During Big Brother 27, runner-up Vince Panaro discussed his love for Christmas movies starring Big Brother All-Stars 2 winner Cody Calafiore. Cody’s history with holiday movies has been known in the Big Brother community for a while, but the interest for some only started after Vince discussed them on the live feeds.
This led to the Big Brother Bluesky community deciding to host #ACodyChristmas, a live watch along amongst Big Brother fans on Bluesky. The Maltese Holiday was the first film selected. I joined this watch-along; it was an experience.
Warning: The Maltese Holiday spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.
I Am Shocked That Cody Calafiore Is One of The Best Parts Of The Maltese Holiday.
The Maltese Holiday isn’t that much different from a typical holiday movie, especially something that airs on Hallmark or Lifetime. It’s definitely not a top-tier version of these types of holiday films, but it’s full of Christmas cheer.
It follows many of the typical romantic holiday movie tropes, including a disastrous meet cute, forced interactions, and ending with a wedding. The Maltese Holiday has a basic but entertaining plot. The overall acting leaves some room for improvement, including Cody's. However, he’s actually one of the best parts of the film.
His character has some really funny lines, he’s the most relatable of the characters, and Cody sells you on this premise. He has enough of the charm on screen that won him Big Brother. I wasn’t sold on Cody as an actor going into The Maltese Holiday, but now I can see it. With a few more roles, maybe he could become one of the reality TV stars who successfully transitions to an acting career. He could also have as successful of a career as some of the other actors who made Christmas movies their brand.
Watching The Film Led To Researching The Candy Cain Holiday Movie Lore With Reality TV Stars
The most fascinating thing about all of this is that The Maltese Holiday writer and director Candy Cain is known for her holiday movie empire. She has many. Cody is featured in a handful of them. He’s not the only reality TV star that she has put in her movies. The list includes Big Brother 20’s Faysal Shafaat, Cody’s brother and Big Brother 18’s Paulie Calafiore, and The Challenge star Cara Maria Sorbello.
In an interview with Parade, Cain reveals that she first began working with reality TV stars when she wanted Cody to appear in her movie What Happened Last Night. From Cain’s account, there seems to be some stigma with working with reality TV stars. She thought Cody was the best man for the project and went behind everyone’s back to sign him. Interestingly, Candy, also known as Candice T. Cain, is not actually a Big Brother fan, nor is she much of a reality TV watcher.
Therefore, it really feels destined that Cody found his way into her work to lead some of her Christmas movies. It was a collaboration written in the stars. Candy has an upcoming holiday movie with Big Brother winner and fan favorite Rachel Reilly. We may see more former Big Brother players in future Candy Cain movies. Who knows, maybe Vince Panaro will find himself starring in one one day.
It Reminds Me How Enjoyable Independent Films Can Be, Even If They Aren't Perfect
The Maltese Holiday isn’t an award winning film. It’s not a movie that I will probably recommend to friends as the best holiday movie ever, but it’s entertaining and a fun watch with friends. Not all movies have to be enchanting, some can just be carefree. I am a person who enjoys all movies, whether they’re Oscar bait or very silly. I love that movies exist and that there are such a wide range of them for almost any genre of movie fan.
I am also someone who tries to support independent movies anyway I can. This may mean going to see them in a theater, renting them, or writing about them when the opportunity allows. There are many great ones, especially written by people of all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and so forth. The Maltese Holiday is a triumph not because it’s the best holiday movie ever but it proves independent films can still be made, distributed, and talked about on a wide scale. The large studios don’t have to be the only ones getting films made.
As silly as it may sound, The Maltese Holiday reminds me of the beauty of just supporting independent artists. It made me want to watch more indie holiday movies. I also remembered that some of the best holiday movies I have seen were produced by small studios. Major Hollywood movies are thrilling but sometimes it is more entertaining to embrace a holiday movie made by a scrappy filmmaker named Candy Cain.
The Maltese Holiday Reminds Me That A Movie-Watching Experience Can Make The Movie
Would I have enjoyed The Maltese Holiday as much if I watched it alone with expectations? Probably not. However, because I watched it as part of the #ACodyChristmas event on Bluesky, it was a much more entertaining experience. I could watch and read some of the funny commentary.
If I had to seriously review the movie, I would have been more critical of its faults. However, because watching it was just a fun, silly thing to do, the normal things that would bother me on other films became part of The Maltese Holiday’s charm. Movies like this one remind me to not always take movies so seriously. Sometimes it’s just entertaining to detach from the world for a few hours and live in the movie’s space and time.
It’s also a reminder that movie experiences matter. That’s why theater experiences can matter, seeing movies with a certain group can matter, and your attitude towards a movie can matter. They can leave a lifelong impression or memory.
I Am Shocked That I Can't Wait To Watch More Cody Calafiore Holiday Movies
As I write this, the #ACodyChristmas event has ended on Bluesky. After I saw The Maltese Holiday, I was looking forward to watching the other movies on the lineup for that event. They were Ivy & Mistletoe and Magic in Mount Holly.
I knew these films could be just as silly as the first movie but I couldn’t wait to enjoy them as something fun and frivolous, while engrossing myself in reading some of the commentary on Bluesky. I hope the Big Brother fan community keeps this tradition up over there and explores the whole Candy Cain cinematic universe.
Stream The Maltese Holiday on Tubi.
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