“And look, no matter how much you want it, you’re not going to meet Mister Right the same way they do movies.” (Clunky line, but a microcosm of the movie as a whole.)

Where I Watched: Netflix

Genre: Holiday Heist (?) Romance

New Holiday Spirit or Ghost of Christmas Past?: Original. Boring, but original.

Synopsis: Mack wants magic in her meet cute. Serendipity. But she’s too into her detective work to notice the opportunities around her. Until she runs into Carson, who jingles her bells…but will he blend work with play?

Unwrap or regift?: Dull. Dull dull dull. I was checking the time less than twenty minutes in. Why? Because this story wants to fun and different, but feels like it’s hitting plot points rather than investing the characters. Even the obligatory date outfit montage is lackluster. This should be a fun romp, but Catch made me want to fast forward to the end, just to get this movie over with. I didn’t though; I suffered so you don’t have to.

The dialogue is too on the nose, and it made me roll my eyes instead of get into things, and the whole “cop WAY to into a possible criminal” thing felt clumsy. Picture a kid playing with toys, putting them in positions and having them bounce around? Yeah, it feels like that.

Lauren Holly is phoning it in here as the police Captain/protagonist’s mom. It’s still better than anyone else’s performance, because Holly is always awesome, but compared her typical vibe? It’s obvious she’s collecting a check. And as Mack’s friend Ken, I can’t help but think Yanic Truesdale needs a cheesy French accent. (What can I say, I’m a Gilmore Girls fan.) Everyone else – including the two leads? Yawn. Holly makes the most of her wooden dialogue, but everyone else blurts out their lines with little effort. Or emotion.

I could go on about how the whole police & FBI operation is sloppy, and even folks who have don’t have a Law & Order obsession will notice the way basic procedures are ignored. Or the obvious “twist” that involves a Chekov’s Ornament. Maybe how the good looking leads have zero chemistry together? Meh, I’m not into it. Fine with one more: even the end credits music sounds sleepy. The poor dears.

Give this one a pass. Catch isn’t even good as movie Nyquil.

Score: 0.5 out of 5 Hos.