A film by Elizabeth Guest
A Very
Merry Breakup
She said yes. Then she went home to her parents. All four of them.
Audience Award, Best Comedy Feature Newport Beach Film Festival 2025
Coming to Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Prime Video.
Store links go in on launch morning.
Follow @averymerrybreakup on Instagram and Facebook, and @lizzguest, for release news and screenings.
Preorders open the same morning on Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Prime Video. The film debuts November 3.
Pictured: Fred (Ed Begley Jr.), Rick (Nicholas Guest), Lydia (Elizabeth Guest), Stella (Pamela Guest) and Cheryl (Rachelle Carson-Begley).
The film
Love addict Lydia (Elizabeth Guest) thinks she's finally ready to settle down with her sweet, reliable boyfriend Tim (Andrew Leeds).
Then he surprises her with a storybook Christmas-in-New-York proposal. She says yes, panics, sets the storybook on fire and retreats home to Los Angeles, where she moves in with her parents, all four of them.
To stop the spiral, they throw a New Year's Eve party stocked with every eligible bachelor they know. When Tim shows up before midnight, Lydia has to wade through a minefield of suitors to prove that the one love she's addicted to is his.
Four parents, one proposal
Two divorced couples. One roof. Every eligible bachelor they know.
The parents are the comic engine of the film. They mean well, they cannot stop helping, and their New Year's Eve party is where the whole thing comes to a head. Two of them are played by Elizabeth Guest's real parents.
FredEd Begley Jr.St. Elsewhere, Better Call Saul, Young Sheldon, Best in Show
StellaPamela GuestCasting director of Blue Velvet. Nuts, Airplane II: The Sequel, ER, Californication
RickNicholas GuestTodd in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Trading Places, The Long Riders
CherylRachelle Carson-BegleyLiving with Ed, Matlock, But I'm a Cheerleader, The Bling Ring
The cast
Faces you know from somewhere.
LydiaElizabeth GuestWriter and director. AP Bio, 9-1-1, Superstore, See You Next Christmas
TimAndrew LeedsGhosts, Barry, The Patient, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Dr. WagnerKeith CarradineAcademy Award winner. Nashville, Deadwood, Fargo, Madam Secretary, The Power of the Dog
JamesTimm SharpM3GAN 2.0, Enlightened, Undeclared, Six Feet Under
BillRobert CarradineRevenge of the Nerds, Lizzie McGuire, The Long Riders, Coming Home
JacobJoey BraggLiv and Maddie, Call Your Mother, Father of the Year
Hiking GuyMichael StrassnerThe Baltimorons, Young Rock, English Teacher
MaggieHayden Carson BegleyCalifornia Skate
In memory of Robert Carradine.
What the critics said at Newport Beach
“Messy in all the right ways, and exactly the kind of holiday film we need more of.”
Awards Circuit Insider
“One of those rare romantic comedies that manages to be laugh-out-loud funny, emotionally resonant and refreshingly original all at once.”
Fanboy Nation
“Elizabeth Guest dazzles both behind and in front of the camera. A love letter to imperfection.”
The Hollywood Times
“The four parents bring so much warmth and humor to the film that you can imagine a whole spin-off just about their lives.”
Awards Circuit Insider
“Proving that sincerity and satire can coexist without one swallowing the other.”
Overly Honest Movie Reviews
From the writer and director
“If you haven't figured out how to buckle your own buckle, you can't help someone else with theirs.”
When my real life hasn't felt so funny, when it's been hard to pick myself up, I always turn to romantic comedies; everything from It Happened One Night to Notting Hill to Bridget Jones's Diary. Hugh Grant is usually in the mix. These movies have helped me during some serious heartbreaks or just simple bouts of loneliness. My dream is to be able to do that for someone else.
Of course we've all heard the “self-love” message before, but it's a whole other thing to actually do it. I myself am still learning how, but making this movie has definitely helped. I used to think that part during the safety video on airplanes that shows the mother buckling her seat belt first and then helping her child was insane. But now, I get it. If you haven't figured out how to buckle your own buckle, you can't help someone else with theirs.
So whether or not you related to that anecdote, I hope you enjoy our holiday film. Grab a hot cocoa, hand someone their hot cocoa (yes, in that order) and cozy up and enjoy A Very Merry Breakup.
Elizabeth Guest, writer, director, producer and Lydia
Screenings
See it in a room
Release-week screenings and holiday events will be posted here as they are confirmed. If you program a theater, a campus series, a company holiday night or a very large living room, we would like to hear from you.
Press
Press and screeners
Screeners, interviews with the filmmaker and cast, press notes, bios and the EPK come from Falco Ink. Email AVMB@falcoink.com with your outlet and deadline, or send the request through the form and it will be passed along.
Reviews published before the November 3 release are welcome. Stills and key art are below, no request needed.
Stills and key art
Key art, 27 by 40
The Christmas card
Parents at the door
Lydia and Tim
Lydia and suitcases
Keith Carradine as Dr. Wagner
Joey Bragg and Robert Carradine
Timm Sharp as James
Each opens the full-resolution file. Credit: Courtesy of Christmas Guests and Tribeca Films.
Full credits
- Starring
- Elizabeth Guest, Andrew Leeds, Pamela Guest, Nicholas Guest, Rachelle Carson-Begley, Timm Sharp, Robert Carradine, with Keith Carradine and Ed Begley Jr.
- Also with
- Joey Bragg, Michael Strassner, Hayden Carson Begley, Craig Bullock, Jay Huguley, Christine Weatherup, Sonia Balcazar, June Christopher
- Written and directed by
- Elizabeth Guest
- Produced by
- Pamela Guest, Daniel Jaffe, Elizabeth Guest
- Executive producers
- Paul Bernard, Tristen Tuckfield, Jijo Reed, Rachelle Carson-Begley, Colleen Camp
- Co-producer
- Josh Porro
- Director of photography
- Adam Baron-Bloch
- Editors
- Josh Porro, Melanie Shaw
- Music by
- Nicholas Pike
- Music supervisor
- Leah Harrison
- Production designer
- Casey Margaret Craig
- Costume designer
- Gabrielle Giarrusso
- Casting by
- Cody Beke, Seth White
- Production company
- Christmas Guests
- Distributor
- Tribeca Films
Preorder October 6. Debuts November 3.
A Christmas rom-com for anyone who has ever ruined a good thing.
Follow @averymerrybreakup on Instagram and Facebook for release news and screenings.