A Pickleball Christmas (review)
The story begins and centers on Luke Hollis, a professional tennis star fresh off the biggest win of his career. On the pro tour he’s known as “Luke the Brut,” a nickname earned for his raw power and aggressive style of play. He heads home to Florida for Christmas—because that’s what all emotionally unavailable athletes do — only to discover his family’s racquet club, which has been in the Hollis family for decades, is just weeks away from being sold to developers.
Enter Caroline Letts, a former tennis pro turned passionate pickleball instructor who runs the club’s newer — but rapidly growing pickleball program. She’s single, laser-focused on her work, and deeply invested in keeping the program alive. Around the club, a few of the single ladies immediately clock Luke Hollis as potential boyfriend material and begin teasing Caroline about it.
She shuts that down fast.
There’s zero chance she’d ever date an arrogant, snobby tennis pro — especially one who openly dismisses pickleball as “not a real sport.” And Luke? He’d never stoop so low as to date someone who plays pickleball. This is a guy who’s spent his entire adult life single, sacrificing relationships in pursuit of tennis stardom. Romance hasn’t fit the training schedule. Pickleball barely fits his definition of athletics. So, naturally — because this is a Lifetime/Hallmark-style movie — everyone watching knows exactly what’s coming.
This film follows the sacred Hallmark formula:
• Single person, married to their career
• Attractive, available outsider returns “home”
• They’re forced to work together
• Mutual friction and judgment ensue
• That friction mysteriously gives way to true love
From the moment Luke and Caroline clash over tennis vs. pickleball, the ending is basically written in dry-erase marker.
The proposed solution to saving the family business? Caroline has been planning a “Moneyball-style” holiday pickleball tournament designed to generate national attention and bring in enough participants — and prize money — to keep the club alive. The pitch is simple: if Luke Hollis — Luke the Brut himself — teams up with Caroline, combining his famous name with her pickleball coaching and business savvy, and if (and only if) they win the whole thing, the club could be saved. Existing real estate contracts be damned.
That means Luke now has to learn an entirely new sport — one he openly disdains. Training montages follow. Lessons loom. Chemistry slowly builds, one dink at a time.
Then comes the inevitable misunderstanding.
Just as a romance starts to take shape (again, inevitable), Caroline overhears a conversation where Luke appears to say that once the tournament is over, he plans to gut the pickleball program entirely and turn the club into an elite, tennis-only facility—erasing years of her hard work. Instead of asking a single clarifying question — or engaging in even the smallest amount of adult communication — she shuts down completely and begins avoiding him. And I mean completely. This silent protest continues right up to the moment they step onto the court together at the tournament.
The result? Zero chemistry. Awkward tension. Two doubles partners playing like they just met in the parking lot.
Despite this—and despite their complete lack of on-court connection — they somehow continue advancing through the bracket and make it all the way to the finals, where they face Luke’s longtime professional tennis rival. Early in the match, they’re getting absolutely dismantled (8–2), largely because the emotional tension between them is thicker than the kitchen line.
With losing nearly inevitable, Luke calls a critical timeout, and the two disappear into an off-court storage closet for what appears to be a solid ten minutes—because tournament officials are famously chill about that. This is where everything finally comes out: the misunderstanding, the pride, the assumptions. They reconcile, realign emotionally, and emerge wearing matching shirts, reborn and unified.
At this point, any serious pickleball player watching this is asking the same question: are these athletes actually legit and playing “real” pickleball? No, they are not.
The movie opens with Luke winning a championship tennis match — but we don’t see a single point. No rallies. No swings. Just a trophy and an interview. Cut to Caroline about to teach a pickleball lesson to a group of beginners — again, not one serve, rally, or actual instructional moment is shown. Every paddle looks like it was borrowed from a pharmaceutical commercial: pastel, generic, and entirely fake. No real paddles. No authenticity. Just props. At this point, it’s hard not to suspect that neither lead actor has ever seriously played tennis or pickleball. And the movie never proves me wrong.
There’s a scene where Luke the Brut is practicing serves alone, and the court is littered with shattered pickleballs, as if his power is so immense that balls simply explode on contact. This is meant to be impressive. It is unintentionally hilarious.
To the movie’s credit, it does directly address some pickleball stereotypes like “it’s for old people,” “the noise,” “anyone can play,” etc. — especially through Luke’s tennis-snob worldview. Those moments actually work and are among the film’s better ideas.
Unfortunately, every time the movie shows actual pickleball, the illusion collapses.
The footwork is clunky. The backhands are painful. The dinking looks like four people politely handing the ball back and forth. Even the pickleball points that are trying to make you believe it’s “edge of your seat” action could be returned by any 6th grader without effort. Luke,, an elite professional athlete moves like someone who Googled “pickleball rules”. Their so-called practice match against the club’s “best team” is painfully elementary. No amount of edgy music or quick video cuts can hide that we’re watching four 2.0 players at best. I don’t actually think DUPR has a category low enough for these players.
Then comes the “big” tournament, described as one of the largest in Florida. The aerial shot reveals… six courts. The filmmakers want us to imagine dozens of courts and players that the camera refuses to acknowledge.
After the miracle storage-closet reconciliation, the score somehow reaches 14–13, match point. At that exact moment - IN THE MIDDLE OF MATCH POINT — Luke launches into a heartfelt apology to his partner about how much of a jerk he’s been, how Caroline helped him reconnect with his family legacy, and how love has changed him. While they’re talking (again, in the middle of match point), the opponent body bags the ball into Luke — but because he steps into the kitchen, the point doesn’t count. We all knew that Hollie/Letts were going to win (see above formula), I just didn’t forsee the foot fault in the kitchen being the clever nail-biting twist at the end.
Game over. Tournament won. Racquet club saved. Financial details? Never mentioned. Math? Optional.
Abruptly, the movie cuts to one year later: Luke is faking an on-court injury and when Caroline comes to see what happened, Luke transitions to one knee with a pickleball encasing an engagement ring. Proposal ensues. A “Yes” is inevitable and everyone is happy, just like the formula predicts. Roll credits.
If you like Lifetime or Hallmark movies, you’ll probably enjoy this one.
If you like cheesy films, you’ll smile.
If you enjoy pickleball at the most casual recreational level, you won’t be offended.
If you’re a romantic who just likes watching love bloom in literally any setting, this will do.
But if you’re an actual athlete…
If you value real competition…
If you’ve ever played pickleball (or even tennis!) above beginner level…
This movie may cause physical discomfort. Possibly hives. Possibly a sudden urge to stab yourself with the bluntest spoon available.
I love that pickleball is getting airtime. Truly. But this movie doesn’t do the sport — or romance in general — any real justice.
The cheese completely overtakes the pickle on this one. 🥒🎬
SHAMELESS PLUG…
If you know a bona-fide pickleball player,, then they need to check out my book, “Who just served?” It’s the perfect gift for people who actually play pickleball! Order your copy today: https://a.co/d/fKma3jO.
