“Sam Darnold won a Super Bowl?”

I’m a sucker for a good amnesia story. And Forgotten Holiday was a pretty interesting love story, that didn’t always go down the predictable path. It opens with antique dealer Kathryn Liu snagging an antique projector out from under craftsman and restorer of vintage machines (I paraphrase), Rob Ashford’s, nose. In the ensuing banter, Rob (Daniel Lissing) falls head over heels for Kathryn (Janel Parrish). Kathryn, not so much, but she is interested. It is difficult for them to get together for a date during the busy holiday season. One of the events Rob has to attend is his family’s extreme extravaganza of a one-night cookie bake, in which they bake almost 1000 cookies for charities across New York City. He is thrilled when she suggests she accompany him there for their first date. He loves Christmas and his large welcoming and rambunctious family. Kathryn feels overwhelmed but settles in pretty well, which is quite the feat, considering she barely know him, and his family is *a lot.*

Some things become apparent as she is nicely grilled by his family. Kathryn is not a big Christmas person. The only “Christmas tradition” she has is a Christmas Eve pancake breakfast with her father. She is an only child and comes from a broken home. Her mother lives across the country with the man she remarried, and her father has been re-married and divorced twice and currently dating a woman who will presumably be wife #4. Rob’s family has always been happily intact and headed by his mother (Gabrielle Rose), a former judge, and his father, a former District Attorney. They live in a large home surrounded by their grandchildren courtesy of his older sister, Amy. Also, Kathryn was briefly and unhappily married 15 years ago in college. So although Amy and her father run a very successful antiques business together, Kathryn and Rob’s backgrounds and emotional foundations are as different as can be. Nevertheless, we jump ahead a year later and the two are happily still dating and getting ready for the holidays. One night, eager-beaver Rob pulls out a diamond ring and a marriage proposal. Kathryn is shocked and runs away in a panic. Rob is devastated and calls his sister Amy, who tells him to get in the car and come over to her house. On the way he has a car wreck. He is fine but now has a kind of amnesia where he remembers everything but the past year and his relationship with Kathryn. When she hears about his accident and rushes to the hospital, he has no idea who she is, although his family, assuming she accepted his proposal of marriage, assures him that she is his fiancee. Shades of While You Were Sleeping! Only his sister knows the truth, and given the circumstances, they continue the charade, especially since the Doctor thinks it would be a fine idea to try to relive the last year’s progression of their relationship to help him regain his memory. So that’s the set-up.

They start going on some of the same dates and dates that they planned on, and although Rob likes Kathryn and Kathryn still loves Rob, the dates themselves surprisingly do not go well. Also, He is no longer Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs about Christmas either. So what’s going on? They start to get on the same page again even though Rob is kind of different. Still nice, still wholesome, but more down to earth when it comes to Kathryn. Kathryn is afraid of losing him again once he remembers everything and finds out the truth about their non-engagement.

So there was a lot in this one to interest and engage. Will his family, particularly his intimidating and more than a little suspicious mother find out the truth? Will Kathryn be able to conquer her fear of commitment? They looked so happy and in love in the numerous photos we see of them together. What about their different backgrounds? Why isn’t Rob crazy about Christmas anymore? (I still am not sure about that one.) What’s going to happen when Rob regains his memory? It all culminates in a charity gala where a vintage Jukebox that Rob had been restoring is auctioned off.

I thought this romance had a little more depth and subtlety than usual. While Janelle Parish’s Kathryn was the same person throughout the movie, Daniel Lissing’s Rob was like two different people before and after the amnesia.  Pre-accident Rob was very intense and overwhelming. I didn’t blame Kathryn for running from his proposal in a panic. I liked Amnesia Rob much better, and so did Kathryn. But she obviously loved the old (new?) Rob as well. Who wouldn’t love a great handsome guy who was so smitten with you?  His mother Meryl, sister Amy (Jennifer Oleksiuk), and Kathryn’s father (Eric Yue) were the three other important characters and all three actors were great. Janel Parrish and Gabrielle Rose have a scene together in Meryl’s kitchen later in the movie that was a real standout, and also pleasantly surprised me. I had a little quibble with the intrusive product placement (which turned out to be an actual unboxing) and Lissing’s character got a little petulant once or twice at the end, which I didn’t like.