure in the beginning, and then she grows throughout the movie, and by the end, she really comes into her own.
It looks like Irish Wish will be more about the journey of self-discovery than the importance of landing the man. Lindsay Lohan also said what she hopes audiences will get out of her new romantic comedy is the importance of putting yourself first. This is one of the many reasons why I think this feel-good genre is the perfect trajectory for the former Disney actress. Not only will she grace us once again with her physical comedy and cute, humorous moments, but Lohan will bring new elements not always seen in the rom-com genre, like the lesson of loving yourself.
As Falling for Christmas had so much success after it came out, it’s clear that the rom-com genre has been treating Lindsay Lohan well. Critics were loving the Freaky Friday actress’s return to acting, feeling it was her best work in years and that audiences would get something wonderful out of the holiday film. Rotten Tomatoes also listed the holiday rom-com as one of the best Christmas movies of all time, with Vanity Fair reporting it had the fourth-biggest opening weekend for a Netflix movie. It’s clear audiences want to see the New York native go back to her feel-good roots that made us love Lohan in the first place.
Thankfully, Lindsay Lohan’s rom-com train isn’t stopping anytime soon. Deadline reported that she and Wicked’s Kristin Chenoweth will take on a holiday rom-com together in Our Little Secret. The upcoming 2024 movie will be the second film of Lohan’s two-picture deal with the streaming service, and it follows two bitter exes forced to spend Christmas under the same roof when it’s discovered their current partners are siblings. This, again, looks like another rom-com that strays from the conventions of comedic attempts to chase after the one you love. Maybe this new holiday flick will be about the importance of moving on from your past with which audiences can resonate.
The Just My Luck star is on the verge of entering the growing ranks of classic rom-com actresses like Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts. Considering Falling for Christmas had great success after its release, I’d like to believe Irish Wish will have the same triumphs for the streaming service. Let's hope Lohan continues down this same rom-com path.
You can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year by watching the 2024 Netflix movie on March 15th. While you wait, you can also see Falling for Christmas on your Netflix subscription.
