{"id":10137,"date":"2022-12-15T17:55:47","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T00:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=10137"},"modified":"2022-12-15T17:59:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T00:59:39","slug":"the-christmas-challenge-perfect-holiday-romance-film-humorous-and-engaging-script-great-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2022\/the-christmas-challenge-perfect-holiday-romance-film-humorous-and-engaging-script-great-performances\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Challenge * Perfect Holiday Romance Film &#8211; Humorous And Engaging Script &#8211; Great Performances"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.poster.jpg?resize=102%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10140\" width=\"102\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.poster.jpg?resize=203%2C300&amp;ssl=1 203w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.poster.jpg?resize=692%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 692w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.poster.jpg?resize=768%2C1137&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.poster.jpg?w=1013&amp;ssl=1 1013w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 102px) 100vw, 102px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Podcast host Laura Ross and her longtime friend and producer Paul are challenged to re-examine their personal and professional relationships when a listener submits the daily &#8220;Christmas Challenge&#8221; that promotes togetherness to their ambitious &#8220;Modernly Independent&#8221; podcast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eshaan M. comments, \u201cThe Christmas Challenge is the perfect holiday romance film to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy. With a humorous and engaging script and great performances, you\u2019ll love watching the dynamic between Laura and Paul evolve in this heartwarming film.\u201d See his full review and interview below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Christmas Challenge<br>By Eshaan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic age 16<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4p1OjXExyCo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Christmas Challenge<\/em> is the perfect holiday romance film to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy. With a humorous and engaging script and great performances, you\u2019ll love watching the dynamic between Laura and Paul evolve in this heartwarming film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6FsYae7zzSg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.a.jpg?resize=225%2C127&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10139\" width=\"225\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.a.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.a.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.a.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.a.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>The Christmas Challenge <\/em>follows two enterprising media professionals. Podcast host Laura Ross (Jennica Schwartzman) and her close friend and producer Paul (Zack Gold) are challenged to re-examine their personal and professional relationships when well-wishing friends pose as listeners and submit the daily &#8220;Christmas Challenge&#8221; that promotes togetherness to their ambitious &#8220;Modernly Independent&#8221; podcast. And when corporate representative Michale (Galadriel Stineman) enters the foray to assess their podcast, matters grow even more complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The writing by Ryan Schwartzman is one of the best parts of the film. With its natural dialogue and banter between Laura and Paul and the well thought-out plot, <em>The Christmas Challenge <\/em>doesn\u2019t miss a beat. Jennica Schwartzman steals the show as Laura; she captures the angst of a woman both desperate to be independent and desiring companionship with delicacy. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.b.jpg?resize=225%2C127&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10138\" width=\"225\" height=\"127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.b.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.b.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.b.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/thechristmaschallenge.b.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>And you have to love Zack Gold; as he plays Paul, the \u201cnice guy\u201d trope \u2014 he\u2019s 100% invested in winning over Laura at all times and that wishful glint in his eye adds so much to the film. Overall, a wonderfully made film!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Christmas Challenge<\/em> promotes togetherness and love. For those who are especially focused on their work and intent on being independent, this film is a reminder that it\u2019s perfectly okay to: (a) succumb to your feelings and (b) spend time with those you love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-background-color has-background\">I give <em>The Christmas Challenge<\/em> 5 stars out of 5 and recommend it for ages 12 to 18, plus adults. You can watch <em>The Christmas Challenge<\/em> on the\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/upfaithandfamily.com\/stream\/?utm_source=google_ads&amp;utm_medium=x&amp;utm_source=google_ads&amp;utm_medium=pmax&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_campaign=holiday&amp;utm_content=brand&amp;hsa_acc=6769570697&amp;hsa_cam=18276411550&amp;hsa_grp=&amp;hsa_ad=&amp;hsa_src=x&amp;hsa_tgt=&amp;hsa_kw=&amp;hsa_mt=&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAvqGcBhCJARIsAFQ5ke5gGO579knOg4PLJnGS0m_8BaN9X_IXDpPthh7ARFEEwEYMVKXfpbsaAqlWEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\">Up Faith &amp; Family<\/a>\u00a0streaming service and app plus several platforms including ITunes, Vudu and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-vivid-purple-color has-luminous-vivid-amber-background-color has-text-color has-background has-medium-font-size\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/gofund.me\/dd0a0476\" target=\"_blank\">Support Future Creatives of Tomorrow<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BEMCUXg7vJM?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Podcast host Laura Ross and her longtime friend and producer Paul are challenged to re-examine their personal and professional relationships when a listener submits the daily &#8220;Christmas Challenge&#8221; that promotes togetherness to their ambitious &#8220;Modernly Independent&#8221; podcast.<\/p>\n<p>KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Eshaan M. comments, \u201cThe Christmas Challenge is the perfect holiday romance film to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy. With a humorous and engaging script and great performances, you\u2019ll love watching the dynamic between Laura and Paul evolve in this heartwarming film.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4949,15],"tags":[6026,6023,1783,20,6020,6024,6027,6019,6021,6016,6018,6017,1166,6025,6015,3146,6028,6022,6014],"class_list":["post-10137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature-film","category-feature-film-reviews","tag-alicia-haymer","tag-betsy-johnson","tag-by-kids-for-kids","tag-christmas","tag-elliott-renee-west","tag-family-friendly","tag-galadriel-stineman","tag-henry-haggard","tag-hunter-west","tag-jennica-schwartzman","tag-jessica-anderson","tag-merry-christmas","tag-movie-reviews","tag-mykie-fisher","tag-natalie-ruffino-wilson","tag-podcast","tag-rodger-d-eldridge","tag-the-christmas-challenge","tag-zack-gold"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-2Dv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10137"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10168,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10137\/revisions\/10168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}