User Reviews

With a virtually all Indian cast and crew, every Indian trope and caricature is here. Set during Diwali (a floating holiday that occurs in late October or early November) we still see Christmas decorations. Really? And the weather is all wrong as well. It has much energy, and the two female leads are pretty (esp. Melanie, a total smoke show) but this project is mostly slapstick, with not much new in the genre. Hey, it's a fun romp, and a change from all the usual holiday films, but it's not going to be a breakout moment for our two leading ladies. Try again.

Melanie (Melanie Chandra) and Surina (Surina Jindal) are twentysomething westernized Indian best friends. Things are going wrong. It's Diwali. Melanie is coming off a bad relationship and gets pulled into a search for a $12 million blood diamond.

With the presence of Kal Penn, this reminds me of Harold & Kumar. Melanie is Harold and Surina is Kumar. They're good together. I love their chemistry. Everything else is a half step below. On a side note, I expected the ladies to be the writers or at least two of the writers. I'm not throwing shade at Sameer Gardezi who seems to be a prolific TV sitcom writer. I just want more of their voices in the words. All in all, I would like these two ladies to be a comedic team in either more of their own movies or even as side characters in other movies.

A very poorly directed show, with vein attempts and punchlines which fails to bring even a second of genuine laugh. Too hyper. And filled with overacting.

Didn't know what to expect. Saw a commercial for this and thought the two girls were funny so I tuned in. I'm not familiar with the Indian holiday Diwali nor as a white male can I completely identify with the issues these women are going through, but I have to say this was actually really funny. Found myself chuckling throughout - solid comedic timing of the two leads, but also the rest of the cast and cameos were hilarious. Sharp writing, great pacing. Just an enjoyable watch.

Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal spread some humor and heart in this very funny holiday romp that starts off on Diwali and very quickly derails into a diamond-caper, putting our two heroines in the wrong place at the wrong time, and escalating into a series of bizzarely funny and troublesome events.

The equally funny supporting cast includes Punam Patel, Nick Dodani, Aparna Nancherla, Ravi Patel, Richa Moorjani, Chris Gere, Lilly Singh, Kunal Dudheker, Ritesh Rajan, Desmond Chan, Chris Parnell, Titus Burgess, and Kal Penn in a funny cameo role.

As an Indian it was great to see the movie provide a rich diverse tapestry of South Asian characters with uniquely quirky and idiosyncratic personalities that provides an overall comedic tone that doesn't rely on stereotypes and Indian accents for cheap laughs, or generic stories about arranged marriages as filler plot--which is no surprise since this movie made by South Asians (Hollywood...take note) Okay rant over.

Overall I enjoyed this movie and I hope to see more comedies starring South Asians. Surina and Mel...you deserve your own show and I want to see more adventures!

So tired of Hallmark films and no one on film looking like me or getting diluted by most of the other cast. Though I am not South Asian, the fact that there is film on traditions not based on everyday "American" Christmas/Holiday love stories, is a start to educating others what really does make up the real population in the US. The story transcends and speaks to other cultures just because it is different and reflective of what it is like to have an alt background to what is always on TV. And the film is good. Win-Win. I mean the UK brought on "Goodness Gracious Me" in 1996. This is 2021 - why has it taken so long. Time to get your stick on and watch Surina and Mel take charge.

Hot Mess Holiday is the buddy comedy that the world desperately needed. In genuinely hilarious performances from a star-studded ensemble cast, the holiday comedy delivers hilarious moments consistently from start to finish. The intelligently written, and consistent laugh inducing script paired an all-too-real buddy adventure comedy with a holiday classic vibes!

Hot Mess Holiday is a fresh take in a genre of comedy that desperately needed a refresher! Melanie and Surina play off of each other authentically, and the plot driven script keeps the audience guessing on what will happen next, from start to finish. The cast compliments each other nicely, with versatility and impeccable comedic timing!

Whether you're South Asian or not, it doesn't matter, this movie is about adventure, friendship, and finding the courage to be yourself! The honesty of the story will keep audience members looking for a genuine story thoroughly entertained. If you love intelligently written adventure comedies with characters that make you laugh from your belly, well this movie is for you! If you buddy comedies, or love the holiday feels, or just want to feel the feels, then this movie is also for you!

Beautiful cast, unique story line, relatable moments (aunties asking about marital status), random things thrown in that make it anything but predicable...really a cute, entertaining movie. Keep at it!

So funny, I watched it twice. Proof that we need more voices like these!!! Melanie and Surina have great chemistry, and I hope to see more of them onscreen. Tons of fast-paced dialogue, irreverent jokes, and clever cultural observations. A must-see for Diwali!

I loved this movie!! It was so cute, like a best friend rom-com. Loved the interplay between Surina and Mel -- I would love to see more of these characters onscreen. This is the makings of a great comedic "odd couple" duo.

Also, as a South Asian woman myself, I was really happy with the way my culture was represented onscreen. It wasn't heavy-handed, it wasn't the butt of the joke or the driving force of the movie -- Surina and Mel are just two American girls who happen to be Indian.

The side characters were HILARIOUS. The world needs more of Sheila! And, of course, love the Kal Penn cameos -- very Harold & Kumar-esque.

Overall, a really fun, sweet movie to enjoy for some light-hearted fun. This movie inspired me to get closer to my girlfriends!1

Let's see more of Surina & Mel!

This was, undoubtedly, one of the funniest made for TV movies I've seen. I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Even if you put aside what this film achieved by being the first movie led by 2 south Asian females, this was EPIC. We need more voices like these. This movie is a great example why south Asians voices need to be amplified because without voices like Melanie's and Surina's we'd be missing out on incredible gems like Hot Mess Holiday.

Hot Mess Holiday (2021) -

This film was like a cheap episode of a larger series and it was awful. I could tell that it wasn't going to be my thing within minutes. The characters were terrible and unappealing, they were send ups of themselves.

It was also kind of reverse racist towards the boss who was represented as an idiot about how to deal with people of colour.

It was unclear where the story was going, especially as a romantic lead make hadn't even been established by the time the first break came.

As such and although it wasn't very long, I couldn't bring myself to watch it all, when I had other films that I knew I would like more.

Unscored as Unfinished.