December 21, 2008

A Christmas Proposal

Two estranged high school sweethearts, Rick and Lisa find each other at odds, when Ricks returns to his hometown to present an opportunity to turn their quaint little town into a bustling ski resort. Lisa, along with Rick's mother, childhood best friend and the townsfolk, aren't too keen on the idea. A lot is riding on this ski lodge for Rick. Not only for his career, but his boss also happens to be the father of Reagan, his girlfriend and coworker, and Rick wants his blessing to propose to her.
The ski lodge isn't the only idea that Rick's friends and family aren't warming to. No one seems to like Reagan either and they can see that there is still something there between Rick and Lisa. That's when the devious plots begin to keep Rick in town and away from Reagan.
Will the time around each other remind Rick of what he had with Lisa all those years ago? And will Rick remember his small town roots and help thwart the ski lodge plans?

Our Two Cents:
This movie is a couple of common Christmas plots all rolled into one movie. The story is a bit ridiculous--you might find yourself expressing cynical comments aloud as the movie progresses. There are several moments that you can tell they didn't quite know how to get from plot point A to plot point B so they just fill it with nonsense and hope you don't notice. We notice. There's a knock-off McDreamy, and (maybe this next one shouldn't matter but it does) the wardrobes in this movie are hideous. I mean, it's really bad--Lisa's most of all. Despite this, for some unknown reason, we like it. We can't explain it.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site

Have you seen A Christmas Proposal? Tell us what you thought of it!

December 20, 2008

A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride

Rose and Roxanne are a successful mother daughter team that knows how to plan the perfect wedding. But their close relationship is put to the test when Rose returns from her Parisian vacation with Christmas surprise--a new fiance named Jack. Roxanne decides that the whirlwind romance is doomed to leave her mother heartbroken, and begins to join forces with Jack's son to split the two up. As the two plot, Roxanne begins see that she misjudged Jack and the two truly love one another. Is it too late to fix her schemes and pull together the ultimate Christmas wedding for Rose and Jack?

Our Two Cents:
This movie doesn't have much to do with Christmas except for that it happens to take place during the holidays. It's is a little bit different than most, but at the same time, is just as predictable as you hope it to be. Enjoy!

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride? Tell us what you thought of it!

December 13, 2008

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Jennifer Cullen (Brooke Burns) is a single, working mom who has become somewhat of a Scrooge when it comes to the Holiday season. Even her six-year-old son Brian is having trouble believing in Santa Claus. When Jen’s Uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler), a retired police officer, comes to visit for Christmas, he brings along a new friend, a nomad and Jack-of-all-trades named Morgan Derby (Warren Christie). The two met on a flight, and Morgan’s plans to continue on to Denver are cancelled when he finds out the city is completely snowed in. Jen is wary of the stranger, but at Ralph’s request, agrees to let him stay the night. She warms up to Morgan, especially when she sees how he interacts with Brian. Uncle Ralph approves of Morgan, too, but Jen’s boyfriend Richard isn’t nearly as receptive. Meanwhile, Morgan has started to really like Jen, but if she can’t manage to make Christmas about anything more than business, Morgan will be on his way to Denver, and she’ll have missed the opportunity that was right in front of her. Uncle Ralph has done what he can to keep Morgan around, but it’s going to take something more than that to get him penciled into Jen’s long-term plans. Jen just needs to learn “how to do Christmas,” and it turns out Morgan is the perfect one to teach her.

Our Two Cents:
Jennifer starts out being a bit unlikeable, but don't let that turn you off. It takes a little while, but she does go through a bit of a transformation and by the end, hopefully, you will be rooting for her. Henry Winkler co-stars as our meddling matchmaker. It's a fairly predictable story (it seems to be a common Christmas movie plot) with a few odd moments and but some that we find effectively funny.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★  •   Chemistry ★★  •  Overall ★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site

Trailer:


Have you seen The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Tell us what you thought of it!

November 28, 2008

Moonlight & Mistletoe

It’s always Christmas in Santaville! But now, tiny Chester, Vermont’s year-round yuletide attraction is losing its widespread appeal. On the verge of bankruptcy, the resident St. Nick is hoping for a Christmas miracle to keep his dream from being bulldozed into another mini mall. Nick Crosby (Tom Arnold) is the owner of Santaville and head Santa. One day he is smiling with visitors, the next, he is juggling a cascading stack of bills, unable to pay the rent and blissfully thinking a solution will magically appear. When his daughter – and onetime Number One elf, Holly (Candace Cameron Bure), returns home, she is shocked to learn of her father’s situation. Holly recruits Peter, Nick’s employee and master wood craftsman, to devise a solution to the money woes.

Our Two Cents:
We started watching this one night and I couldn't take the bad acting and had to turn it off. Plus, Tom Arnold isn't our favorite. But we didn't delete it. So one night when this movie was the only unwatched movie left on our TiVo, we decided to give it another try. Once you get past the beginning scene with the kids, and get to present time, it gets better, not great, but better.

We said Christmas Under Wraps is Candace's best yet, this one is probably her worst.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site

Trailer:


Have you seen Moonlight & Mistletoe? Tell us what you thought of it!