Ever since Netflix announced last year that Lindsay Lohan, terror of the mid-aughts whom I love so much, was going to star in a Christmas romantic comedy for the platform, I worried. How will she screw this up? I wondered. But I guess I could have spent my time thinking about other things, because the Christmas movie is here now, and Lohan is doing a great job at promoting it.
The last time Lohan did press for a movie was in 2013, for Paul Schrader’s The Canyons. That didn’t go so well. But now, the part-time Dubai resident is relaxed, refreshed, married to a rando, and capable of saying normal things in a Cosmo cover story. Let’s review:
TV and media appearances: Surprisingly uneventful
In the lead-up to the movie release this past weekend, Lohan appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan, made appearances on Good Morning America and The Tonight Show Starring The Dreaded Jimmy Fallon, and she has since done The Drew Barrymore Show and a photoshoot with Who What Wear. She’s back to her classic red hair, and she is not speaking in an implacable fake accent. She’s not saying anything wacky, either: The biggest headline to come out of these press hits is that she is considering doing a Freaky Friday sequel with Jamie Lee Curtis. Now I’m thinking of this song, which rocks:
A+
Petty disagreements: Minimal
In the past, Lohan’s press tours have been eclipsed by various tabloid dramas and feuds. But this time, she has not gotten into it with anyone, and has in fact mended a past disagreement. Back in 2019, Lohan criticized stylist Law Roach on Instagram for his client Zendaya’s Cinderella-inspired Met Gala look (she thought Claire Danes did it better). Now, Lohan is working with Roach, and guess what, she looks good. This is literal growth and we have to applaud.
A+
Reliance on Mean Girls nostalgia: We can forgive it
Lohan announced her new movie on October 3, which is “Mean Girls Day.” She also released a “Jingle Bell Rock” single to promote the movie, and of course that’s from Mean Girls, too. Maybe next time she won’t have to do that.
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The actual movie, which is called Falling for Christmas: Not that bad
It has a 58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is technically an F. But it still scored better than last year’s big Netflix Christmas movie starring Vanessa Hudgens, titled The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star. Win!
A+
Dina Lohan management skills: Much improved
While Lindsay will never truly be free until she sends her mother to a deserted island from which she cannot return, Dina Lohan’s interference in this press tour has been minimal. Yes, she insisted on attending the Falling for Christmas premiere with Lindsay, and yes, she has posted typically weird stuff about it on Instagram, but she hasn’t thrown herself in front of TMZ cameras or gotten arrested or anything. Whoever is watching her is doing a great job.
A+
I look forward to seeing whether or not Lindsay can keep this up when her next Netflix movie, a wedding-themed rom-com titled Irish Wish, premieres in 2023. I’m sure it will be great.
