December is fast approaching and that means ‘tis the season for 
Netflix to get in the Hallmark spirit with a string of clichéd, fluffy, mostly hollow festive movies for lovers of all things schmaltzy to get them through the cold nights. In a shocking turn of events, though, the latest of these movies has not only popped its cork as the streamer’s global number 1 movie, but has drawn in some unexpectedly positive reviews.
First off, let’s not start by believing that Champagne Problems is a movie that is out to clear the board at the Oscars, or even be remembered beyond its five minutes of fame that is happening right now. However, the romantic holiday movie is getting off to a better start than many of last year’s “cotton candy” movies, as long as you are willing to accept that you have seen it all before many times. The plot of the movie goes a little like this:
“Sydney Price (Minka Kelly) is a determined emerging executive who finally gets her chance to lead a major acquisition for a beloved champagne house. When she hears she has been summoned to France around Christmas as part of the negotiations, she arrives in the city of lights with a hopeful heart and ready to close the deal. Taking one night off to soak in the magic of Paris over the holidays, Sydney has an unexpectedly charming run-in with Henri Cassell (Tom Wozniczka), a stranger who turns one simple evening into something special. But her plans for a whirlwind romance are quickly upended when she discovers that this charming Parisian is the founder’s son of the very company she is hoping to acquire. Yet, even amidst the gentle competition set by Hugo Cassell (Thibault de Montalemert) for all the potential buyers at the family vineyard, Sydney and Henri find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, realizing that their burgeoning feelings might be hard to keep bottled up.”
If you need a moment to allow the saccharine to leave your system, you can continue on in a few moments after watching the movie’s trailer below – because that will help.
‘Champagne Problems’ Is Exactly the Type of Movie to Dominate Netflix This Time of Year
When it comes to this time of year, Netflix has made it their business to challenge the best at creating some throwaway nonsense, usually involving shirtless men and cute young women, that really hit the spot for a “Hallmark Christmas.” While Champagne Problems has “a ton of problems that cannot be solved by Champagne” according to one review, and is “too cheesy” in the review of another, the rest of the reviews are more than happy to go along with this movie being one that is worth throwing away 99 minutes on (surely there’s another problem joke in that runtime).
One review from Collider’s Isabella Soares says the movie is the “perfect combo for what you anticipate from a seasonal title.” This is something echoed in the audience reviews, while one specifically notes that it “leans on all the cookie-cutter stories you’ve probably seen a thousand times, but for once, it actually does them right.”
There have not been enough reviews to actually generate a score for the movie, but a quick totting up would expect it to sit somewhere in the 75-85% range, a strong win compared to the many “rotten” movies of its type from the last few years. Go on, you know you want to click it.
- Release Date
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November 19, 2025
- Director
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Mark Steven Johnson
- Writers
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Mark Steven Johnson
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Xavier Samuel
Ryan Garner
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Tom Wozniczka
Henri Cassell
