CHICAGO (WLS) — As the holiday season approaches, many indulge in a beloved tradition: Christmas romantic comedies.
A talented team of filmmakers, who first met at Columbia College, has carved a niche in this genre, producing these festive films annually in the Chicago area.
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One of their latest offerings, “Exes of Christmas Past,” is now available for streaming. According to the director, the film centers on the journey of returning home to rediscover what is missing in life.
The story follows Josie, who manages a luxury hotel in Chicago.
For the holidays, she returns to her hometown, where her parents operate a cozy bed and breakfast.
In a twist of fate, she finds that her former high school sweethearts are all guests at her parents’ establishment.
Director Jake Jarvi grew up on the North Shore.
He and his wife, Eliza Toser, live in Gurnee, and co-wrote “Exes of Christmas Past.”
“We love Christmas romantic comedies. And she was the one who brought me the idea,” Jarvi said. “And each of them kind of like have a past to show her, kind of like the ghost of Christmas past, present, future. I loved it. So, we shot in a hotel downtown right here in the Loop one day, and then we shot all of our town exteriors in Libertyville, Illinois. And then we shot the whole b and b, the Cherry Tree in Woodstock, Illinois. It’s the same b and b from ‘Groundhog Day.’”
He said this is what Christmas looks like to him.
“All of our production team, they all live in the city or around the city. So we’re very comfortable putting a northern Illinois Christmas on the screen,” Jarvi said.
Jarvi’s projects include fright flicks, online features and music videos.
“I love the monster movies. I love the slashers,” Jarvi said. “But I’m very happy to kind of like step out of Halloween and hop into Christmas.”
He said people love Christmas romance movies.
“I think it’s like a slightly heightened world, you know, that’s really cozy, really comfortable. And they rely a lot on formula, you know, and it’s just you can ease into these things, you know, what to expect when you turn them on. And I think that’s really, really comforting,” Jarvi said. “There’s going to be a little bit of conflict. It’s not going to be too much. But you know that at the end of the day, people are going to find each other. And you can kind of see them finding their ways to each other all throughout the story. And it’s just like really, really gentle and lovely. It’s why we watch them every year.”
“Exes of Christmas Past” is streaming on major platforms, including Roku, Pluto and Tubi.
