Pulling off a Christmas Eve heist in one in every of London’s greatest retail shops comes with some twists and sparks in Netflix’s Christmas rom-com, Jingle Bell Heist. Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells play a thieving duo in a light-hearted movie that captures the festivities of Christmas with pleasant items and the profitability of holiday-season merchandising that swells earnings for Maxwell Sterling (Peter Serafinowicz), who additionally strains his pockets by fraud.
Jingle Bell Heist is directed by Michael Fimognari, whose budding oeuvre of romance titles consists of Netflix’s To All of the Boys: All the time and Ceaselessly, which debuted in 2021. Co-written by Bridgerton’s Abby McDonald and Amy Reed, the rom-com makes use of its Bonnie and Clyde-esque duo to ship a redemption story that doesn’t dig too deeply into its romance components however lets them unfold naturally.
The movie opens with a short interlude that teases moments earlier than the heist, then rewinds to 2 weeks earlier than the protagonists’ meetup. Sophia (Olivia Holt), our lead protagonist, is a petty thief who works on the Sterling Division Retailer, one in every of London’s illustrious retail shops. From the film’s first scenes, it’s clear that Sophia is a thief with an angle and dramatic aptitude who takes pleasure in stealing from impolite clients.
She’s gotten away with it lengthy sufficient, however even the neatest thief could make errors and get caught within the course of. The observer right here seems to be Nick ‘O’ Connor (Connor Swindells), an ex-convict with a file for stealing from Sterling’s Division Retailer whereas he labored there as a safety marketing consultant. What attracts Nick to Sophia is a seemingly shared enthusiasm for purloining, and he approaches her with a blackmail request — steal on his behalf, or danger Sterling discovering her actions by CCTV footage.
Connor Swindells adeptly performs a defeated, lowly, and self-conscious Nick, whose buffoonish blackmail try makes one query the validity of his prior crimes. Sophia sees by the facade, however destiny forces her to hitch forces with Nick to rob Sterling’s retailer. Because it seems, Sophia’s mum, who’s bedridden in a public hospital, wants an NHS specialist to deal with her medical situation, however is down on the ready listing, so she must go non-public. And personal requires deep pockets. Sadly for Sophia, the theft falls by because the merchandise has already been stolen, setting the stage for the grand heist that includes robbing Maxwell’s hidden stash.
Jingle Bell Heist builds a real bond between Sophia and Nick, with unlucky household issues that equally function motivating elements for the heist. Nick’s bought yet another probability to step up financially as a father to supply childcare, or danger his ex-wife whisking their daughter all the best way to Birmingham. Then again, Sophia is beneath stress to get cash for her mom’s medical payments.
Regardless of the seriousness of those occasions, the story doesn’t lose its merriness, and this works as a double-edged sword. The movie poorly pulls off tense moments and barely captures the depth of a theft try. Nonetheless, on the flip facet, each characters develop a simple camaraderie whereas hatching their plans to interrupt into Sterling’s protected.
The pair are hilariously inept at finishing up the heist, however that’s Jingle Bell Heist’s appeal. There’s a sure magnificence in imperfection, and the vacation movie leans closely into the laughable antics of Nick and Sophia as they plot a heist with extra holes than Swiss cheese.
The movie successfully delivers the proper ethical justification for the heist: a villain who deserves to be robbed. Sterling (Peter Serafinowicz) is an insurance coverage fraudster who phases pretend robberies of his retailer and claims insurance coverage on the objects he sells — reaping earnings each methods. Though we hardly ever see Serafinowicz in motion because the quintessential huge dangerous boss, his occasional remarks underscore the haughty angle befitting of a self-important profiteer who would do something to maintain his enterprise afloat.
The Netflix title by no means overplays its romance, however provides a fair proportion of chemistry-filled scenes that showcase Olivia Holt’s applaudable performing. Regardless of Jingle Bell Heist’s easy narrative, it pulls off outstanding twists that add to the movie’s splendour.
Holt and Swindells beautifully role-play Sophia and Nick, with notable supporting solid Lucy Punch (Cynthia Sterling) effortlessly dramatising the schemes of a scorned, opportunistic spouse. At its coronary heart, it’s Holt and Swindells’ performances that give the story its heat and soul — qualities important to any Christmas film.
- Launch Date
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November 26, 2025
- Runtime
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96 Minutes
- Director
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Michael Fimognari
- Writers
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Abby McDonald
- Producers
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Matt Kaplan