Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysLGBTQ+ Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Christmas Pen Pals

  • TV Movie
  • 20182018
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Sarah Drew in Christmas Pen Pals (2018)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Romance
After being dumped by her boyfriend, a successful tech wiz dating-app creator returns to her hometown for the holiday season, and her dad gets her to sign up for the annual Christmas Cupid a... Read allAfter being dumped by her boyfriend, a successful tech wiz dating-app creator returns to her hometown for the holiday season, and her dad gets her to sign up for the annual Christmas Cupid anonymous matchmaking event.After being dumped by her boyfriend, a successful tech wiz dating-app creator returns to her hometown for the holiday season, and her dad gets her to sign up for the annual Christmas Cupid anonymous matchmaking event.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Siobhan Devine
  • Writer
    • Carley Smale
  • Stars
    • Sarah Drew
    • Niall Matter
    • Michael Gross
Top credits
  • Director
    • Siobhan Devine
  • Writer
    • Carley Smale
  • Stars
    • Sarah Drew
    • Niall Matter
    • Michael Gross
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 16User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Photos

    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sarah Drew
    Sarah Drew
    • Hannah Morris
    Niall Matter
    Niall Matter
    • Sam Watson
    Michael Gross
    Michael Gross
    • Ted
    Chiara Zanni
    Chiara Zanni
    • Lucy
    Nicholas Holmes
    • Max
    William Vaughan
    William Vaughan
    • Joe
    Kathleen Duborg
    Kathleen Duborg
    • Susan
    Naika Toussaint
    Naika Toussaint
    • Julie
    Vincent Dangerfield
    Vincent Dangerfield
    • Greg
    Giles Panton
    Giles Panton
    • Daniel
    Latonya Williams
    Latonya Williams
    • Sarah
    Christine Willes
    Christine Willes
    • Martha
    Cardi Wong
    Cardi Wong
    • Spencer
    Nevis Unipan
    Nevis Unipan
    • Lizzy
    Catherine Lough Haggquist
    Catherine Lough Haggquist
    • Naomi
    Jesse Arthur Carroll
    Jesse Arthur Carroll
    • Mike Jones
    • (as Jesse Carroll)
    Jag Bal
    Jag Bal
    • Ian
    Emanuel Fappas
    Emanuel Fappas
    • Worker
    • Director
      • Siobhan Devine
    • Writer
      • Carley Smale
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Snowed-Inn Christmas
    7.2
    Snowed-Inn Christmas
    Christmas Around the Corner
    6.6
    Christmas Around the Corner
    Twinkle All the Way
    6.3
    Twinkle All the Way
    Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater
    6.7
    Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater
    Falling for Christmas
    6.1
    Falling for Christmas
    Frozen in Love
    6.6
    Frozen in Love
    Picture a Perfect Christmas
    6.8
    Picture a Perfect Christmas
    Marrying Father Christmas
    6.2
    Marrying Father Christmas
    Country at Heart
    6.2
    Country at Heart
    Love at First Dance
    6.5
    Love at First Dance
    Finding Father Christmas
    6.8
    Finding Father Christmas
    A Christmas Together with You
    6.5
    A Christmas Together with You

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      There's a line in the movie where he says he sold an overpriced condo to actor Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Fallon had no idea about this mention until he watched the movies out 2 years after it came out and saw the reference he then addressed it on the Tonight Show

    User reviews16

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    You've got charm
    The films seen in my recent Christmas films quest, done to broaden my horizons a little, were variable in quality. Some were surprisingly well done, some were decent/above average, some were watchable but nothing special and some were really not good at all. No masterpieces, the highest rating given so far reviewing them slowly here has been an 8 given to a few, really but there were not many actually that were irredeemably awful as well.

    'Christmas Pen Pals' is one of the decent ones. It didn't wow me by all means but considering that the premise didn't leap out at me as amazing and could have been really mundane if done badly, this was a nice surprise and a pleasant diversion as long as one doesn't expect too much. A message gotten throughout this particular quest, though sometimes when a component is done really badly, like no likeable characters, a story that never grabs, poor acting and chemistry and cringe-worthy dialogue, it is not easy at all to overlook or forgive. Luckily, 'Christmas Pen Pals' doesn't suffer too awfully from those problems compared to other films from the quest.

    Sure, 'Christmas Pen Pals' has issues. Am another person that found Hannah difficult to warm to at first, her shrill and try-too-hard manner did grate. The dialogue is corn and cheese filled at times and can be quite weak.

    Was expecting the film to be pretty predictable, and that was exactly what the story was. Much of it was easily telegraphed early on, granted it has a pretty cliched though relatable premise in the first place and nothing is particularly creative here in the execution of it.

    On the other hand, 'Christmas Pen Pals' is very nicely shot with the scenery having a cosy charm. The music is not over-bearing or syrupy and is quite nostalgic. There are enough amusing and sweet moments in the writing, even having a nice and not too preachy message, and the film is hardly without soul. Actually found much of it still very charming and heart-warming, as well as easy to like. The direction didn't in my mind come from somebody who didn't care, the character interaction was not stiff or static and the spirit of Christmas is handled just about right.

    Despite not being sure at first, once Hannah calmed down as a character and Sarah Drew relaxed more the characters were engaging and hard to not relate to and the leads' chemistry was sweet without being sappy. The actors all do well, apart from Drew overdoing it at first. Niall Matter is charmingly understated and so easy to endear to, and Michael Gross is entertaining veteran support.

    Summing up, decent. 7/10
    helpful•0
    4
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Jan 14, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 15, 2018 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Navidad por correspondencia
    • Filming locations
      • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,200,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Sarah Drew in Christmas Pen Pals (2018)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Christmas Pen Pals (2018) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in July
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    The Best Movies Coming This Summer
    See the full list

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.