As the temperature drops and daylight hours shorten, Netflix has once again launched its annual barrage of Christmas content, continuing the streaming giant's tradition of releasing festive films well before the holiday season properly begins. Their latest offering, Champagne Problems, joins the growing catalogue of seasonal romcoms that prioritise quantity over quality.
A Predictable Festive Formula
Directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson, whose previous Netflix romance Love in the Villa proved equally forgettable, Champagne Problems follows the well-worn path of corporate meets romantic storyline. The film stars Minka Kelly as Sydney Price, a career-focused private equity executive with perfect TV curls and an endless wardrobe of luxury coats, who represents every cliché of the ambitious businesswoman neglecting her personal life.
When her demanding boss, played by Mitchell Mullen, sends her to France to secure a Christmas takeover of a legacy champagne brand, Sydney's sister Skyler (Maeve Courtier-Lilley) extracts a promise that she'll take at least one night in Paris to experience life beyond spreadsheets and business meetings.
Parisian Romance Meets Corporate Conflict
The film's meet-cute occurs in an absurdly quaint Parisian bookstore, where Sydney encounters Tom Wozniczka as Henri Cassell, the charming heir to the very champagne vineyard she's been sent to acquire. As required by the genre, initial resistance gives way to romantic tension, complicated by the revelation that Henri's father Hugo (Thibault de Montalembert) is selling the family business.
The central conflict pits Sydney's genuine belief that she's saving rather than stripping the company against Henri's resentment about the sale and his surprisingly sharp criticism of private equity practices. Additional complications arrive in the form of rival bidders including a severe French grand dame (Astrid Whettnall), a stern German businessman (Flula Borg), and an unhinged gay billionaire (Sean Amsing).
Lacklustre Chemistry and Forgettable Execution
Despite the picturesque French setting and festive backdrop, Champagne Problems fails to sparkle. The chemistry between leads Kelly and Wozniczka remains serviceable at best, with Kelly projecting more maternal warmth than romantic passion. Wozniczka delivers the required dose of French charm and mild anguish but little beyond surface-level appeal.
Supporting character Ryan, played by Xavier Samuel, briefly enlivens proceedings with more compelling chemistry in his single scene with Kelly than emerges throughout the main romance. The film's gimmicks fall flat, the humour rarely lands, and the eventual happy ending feels both predictable and unearned.
Like the cheap bubbly referenced in its title, Champagne Problems provides momentary entertainment that quickly dissipates, leaving little lasting impression beyond the recognition that Netflix's Christmas movie machine continues to prioritise volume over quality in its festive offerings.
