NEED TO KNOW
Paris around Christmastime, a handsome stranger and a dreamy bookstore? Sounds perfect, right? Not so much for Sydney Price.
In an exclusive trailer for Netflix’s new holiday rom-com Champagne Problems, Sydney (Minka Kelly) admits right away that she doesn’t have time for sightseeing. “This is a huge opportunity for me,” she says.
After all, the ambitious executive is heading to France for the first time to acquire the famed champagne house Chateau Cassell — and if the deal doesn’t go as planned, she’ll be toast, not toasting.
Still, Sydney is determined to keep a promise to her younger sister and takes one night off to soak in the City of Lights. As the synopsis teases, she “has an unexpectedly charming run-in with Henri Cassell (Tom Wozniczka), a stranger who turns one simple evening into something special.”
“But her plans for a whirlwind romance are quickly upended when she discovers that this charming Parisian is the founder’s son of the very company she is hoping to acquire,” the synopsis continues. “Yet, even amidst the gentle competition set by Hugo Cassell (Thibault de Montalemert) for all the potential buyers at the family vineyard, Sydney and Henri find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, realizing that their burgeoning feelings might be hard to keep bottled up.”
Mika Cotellon/Netflix
For Kelly, who also stars in Netflix’s hit drama Ransom Canyon, the chance to lead a holiday movie was a dream.
“Making a rom-com is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Kelly, 45, tells PEOPLE. “Christmas rom-coms are the happiest, most feel-good experiences that we get to look forward to every year. And they never get old no matter how many times you’ve seen them.”
“I’ll never tire of The Holiday,” she adds, referring to the 2006 Nancy Meyers movie starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black.
The Friday Night Lights alum continued: “Add the fact that this was not only a Christmas theme but it was set in my favorite city in the world, Paris — it was a dream. We also spent so much time in the Champagne region in France, and that was so beautiful to experience.”
Mika Cotellon/Netflix
Kelly also appreciated that Sydney was so relatable in her struggles with work-life balance.
“One of the things I loved about this story was that I don’t think I’m alone in feeling like I’m doing something wrong if I’m doing something purely for the joy of it when I could or should be working instead,” she says.
Mika Cotellon/Netflix
Based on the trailer, it’s clear the movie is filled with more than just that stress and romance; it’s jam-packed with quirky characters overflowing with their own special joie de vivre.
“Honey, you fell in love in Paris, and a cruel twist of fate turned you into star-crossed lovers,” Roberto (Sean Amsing), another player looking to acquire the Chateau, says in the trailer. “It’s Moulin Rouge without the tuberculosis.”
Another interested party, Otto (Flula Borg) and Sydney bond over their love of watching Die Hard at Christmastime, “but in Germany, it’s considered a tragedy. Poor Hans Gruber. Deeply misunderstood.”
Mika Cotellon/Netflix
The movie is directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson and also stars Astrid Whettnall, Xavier Samuel, Mitchell Mullen and Maeve Courtier-Lilley.
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Champagne Problems is on Netflix Nov. 19.
