The Christmas Switch Review
Director: Adam Pålsson
Date Created: 2026-11-12 18:21
3.5
The Christmas Switch Review: Directed by Adam Pålsson, Netflix’s Swedish Christmas film Bara till jul stars Felice Jankell as Mathilda Stjärne and Happy Jankell as her sister, Freddie Stjärne. The supporting cast includes Christian Fandango as Oliver, Celie Sparre as Emma, and Anastasious Soulis as Jonas, alongside Maria Kulle, Dag Malmberg, Bengt Braskered, Lisa Hu Yu and Bahar Pars. Adapted from Eleonor Sager’s book Christmas in St. Anna, the movie has a runtime of 1 hour and 43 minutes.
The Christmas Switch Review
Netflix’s The Christmas Switch revolves around two sisters whose lifestyles couldn’t be any different. Whereas Freddie is a successful career woman in Stockholm, Mathilda has mostly been living in her hometown, working alongside her parents in their store and having been in an on-and-off relationship with her boyfriend, Jonas, for fourteen years.
But when the busy schedule at work eventually gets to Freddie, and she comes back home to rest, she learns that there is a completely different life being wished by Mathilda. As Mathilda wishes to taste life in Stockholm and Freddie needs to get away from her hectic lifestyle in the city, the sisters choose to switch roles temporarily. And what seems to be only temporary brings them into contact with new people and emotions in their lives.
I am a big fan of Christmas romantic films, and in all honesty, I believe I will never tire of them, no matter how predictable they become. There is something about the combination of the Christmas holiday cheer, romance, family reunions, and everyone getting their happily-ever-after endings that makes them very comfortable to watch. Netflix Swedish film The Christmas Switch seems to understand this appeal very well. It is not particularly original, and at some point, it becomes predictable as well. Yet, somehow, it managed to entertain me nonetheless.
The thing that I especially enjoyed about this movie is the fact that the movie does not regard the situation of sisters switching lives as a kind of funny holiday tradition. The sisters have certain reasons to want a change in their lives. For example, Mathilda has lived her whole life surrounded by the same things that she knows, and there was very little time for her to realise what she really wanted to do. The relationship between Mathilda and Jonas has lasted fourteen years, and she has been fulfilling the needs of her family all of this time, so making changes looks like some kind of betrayal.
The story of Mathilda appealed to me greatly due to the great amount of excitement coupled with hesitations on her part. Mathilda wishes to travel and make decisions on her own, yet she is worried about not letting her loved ones down at the same time. The moment when her parents declare their intention to pass the shop to Mathilda, and Jonas makes it even more evident that all the expectations for Mathilda have been formed without consulting her about her future at all. It seems like Jonas is pleased with the idea of such a future since it corresponds with his way of life, whereas Mathilda does not know how to act.
And here comes Jonas, as I was not really happy with the way he approached Mathilda’s dreams. He is not portrayed as an evil character in the story, but it frustrates me that he cannot comprehend her. He is happy with their life together and assumes Mathilda feels the same. Even after she leaves for Stockholm, most of his conversations concern issues at home and when she will come back. He rarely bothers to find out if she is having a good time there or what she expects for the future.
At the same time, I am also ambivalent regarding the way Mathilda copes with her growing infatuation with Oliver. It is clear why Mathilda falls for him since it is the first time in her life that she feels different, someone who sees her and reveals the sides of her personality she didn’t even know existed. However, Oliver turns into more than a new boy; he is an aspect of the freedom that she is seeking. Nevertheless, it is impossible for me to condone her choice to betray Jonas.
Even though he was not the boyfriend she deserved, this does not justify what she did to him. Mathilda should have been straightforward with her emotions and broken up with Jonas before starting something with Oliver. In contrast, we have Freddie, and what I liked about the Netflix film The Christmas Switch is that it doesn’t romanticise the idea of success in the city that Mathilda dreams about. Freddie has all the perks of the successful and ambitious urban woman: she’s got the good job and busy schedule, but under it all there is a tired and unhappy woman.
Coming back home allows her to reconnect with Emma, the woman she had feelings for, but had to leave because she couldn’t get into any commitment. The hesitation of Emma is natural in that case since Freddie already hurt her once. I have also appreciated the difference between these sisters. The chemistry of Felice and Happy Jankell is perfect for their disagreements and emotions, which they show in an authentic manner. Through their performances, it becomes clear how a typical relationship between siblings is created when it is possible to disagree with someone all the time and yet know him/her better than others. Each character has some personal flaws, and no one is perfect.
However, my only real frustration is the fact that sometimes the film progresses too easily through some of the conflicts. In many cases, some situations require more attention, especially in terms of Mathilda’s love problem and Freddie’s inability to trust her intuition. The romance also has a rather predictable path, since it follows a classic pattern of a Christmas movie, so if one wants something different in terms of plot development, one will definitely be disappointed. However, Adam Pålsson makes the film fun and welcoming.
Netflix The Christmas Switch Review: Summing Up
Overall, 2026 The Christmas Switch movie is an entertaining Christmas love story that provides just what I like from the film at this time of the year. I found it appealing that the film was about two sisters finding out that the life they were jealous of might not be the life they need to be happy. Mathilda’s story could have been developed a bit more in terms of the romantic plotline, but her need for independence appealed to me.
It was great to see how Freddie decided to give her old friends and feelings a second chance as well. Maybe this film does not introduce anything new into the genre of the Christmas movie, but sometimes that is not what I am looking for.
