Four Christmases and a Wedding

When event planner Chloe is hired to plan the local Christmas Festival, she is beyond thrilled to embrace the challenge. Professionally, everything is going great, but much to the dismay of her mother, Chloe confesses she has given up on ever finding Mr. Right. That all changes the night of the opening of the festival when she meets Evan. The two begin a whirlwind romance, but as Christmas Day nears, Chloe learns that Evan is being transferred overseas for work. What follows is three more Christmases where Chloe and Evan cross paths at the annual festival, but each year something, or someone, stands in the way of true love. Will a touch of Santa's magic on their fourth Christmas Eve finally bring them together?

Our Two Cents:

Ugh. We hate writing negative reviews, but we gotta be honest... There wasn't much we liked about this. Poorly written. Poorly acted. No chemistry. Lots of large sheets of cotton polyester blankets laid down over fake bushes and sidewalks that we are supposed to believe is snow. We say skip it.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Four Christmases and a Wedding? Tell us what you thought of it!

A Dream of Christmas

Be careful what you wish for! Penny doesn't really want much: just a promotion and for her husband, Stuart, to be home for once, especially it being so close to the holidays. But when everything seems to go wrong, Penny makes a wish that she might regret. While in line to see Santa, she wishes out loud that she had never gotten married. A Christmas Angel grants her wish, but Penny soon realizes what is lacking in her new "single" world and tries to win back the husband and life she had before. Now Penny must figure out how to turn her life back to the way it was.

Our Two Cents:
No complaints with this one. It was just too cute! Make sure you catch it!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

Last Chance for Christmas

When Prancer injures his hoof, Santa's stable hand John must find a fill in to ensure Christmas deliveries go off without a hitch. His mission gets complicated when he discovers that Frankie, the perfect substitute reindeer, belongs to a precocious 8-year-old girl and her mother Annie. As he races to get Frankie up to the North Pole, he realizes that he's actually falling in love with Annie and has to find a way to win her over and save Christmas at the same time.

Our Two Cents:

Usually movies with Santa and the North Pole and elves are… well, we don’t typically like them. Santa and Mrs. Claus usually get under our skin. There are exceptions to it, and this is definitely one of those exceptions. Mrs. Claus was sharp and sassy, and we kinda loved her! 

We like pretty much all of Hilarie Burton’s Christmas movies. The girl that plays her daughter was adorably precocious. And John’s awkwardness was pretty adorable too. Flowers and chocolates…

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site
 
Have you seen Last Chance for Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

Just In Time for Christmas

Lindsay has to make a tough decision: stay in her small hometown and marry longtime beau Jason, or accept a once-in-a-lifetime job teaching at an Ivy League college thousands of miles away. Fortunately, a magical messenger gives her a priceless Christmastime gift: Lindsay is instantly transported three years into the future, so she’ll be able to make the decision today that will be best for her future.

Our Two Cents:
It seemed like this one had a lot of hype last year leading up to the premiere, and sometimes that leads to high expectations and disappointment. But we felt it totally lived up to the hype. The basic concept of the plot is one of the main repeated plots in Made for TV Christmas Movie land, but for some reason, this made an old standard feel new and different.

There were two big cameo roles, Christopher Lloyd and William Shatner. The former was more delightful than the latter, though it might just be our reaction to the bizarre beard Captain Kirk donned.

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



Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Just In Time for Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

I'm Not Ready for Christmas

Holly lives in a world where lying has become common place for her. However, she finds after telling a few too many fibs and disappointing those around her that her life it about to change. Holly's niece, Anna, asks Santa Claus to make Holly incapable of telling a lie as her Christmas wish. What follows is a tale of how telling the truth changes Holly's life in ways she could never have anticipated before.

Our Two Cents:

Ok, here it goes. This one was a bit of a disappointment. I'll start with the most superficial complaint. I don't understand why it was called "I'm Not Ready for Christmas." It didn't have anything to do with the plot. Such a waste of a great title. They didn't really take as much advantage of the truth telling as they could have when it comes to creating comical situations (especially when you compare this movie to Liar Liar). The chemistry... there was none! I really didn't care about the love story at all. And lastly, everything seemed to work out too nicely for her in the end. Don't want to give spoilers, but it all wraps up in a big bow, drizzled with chocolate sauce and glittler and marshmallows and was a little too unrealistically perfect.

Now we can appreciate a guilty pleasure for what it is, there are lots of them on this blog (Eve's Christmas, anyone?), but we had a hard time with this one.

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

Links:

IMDB  •  Official Site



Back to Christmas

Interior designer Laura returns to Utah to spearhead the renovation of an old hotel in time for the annual Christmas Eve show run by Ricardo, her ex-boyfriend and dance partner. When Laura steps in to dance in the finale with Ricardo, she is pulled between her job, her family, and her reawakened feelings for Ricardo.

Our Two Cents:

You know we love the dancing movies! The chemistry in this movie better be good because it stars real life husband and wife Carlos PenaVega and Alexa PenaVega. Of course it's predictable, but aren't they all?

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Back to Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

Back to Christmas

After meeting a woman named Ginny and telling her the story of her failed engagement, Ali wakes up to find herself transported back to that Christmas before her planned wedding. While she sets out to avoid the mistakes of her past, she learns that changing the course of history is no easy task.

Our Two Cents:

You can find this on Netflix as Back to Christmas, though it's also known as Correcting Christmas. We've seen the time traveling Christmas movies before, but other than the basic formula of meeting an unconventional "Christmas Angel", it doesn't follow quite the same formula as it's movie siblings. By the way, you may recognize the "Christmas Angel", named Ginny in this movie. She played Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie, and frankly, she's hilarious, one of the best parts of the movie. Anyway, hopefully this will be on TV for those of you without Netflix. Find it! It was a good one.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Back to Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

Christmas at Cartwright's

With the holiday season at hand, single mom Nicky Talbot is unemployed and struggling to afford a nice Christmas with her 8-year-old daughter. Hearing that Cartwright’s Department Store is hiring temporary holiday help, Nicky rushes in to apply, but is rejected by Senior VP Fiona Aldrich, who considers Nicky a threat to the relationship she hopes to have with Bill, a charming and handsome store manager. In a whimsical turn of events, Harry Osbourne, claiming to be a consultant from corporate headquarters, encourages Nicky to dress up and begin working as Cartwright’s store Santa Claus. With the magical help of Harry, Nicky keeps the job, but nobody knows Cartwright’s Santa Claus is a woman. Will she be able to keep her job if her secret gets out?

Our Two Cents:

Our only real complaint with this one, because it was pretty darn cute, is that we wished the main character had a little more backbone and didn't wilt under pressure from Fiona (who obviously has a vendetta against her) quite so easily. But otherwise it was a fun movie, and we recommend it!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Trailer:

Have you seen Christmas at Cartwright's? Tell us what you thought of it!

Christmas Under Wraps

Dr. Lauren Brunell (Bure) has her whole life planned out. As a third year surgery resident, she is counting on being accepted into a prestigious hospital fellowship to follow in the footsteps of her supportive father, Henry (Pine). But when those plans quickly fall apart, and Lauren is put on the wait list, she must take the only other opening available: a head doctor position in the small, remote town of Garland, Alaska.

Convincing herself it is only temporary, Lauren moves to Garland where she is immediately charmed by Andy (O’Donnell), a handsome local who soon starts to show her the importance of living in the moment and enjoying her unexpected adventure. As Lauren excels as Garland's trusted doctor, she warms up to the friendly town. But Andy's father, Frank (Doyle-Murray), is hiding something from her in his top-secret shipping warehouse. Just as Lauren decides to get to the bottom of her suspicions, she receives news that will force her to make a life-changing decision, while knowing for certain that the Christmas season will never be the same.

Our Two Cents:

Candace Cameron Bure is a Christmas movie regular. This one, we feel, is by far her best one yet. I don't know what else to say besides don't miss it!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site



Trailer:

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One Starry Christmas

Aspiring astronomy professor and Christmas enthusiast Holly is crushed when her longtime boyfriend Adam schedules a business trip and leaves her alone over the holidays. When she decides to surprise both Adam and her parents with a Christmas visit, however, fate, or perhaps the Christmas spirit, intervenes. Holly's bumpy holiday travel makes a turn onto the road to romance when she and her bus companion, Luke, forge an instant connection over their love of constellations and Christmas. In the spirit of the season, Holly invites Luke and his brother Bull to join her family and Adam for Christmas, which instantly creates a competition between Luke and Adam for Holly's attention. As sparks fly like shooting stars between Holly and Luke, will Holly decide to play it safe and stay with Adam or to thank her lucky stars for the Christmas gift of romance with Luke?

Our Two Cents:

We started this one last year and just couldn’t do it. We were going to give it another chance but Mom and Dad said it was awful. We have little desire to try it again.

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


Links:
IMDB  •   Official Site

Have you seen One Starry Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

Dear Secret Santa

After getting news of her father's bad fall, Jennifer, moves back to the house where she grew up, reuniting her with old flames and old memories. One day, Jennifer gets a Christmas card from a secret admirer in her mailbox and becomes curious as to who sent it. The admirer knows so many personal things about her that she decides to write back. Can she solve the mystery of who is sending her the Christmas cards?

Our Two Cents:

With a good cast, some cute moments and some good music, this movie is a little reminiscent of The Lake House, but it’s not quite the same story line. It has a few twists. Can you figure out who her Secret Santa is?

Side Note: Ok, so the mystery isn't that hard to figure out. Most plot summaries give it away. So if you want to be surprised, maybe don't follow the links or watch the trailer.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Dear Secret Santa? Tell us what you thought of it! 

Holidaze

Melody, a high powered corporate workaholic for a retail conglomerate, is happy to spend the holidays jet-setting with her girlfriends. However, she's in for an unpleasant surprise when her boss sends her to her sleepy hometown to convince the reluctant townspeople to allow them to build a new discount store. Now, forced to reconnect with her family and her childhood sweetheart Carter, her task is not so simple, as all are vehemently opposed to everything Melody's company stands for. Desperate to get out of town and back to her real life, Melody takes a spill and wakes up in an alternate universe where she never left home and is married to Carter! Once determined to leave her small town life behind, Melody must make sense of her new life and decide if you truly can go home again.

Our Two Cents:

Another silver screen rip off--this one is like The Family Man. There are a few things about this movie that leave us shaking our heads, inwardly saying "really?" to the TV. But it has some really good moments too. We like it for the good moments, and it's just a teensy bit a guilty pleasure for the bad ones.

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


Links:
IMDB


Trailer:

Have you seen Holidaze? Tell us what you thought of it!

Angels Sing

As a child, Michael Walker wished every day could be Christmas. That is, until a tragic accident crushed his holiday spirit. Thirty years later, Michael still can't muster any joy for the holidays, despite encouragement from his playful wife and well-intentioned parents.

This year just before the holidays, Michael and his wife Susan, are getting desperate to find a house before they need to move out of their now sold home. One day while taking a bide ride, he find a gorgeous home for sale in a beautiful neighborhood. Knowing such a home would be out of his price range he has no intention of stopping, but the man on the porch insists he looks at the house. As they talk, the man can learns the quality of Michael's character, and though the house is worth far more, he offers a price that is in Michael's budget. Before they know it, Michael and Susan move in to their new beautiful. That's when the welcoming begins. Everyday a new neighbor with a new Christmas carol along with a gift of Christmas decorations. Because in this famous Austin neighborhood, everyone decorates for Christmas, and their house is most famous for it's annual decorations. Michael, however, refuses to give in.

But when his young son faces a tragedy, and begins on the same path as Michael all those years ago, will Michael find his Christmas spirit for the sake of his son?

Our Two Cents:

We are big fans of Harry Connick Jr. (When My Heart Finds Christmas, anyone?) so we were excited to watch this one. There are lots of classic country music cameos and music (Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson and more). (The soundtrack was fabulous! I had Christmastime is Here Again stuck in my head for weeks!) But music aside, the story was really sweet, and Harry and all the cast were great. Be prepared, this one is a bit of a tear jerker.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★
Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site



Trailer:

Have you seen Angels Sing? Tell us what you thought of it!

A Christmas Wedding Date

After being fired from her high-powered job, Rebecca heads back home to see her mom, Shirley, and attend her friends small-town wedding on Christmas Eve. Initially convinced that the trip is a terrible mistake, especially her botched romantic conversation with former beau, Chad, Rebecca soon learns that, indeed, you can go home again, and, again--until you get it right.

Our Two Cents:

Yikes. I mean, I can appreciate a good guilty pleasure like the next girl, but this movie was a chore to get through. The main character's transformation was erratic and made little sense. In fact, the whole plot was erratic and made little sense.

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


Links:
IMDB  •   Official Site

Trailer:

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

Naughty or Nice

After she is suddenly fired from her job, Krissy Kringle (Hilarie Burton) is in no mood for all the misdirected Santa mail she receives each holiday season to her home on Candy Cane Lane. Even so, one package in particular stands out: Santa’s “Naughty or Nice” book, which he left behind when visiting a child. After Krissy realizes that the book is magical and will show her all the bad deeds of those around her, Krissy sets out to expose everyone she knows who has been naughty. Eventually, the naughty list hits too close to home, exposing a truth about her long-time boyfriend, Lance (Matt Dallas) and causing turmoil with one of her neighbors. With the help of her mother, Carol (Meredith Baxter) and father Walter Kringle (Michael Gross), Krissy discovers that the book’s powers also reveal the nice in people, not just the naughty.

Our Two Cents:
So, this was a just fun movie. We liked the refreshingly different storyline and the supporting cast has some fun characters. While there is a bit of romance on the side, the story really is about Krissy finding her Christmas spirit.

Side Note: Careful doing web searches for this problematically titled movie! Be sure to add Hallmark to the movie title so you don't get the more unsavory search results!

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site   •  
DVD 

Trailer:

Have you seen Naughty or Nice? Tell us what you thought of it!

Matchmaker Santa

As a little girl, Melanie Hogan (Lacey Chabert) wished to find her own prince charming just like her parents found true love. Now an adult, Melanie is running her own bakery and dating a handsome but distracted CEO, Justin (Thad Luckinbill). Things seem perfect when Justin asks Melanie to spend the holidays together at his beautiful lake house upstate—and meet his mother. However, Justin's plans seem to have more to do with his career aspirations than his relationship with Melanie. Melanie finds herself spending more time with Justin’s best friend and loyal assistant, Dean (Adam Mayfield), who just might be harboring a secret crush on her. When complications arise that throw Melanie and Dean together over the holiday, thanks to a matchmaking Santa and some conspiratorial townsfolk, will the two realize that their true love is in each other?




Our Two Cents:

This one is a pretty cute movie. It has some some not so good moments. Spoiler alert: Melanie's "secret ingrdient" is pure vanilla been extract. Isn't that in like every cookie recipe ever? It's some kind secret because it's "pure" rather imitation?  I'm going to assume they meant to make it vanilla bean paste and it just never got fixed in the script. Ok, it really isn't a big deal, but as bakers, this just drives us a little bonkers!

Last thing: this movie probably has one of the more awkward endings we've seen. But it has some cute moments too and they kind of make up for all the other stuff that doesn't work as well.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★ 
Links:
IMDB   •   Official Site


Trailer:

 

Have you seen Matchmaker Santa? Tell us what you thought of it!

12 Dates of Christmas

12 Dates of Christmas is a romantic comedy that follows Kate (Amy Smart), a young woman who re-lives the same first date on Christmas Eve over and over again. In an attempt to win back her ex-boyfriend on Christmas Eve, Kate ends up ruining her blind date with Miles (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), a handsome guy she's been set up with. In a strange twist of fate, Kate is given the chance to re-live Christmas Eve twelve times! Kate decides to embrace what Christmas Eve has given her--a loving family, great friends and Miles, who turns out to be a great guy! However, just as she seems to think she has gotten it right, the clock strikes midnight and Kate must live Christmas Eve once again. Under these weird new circumstances, Kate learns to take risks and enjoy what she's been given. Thanks to the gift of Christmas Eve, Kate finds happiness by finally trusting fate.

Our Two Cents:
12 Dates of Christmas is sort of a Christmas Groundhog Day. But in Groundhog Day, you see the real need for Phil Connor to go through that experience. This movie it isn't so clear why. She had some pretty good days in the middle that you'd think would do the trick to stop the curse. Also in the end, I'm not sure how she got all that done in one day... but that's the magic of the movies, right? Don't think about this one too much, just take it for what it is, and you'll find it a pretty enjoyable movie.

Note: Be sure to watch for the hidden 12 gifts of Christmas each day (partridge in a pear tree, 2 turtle doves, etc).

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


Links:
IMDB


Trailer:

Have you seen 12 Dates of Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

Call Me Mrs. Miracle

No one celebrates the holidays like Emily Merkle (Doris Roberts)–or Mrs. Miracle as she is known by some – who is back to ensure that this Christmas is the most magical and meaningful of all. When Mrs. Miracle appears as a seasonal employee in the toy department at the financially troubled Finley’s Department Store, neither the store’s owners, nor the customers, have any idea of the events that are about to unfold. Just when it seemed Christmas might not come at all this year, Finley’s favorite employee proves they don’t call her Mrs. Miracle for nothing!

Our Two Cents:

It's hard to not have high expectations for this one after the first Mrs. Miracle, which is in our top 10. It didn't quite live up to those expectations, but that doesn't mean that this is a bad movie. Mrs. Miracle and her audacious meddling matchmaking is right as we remembered it, and SHE certainly does not disappoint. And as far as Christmas movies go, it's about average. So you won't be blown away, but I don't think you'll regret watching it either.

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

Links: IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site


Trailer:

Have you seen Call Me Mrs. Miracle? Tell us what you thought of it! 

The Perfect Holiday

Benjamin (Morris Chestnut) is an aspiring songwriter who attempts to break into the music business by giving a copy of his recording track of a Christmas album to a rap artist named J-Jizzy (Charles Q. Murphy). Nancy (Gabrielle Union) is a divorced mother, who is too busy taking care of her three children to take care of herself. Her daughter Emily overhears her mother say that she wished for a compliment from a man, and the daughter tells the local mall's Santa Claus about her mother's wish.

The Santa Claus turns out to be Benjamin, who notices Nancy. Later, while sitting in a Starbucks after his shift as Santa, Benjamin and his friend Jamal (Faizon Love) see Nancy go into a dry cleaners. Benjamin borrows Jamal's jacket, pretends to drop it off at the cleaners, tells Nancy that she's a very attractive woman (granting her wish), and leaves. Eventually, the two start to date and end up falling in love—without Ben realizing that Nancy's ex-husband is J-Jizzy.

Things take a turn for the worse, however, because Nancy's oldest son, John-John is jealous of Benjamin going out with his mother and plots to break up the relationship. What follows is a series of funny and touching scenes that show viewers what "family" is really about.

Our Two Cents:

Mostly this movie wasn't that great, but it wasn't that bad either. It had a lot of annoying things about it. #1 Queen Latifa's character. What the heck is point of her? Nothing against the actress, but we found her character confusing and distracting. Maybe we missed something that happened in the beginning. But it would have been better without whatever she was. #2 We didn't find the romance very believable. They seemed like they were too perfect and in love too suddenly, especially considering that she has 3 kids.

It has a few redeeming qualities to it. #1 J-Jizzy. So basically he and his manager: Hilarious. #2 The kids. Sometimes the kids can kill the movie, sometimes they make the movie. This one is definitely the latter. #3 The premise that he, as the mall Santa, approached Nancy to grant her daughter's wish... Adorable.

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

Links: IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon

Have you seen The Perfect Holiday? Tell us what you thought of it!

Holiday Switch

A week before Christmas, Paula Ferguson finds herself struggling with bills and life with her blue-collar husband Gary and her two daughters. When her high school boyfriend Nick Kensington returns to town, Paula wonders if she made the wrong decision when she chose her date to the prom. What would her life have been like if she stayed with Nick?

One night, while everyone else is asleep, wondering if she made the wrong choices in life, she is in the basement and bumps her head. When she comes to, she hears a strange voice calling from inside the dryer. Looking inside, she can see an opening in the back and she crawls through. On the other side is the laundry room in a luxurious mansion and a maid calling her Mrs. K. Even her clothes have changed from worn flannel pajamas and a terry cloth robe to silk and lace. It turns out she is Mrs. K, Mrs. Kensington, that is!

As she becomes more acquainted with what life would really be as the wealthy Mrs. K, without her real husband Gary and without her two girls, she wonders if she should have, as they say, been careful what she wished for. She soon realizes despite their financial problems, she had a really great husband and great life as Paula Ferguson. Is it too late to take back her wish?

Our Two Cents:

This isn't the greatest movie, but we like it anyway. It's another one of those, what would life had been like if scenarios. I enjoyed watching her journey from loving her new pretend life to realizing all the great things she really had. Great message that things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site



Have you seen Holiday Switch? Tell us what you thought of it!