Holiday movies fill our hearts with joy. Between Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas, It's a Wonderful Lifetime (or Fa La La La Lifetime, if you prefer) and ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas, there are so many movies and so little time.
To help you, our friends, we have sacrificed by watching as many of these movies as possible and will give you our two cent review. Hopefully this will help you know what you do or do not want to watch.
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?
When struggling pastry chef Kylie Watson (Chabert) learns she’s made it
to the finals of the American Gingerbread Competition, she thinks her
competitive spirit has finally paid off and hopes the publicity will
help her jumpstart her new café. There’s just one problem — the oven
she’s supposed to use breaks down right before the contest. Determined
to enter, she reaches out to Nick Mazannti (Coco), her old boyfriend
from culinary school who gave up his dream of being a pastry chef to
take over his family’s pizzeria. Nick allows her to use his industrial
pizza oven at night to craft her ambitious gingerbread confections. As
the two reminisce about the dreams of their youth, their romance is
rekindled. But just as Kylie is on the cusp of taking the grand prize—and embracing true love—things get complicated when her ex-boyfriend
takes drastic steps to win her back. Kylie realizes she must embrace the
Christmas Spirit or risk losing both the contest and her new love.
Our Two Cents:
Oh, Lacey Chabert, Lacey Chabert. I hate to say it, but I do not care for Lacey Chabert. (If you pronouce Chabert the way I think it's pronounced "SHA-bear" then that should be a nice little Dr. Seuss rhyme for you from me. Merry Christmas and you're welcome.) Seriously, her acting is okay, but she has the same dry sugar toast personality in every movie--which is actually NO personality. Sadly, the same goes for her costar in this one and the love story fell flat.
Isobel Gray (Witt) plans a storybook Christmas with her boyfriend,
including a snow-covered cottage in the Northwest, and a carefully
composed bucket list of classic holiday traditions. But when the
boyfriend goes AWOL, the list proves challenging and a tempting new
romance turns her life upside down. Will Isobel have a White Christmas
ending under the mistletoe?"
Our Two Cents:
The Christmas Movie Amateur will mention Melissa Joan Hart as a repeat offender for these movies. She's actually not even much of a contender. Candace Cameron Bure (6 movies), Lacey Chabert (6 movies) and even Haylie Duff (5 movies) are some obvious candidates for the Queen of TV Christmas Movies. This movie stars Alicia Witt (5 movies) and Gabriel Hogan (6 movies!). The black horses in the competition for the crowns of King and Queen! (Ironically, this is their second movie together. Their first was Christmas at Cartwright's.)
The problem with that is, we are beginning to find her annoying. She kind of jumped the shark in this one. Her typical doe-eyed, childish innocence was a bit too much to take in this movie. We may have liked it better with a different actress. The movie itself wasn't bad. Gabriel Hogan tends to play the same buttoned-up nice guy (you know, the kind that moms want(ed) their daughters to date and marry) and we were hoping he'd be a little more loose in this one. It's all perfectly encapsulated in his hairstyle. We were hoping for a little more dishevelment. Nope, same hairstyle. BUT his character's personality was much more loose and easy going so, we'll take it.
So, to sum up, if Alicia Witt doesn't bother you, you'll probably like it.
One of the most famous actresses in the world heads to the
Christmas-obsessed town of Homestead, Iowa, to shoot a holiday-themed
movie. She is thrown for a loop when a romance brews between her and
local inn keeper and single dad, Matt. As she gets a taste of small-town
life, she discovers the true meaning of Christmas.
Our Two Cents:
We didn't hear anything about this movie and weren't sure what to expect. Frankly the title made us a little concerned it was going to be really sappy. But within the first minute, we knew this was going to be a keeper. Mayor Matt won us over from the get go and his daughter Sophie tops the list of child characters in all these movies. Full of sass and personality.
Plus it has a great side story with his sister. So, basically, we loved it. A little Notting Hill, a lot Christmas.
Stephanie is excited to take the next step in her relationship and
move in with her boyfriend, but is then crushed when he drops the
bombshell that he wants to break up. Faced with spending the holidays
heartbroken and homeless, she decides to fly home to Connecticut. On a
red-eye the day before Christmas, Stephanie finds herself seated next to
Michael, who is planning to propose to his college girlfriend. The two
get off to a rocky start but things get even worse when the pilot
announces that a huge, unexpected snowstorm is crossing the country.
Their flight is diverted to a small town in Montana where Stephanie
snags the last available room at the town’s bed and breakfast. Despite
their differences, she offers to share the room with Michael and try
their best to get along.
Our Two Cents:
First, we have to say love the casting of Mayim Bialik. She's not the typical leading lady, i.e. she's not a supermodel. She gets an unfair wrap in the Hollywood scene about being "unattractive". Truth be told this causes a little blood boiling because she's not unattractive, she is just an ordinary looking girl and there's nothing wrong with that. But that isn't the thing that we love about her casting. It's that it wasn't part of the story. She wasn't cast to play the unattractive girl that the hot guy gets to know and realizes there's a heart of gold inside. Her looks weren't an issue--as they shouldn't be. So this movie gets props for that.
When first writing this review, we were thinking the ending fell a little flat but in after writing, we thought, we haven't actually watched this in a while. After watching it again, we'll say that the ending is cute and understated in a good way. Two thumbs up.
Personal shopper Gwen's newest
client, Charlie, is a high-rolling, workaholic, single father. When Gwen
meets his 8-year-old son, Owen, during a package drop, she is saddened
to see just how little time Charlie spends with him. Determined to get
Charlie to appreciate his family, Gwen makes it her Christmas mission to
get him into the festive spirit. As she gets closer to Charlie and
Owen, she also discovers what she wants for the holidays.
Our Two Cents:
We watched this the next day after the disappointment of 12 Gifts of Christmas. The plot summary sounded basically the same. Instantly we could tell it was FAR better than the other one. The movie was more funny, the leads had far more personality and were likable. It’s really the little things that the actors to do to either create a cardboard reading of a dull script, or a real person that you want to be friends with. We definitely wanted to be friends with Gwen.
Two New York City-bound travelers find themselves inextricably linked
when a snowstorm reroutes them to an airport hotel in Buffalo. Ever the
eternal optimist and hopeless romantic, Paige desperately needs to find a
way back home to meet her fiancee’s parents before her forthcoming
wedding. And it’s somehow up to fellow passenger Dylan MacKenzie, who is
permanently soured on romance following a recent heartbreak. Yet Dylan
somehow rises to the occasion to become Paige’s chivalrous helpmate. The
pair are joined on this misadventure by a married couple named Frank and
Maxine trying to get to Connecticut. As their madcap journey ensues,
our foursome will find plenty of surprises in store.
Our Two Cents:
We didn’t dislike this one, but did find it a bit mediocre. We were glad it wasn’t Candace Camerone Bure’s typical plot—a goal oriented work obsessed woman who gets sent to a small town and learns the true meaning of life (see Mistletoe & Moonlight, Let It Snow, Christmas Under Wraps, Finding Normal…). Fully predictable and full of your classic Christmas movie cliches, but, isn’t that the charm?
So… here’s our problem with it. The male lead had a weird personality. Weird might not be the right word, but it just didn't seem to all fit together. Half cynical, half happy-go-lucky, and has the same back story that all male leads seems to have—he got dumped in a big way. They could have had more cute moments in building the romance. It felt a bit forced at times. We might have liked Frank and Maxine's side story even more than Paige and Dylan's.
But that being said, it’s worth watching. Not the best, but CERTAINLY not the worst.
After getting fired from her job as a maid at a ritzy New York City
hotel, Allie reluctantly accepts a temp gig as the governess to a young
girl who is part of a powerful family in Europe that lives in an actual
castle. After arriving, Allie learns the girl is named Princess Theodora
and her father is Maximillian, the King of Winshire. The King informs
Allie that the Princess has a tendency to terrorize authority figures, a
predilection that has grown worse since her mother’s death. Yet
governess and Princess wind up hitting it off while at the same time a
spark forms between Allie and Max. However, Countess Celia is expecting
to wed the King. Will Max take a stand for his feelings for Allie and
make it truly a merry Christmas for all (or at least, most)?
Our Two Cents:
Classic
tale of the governess and single dad falling in love with a Christmas
twist. So far, this might be one of the best of the 2015 movies. Can't
say that the, ahem, casting doesn't have anything to do with it. There's
something about English men named Rupert. Look it up. They tend to be
attractive.
Anyhoo, cute movie, great grand gesture at the end... Don't miss this one.
Side Note: We greatly appreciated the authentic English accents in this movie.
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?
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.
Hailee Anderson, the famous talk show host, is
preparing for the holiday season by working; she's planning her very
important TV show, her Christmas special. Already a scrooge, Hailee is
even more miserable when she finds out on live TV that her real-estate fiancée Jason is cheating on her! To clear her head, she goes on
a drive and ends up in Carver Bend, Connecticut, and unfortunately crashes
through a local judge's fence. When is sentenced to community service, witness and rescuer Logan recommends she work with him at the local art center where they are building a float to win the contest at the annual Christmas Parade.
While Hailee bonds with the locals, the art center kids, and grows
closer to Logan, she begins to learn the magic and joy of Christmas.
Our Two Cents:
Shamelessly stealing Winona Ryder’s line from Reality Bites: this movie is so cheesy you can’t watch it without crackers. Full of christmas cliches including the Scroogy saboteur, a classic Grinch transformation, and sappy romance, it’s a perfect candidate for a Christmas guilty pleasure.
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!
Fireman Zachary Stone (Brandon Routh) is a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t
believe in love or commitment. When a stray tabby cat named Ambrose
shows up at his door, Zachary takes him in and slowly starts to see that
a little companionship might not be so bad after all. Zachary’s
commitment to solitude is further challenged when he meets Marilee
(Kimberly Sustad), an animal lover and veterinary student who teaches Zachary how
to care for his new feline roommate. Chemistry immediately develops
between the two, but will they find a way together despite themselves?
Our Two Cents:
I don't mean to make our reviews so often based on the attractiveness of the male lead, but... who are we kidding here? This has Brandon Routh and he is highly attractive. We don't really like the pet movies, and we are NOT cat people, but our adoration of this movie goes beyond Superman's good looks. The female lead is very likable and you'll love this movie's take on the mistletoe scenario. Only criticism is the end, which got a little too hokey and awkward for our tastes. But well worth watching (and owning). If we could put an 11th movie in our top 10, this might make the cut.
Side note, we aren't really sure why it's called the Nine Lives of Christmas. No characters in this movie, including any cats or other animals, have anything close to a death or near death experience. It's a little misleading. Not that it matters, just left us scratching our heads.
Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★ • Acting ★★★★★ • Chemistry ★★★★★ • Overall ★★★★★
Links: IMDB • Official Site • DVD
Trailer:
Have you seen The Nine Lives of Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!
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.
With her California hometown in the rearview mirror, Belle heads north
on business to facilitate the estate sale of a mansion. While the job is
a dream, the client, Hunter Lowell, is not. But, as the two spend more
time together, his icy demeanor begins to melt. Although their
relationship is budding, Belle’s long-time suitor, Tony, arrives,
sending mixed signals to Hunter while adding chaos to the holiday
season.
Our Two Cents:
Oi. We've watched some BAD Christmas movies in our time. This one takes the cake. There are just so many things that made this movie beyond bad, but straight up AWFUL.
Let's get this out of the way: We joked in the first scene as Belle was walking through town greeting passersby (Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour Bonjour Bonjour!). Wait, what? This really IS a Beauty and the Beast? Yes. And that could have worked if done right, but... it wasn't done right and it surely didn't work. (Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!--Sorry. I couldn't resist.)
There's ultra poor writing and character development. Hunter's back story is
not nearly strong enough to make him the Beast. And then in the blink of an eye, he just became nice. And then... he became a completely gullible pansy (but he doesn't believe anything Belle tells him, just believes the saboteur...).
There's the acting. It was bad.
There's the cheesy filler shots, many of which were too long, and definitely repeated. (Ok. We get it. Hunter goes running through the vineyard every morning.)
There's the music. The CONSTANT dramatic (but not necessarily fitting the tone of the scene), way too loud music. When I say constant I every single second of the movie has music. It's enough to make you want to rip your hair out.
Have we convinced you yet? Stay away. Stay FAR away. Unless you are some kind of masochist... Or if you need to punish your children. You were warned.
Jaded rock star Dax (Drew Lachey) is found by New York paparazzi passed out in his car with a frozen holiday turkey in the passenger seat. In order to repair his tarnished image, Dax publicly agrees to grant a fan’s “Dear Santa” Christmas wish. To his dismay, his manager Jason drops Dax off in Cedar Grove, a Midwest small town, where he’s committed to spend a week and perform in a local holiday Christmas concert.
At first, Dax is horrified to be stuck in the Reverend Harding family’s home with strict rules and a curfew. In spite of himself, he soon becomes charmed by the Reverend’s wife Lynne, and very surprised contest winner and daughter Kelly (Mackenzie Porter), a sassy, unemployed book jacket writer.
Between the family’s backyard collection of llamas, quirky Christmas traditions and their overall kindness, Dax starts to appreciate what the Hardings have as a family – love, caring and an uplifting holiday spirit.
Our Two Cents:
We literally just finished watching this movie. We heard about it a while back though suggestions on Amazon, and have been watching for it to come on TV, so when it started a bit rough, we were a little worried. But after the first few scenes it started improving dramatically and we ended up loving it!
It's no holds barred when two Manhattan department store employees vie
for the same job during the busy Christmas season. Sloan Van Doren is a
driven young woman determined to become the next window dresser at
McGuire's department store and to uphold a 95-year-old artistic holiday
tradition. Serious and professional, she's the polar opposite of the
happy-go-lucky Jake Dooley, who also wants the job. When Mr. Fitch, the
head of advertising and promotion, gives them a challenge, the
competition is on: each will create a series of seasonal storefront
windows twice a week until Christmas. The creator of whichever window
display gets the most attention from passersby will get the job.
As they
go through their paces, with Jake's obvious talent grabbing the
public's attention, a silent but mutual attraction develops between the
pair, hampered by the contest and the presence of Kenneth, Sloan's
blueblood boyfriend, who can't understand the importance Sloan is
placing on this job. Supporting the efforts of the window dressers are
McGuire's veteran window washer Mac (Terence Kelly) and brassy bathroom
attendant Rita who have eyes for each other but haven't done anything
about it yet. Love is in the air at McGuire's, but things aren't exactly
what they seem. Who will win in this love triangle?
(Summary from IMDB)
Our Two Cents:
More like Window Wonderful! Cute, funny, and full of surprises and great banter between lead characters. It's just good. Don't miss this one because it's not available on DVD.
Nikki Crandon (Shannon Elizabeth) is one of the biggest pop stars on
the planet. Whether she's singing the National Anthem or promoting her
latest album, everyone knows who she is—none more so than New Jersey
high school basketball coach and widower Chris Mitchell (Steve Byers),
who was Nikki's first love in high school. When Chris's 10-year-old
daughter Sophie (Julia Lalonde) finds out her dad still has feelings for
the singer, she takes matters into her own hands. With her 8-year-old
brother Jackson (Kyle Breitkopf) in tow, Sophie succeeds in reuniting
the two. But when a misunderstanding and the growing glare of the public
spotlight threaten Chris and Nikki's happiness, one can only wonder:
will fame get in the way of a Merry Christmas?
Our Two Cents:
Catch a Falling Star, in a word, is MEH. It's not great, and it's not really bad. Well, it's kind of really bad. The plot doesn't make too much sense. She's a huge superstar. Fans wait in line all day just to meet her for a few moments and get an autograph. She fills a huge Madison Square Garden-size stadium for a concert featuring CHRISTMAS SONGS (that concert itself is a bit far fetched). So how would a romance with someone who is a highly attractive, family man, works for a high school and is incredibly nice guy hurt her reputation? I don't get it. And the ending! Yikes. Yeah, it's not really that good, but you know we watch it every year anyway!
Shop owner Alice Chapman (Alicia Witt) is nervous to meet her future
in-laws at Christmas, especially because she is arriving ahead of her
new fiancé, Will Mitchum (Scott Gibson). Alice's trip becomes more
stressful when her luggage is lost and her phone is damaged, leaving her
no way to find Will's family! As fate would have it, she meets her
future brother-in-law, Matt Mitchum (Mark Wiebe), at baggage claim and
is happy to get a ride home with him. As Alice meets Matt's doting
family, mom Penny (Susan Hogan), dad Joe (Richard Fitzpatrick) and
Grandpa Charles (Lawrence Dane), she falls in love with their festive
holiday traditions and warm welcome to their home. And when unexpected
romance comes calling as Christmas approaches, Alice must decide if her
“Merry Mix-Up” will actually turn out to be her destiny.
Our Two Cents:
Last year, we started this and didn't watch the whole thing. I don't know what it was that turned us off, but we weren't getting it. We'd heard from others it was good so it surprised us that we weren't into it. This year we decided to give it another chance and found it delightful! We love the chemistry between Alice and Matt--and his whole family!
Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★ • Acting ★★★★★ • Chemistry ★★★★ • Overall ★★★★★
Links: IMDB • Buy DVD on Amazon • Official Site
Trailer:
Have you seen A Very Merry Mix-Up? Tell us what you thought of it!
When Boston lawyer Mary Ross (Emily Rose) inherits a house in
Plymouth from her late aunt, she has no idea she may have inherited a
historical treasure. Mary's initial desire to sell the house is
supported by her slick boyfriend, Rick (Adam Kaufman), but she is
shocked to discover local historian Everett Mather (Justin Bruening) has
evidence that her house is located on the site of the first
Thanksgiving! With the house turning into an unexpected tourist
attraction, putting Mary in the media spotlight at the prying of
unscrupulous gossip blogger Ashleigh Mulligan (Cerina Vincent), Everett
tries to prove his theory and Mary tries to prove anything that will
keep the house in her hands. Suddenly, Mary clings to the house as an
artifact of her own history before her happy childhood memories were
tarnished by her father's abandonment.
Ultimately, Mary must decide if it is more important to preserve
the house’s historical ties or make it the site of many happy
Thanksgivings to come. What will she choose?
Our Two Cents:
While this isn't really a CHRISTMAS movie, per se, it still has all the great nuances that you love, as you can see by the labels below. So this is why we like The Thanksgiving House. First, it's nice to give Thanksgiving it's own movie. Second, it has a sweet love story which is why we watch these movies, right? And third, it has a great message about family.
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.
