Meet Me Next Christmas happens to be one of the first of the many Christmas movies set to be released ahead of the holiday season. This new holiday movie on Netflix is about a woman who is seeking a man she had met a year before and made a cute pact with. She meets many people who help her to find ways to meet the guy she assumes is the man of her dreams.
Spoilers Ahead
Layla
Christina Milian is Layla in Meet Me Next Christmas, who runs into James at an airport lounge and hits it off with him immediately, even though she is in a relationship. Both make a pact to meet next year on Christmas at the Pentatonix concert if they’re both single. Layla remembers the pact a year later when she breaks up with her boyfriend Tanner, only days before the concert on Christmas day.
Layla is a romantic at heart, and believes James is the man for her, assuming he will wait for her as well. Since the concert is sold out, she goes out of her way to get her hands on a ticket. She takes assistance from a concierge company to get a ticket as her last resort. Teddy, the concierge, met her in the same airport lounge the previous year, but neither one of them remembers it. Layla is so fixated on finding the concert ticket and meeting James that she does not notice Teddy could be the right man for her. Layla also comes across as a generous person and, at times, the archetypal manic pixie dream girl who is obsessed with the idea of finding James. She is consumed by the idea of wanting to find her soulmate in the wake of her recent breakup.
The Pentatonix
The vocalists of the pop group Pentatonix, Matt Sallee, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Mitch Grassi play versions of themselves in the film. They are first mentioned in the film through Layla and her then-boyfriend Tanner. Both attended the concert every year on Christmas. She also mentioned them to James during her conversation with him in the lounge before they parted ways.Â
Since Layla’s breakup with her boyfriend was only a few days before Christmas, she remembers the pact with James to meet him at the Pentatonix concert. She also meets with Teddy in her pursuit to purchase a second-hand ticket to meet James. Pentatonix in this film plays the role of Cupid, introducing Layla to two eligible men who could be right for her. The pop group learns from Teddy about his pursuit to find the ticket for Layla thanks to his nonstop messages to their Instagram account. The members of the pop group witness Layla and Teddy’s ordeal and enjoy it. This is a distraction from their hectic touring life. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear why Pentatonix wants Layla to notice that Teddy loves her and stop seeking James. If they play the Cupid again, it would be Layla’s life coming full circle.
Teddy
Devale Ellis is Teddy in Meet Me Next Christmas, the concierge who is hired to help Layla find the Pentatonix concert ticket. This ticket is special for her, which he learns half way into the quest. Layla and Teddy do not remember meeting each other at the airport on the eve of Christmas last year. They, however, hit it off right from the start. Teddy is on the verge of losing his job, which forces him to go out of his way to help Layla procure the tickets. They soon get to know one another as the hours go by, and they become fast friends. Teddy comes across as an affable guy who’s generally harmless and understands her need to be at the concert. It is his brother and the little nudge from Pentatonix that help him come clean about his feelings for Layla.
Kalen Allen
Kalen Allen portrays the role of Jordy, Teddy’s youngest brother, who is hell bent on winning a dance competition. Jordy is mentioned when Teddy reveals his brother is in possession of a ticket Layla is looking for. If Jordy really does have a ticket, Layla will have to not spend a single penny on it. Jordy did have the ticket, but he put forth a deal to his brother and Layla. He wanted both to perform a dance at a Christmas-themed event. If they manage to bag first place, Jordy would give them the tickets. Jordy is a typical brother who can’t detect the chemistry between Teddy and Layla. He witnesses it on the dance floor and encourages Teddy to follow his heart instead of suppressing the feelings.
Roxy
Tymika Tafari is Roxy, Layla’s best friend, who is always by her side through thick and thin. Roxy is the first person who encourages her to go after James after Layla made the pact with him at the airport lounge. Roxy is an honest person who does not sugarcoat her opinions. She understands Layla’s confusion as her best friend is confused between her feelings for Teddy and James. Roxy is the kind of best friend everyone requires, and she does a good job being there for Layla when she needs it.
James
Kofi Siriboe portrays the role of James in Meet Me Next Christmas. He meets Layla at the airport lounge on the night of Christmas eve. James listens to the Pentatonix songs with Layla at the airport lounge and he likes it. The next second makes a pact with her just to keep the chemistry going. He asks Layla to meet him the next year at the Pentatonix concert if she is single. James was single at the moment when he conversed with her. He felt there was a spark between them, which made him propose the pact.
