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 Bramble House Christmas

While settling his father’s estate, Finn Conrad becomes suspicious as to why the man left a nurse $50,000. His dad knew her for less than two months before he died. Just before Christmas, Finn wants what to reclaim what he considers his family’s money, going undercover to investigate the bed and breakfast the nurse has recently taken over. When Finn meets Willa, he discovers she’s not a conniving gold digger at all, but a woman in need who put the money to good use. When she discovers his true identity, will it keep Willa from ever trusting him again?

Our Two Cents:

After several duds and a few movies that were only okay, the holiday movie season has finally begun with A Bramble House Christmas. We found this movie to be delightful, especially the exceptional location shots! Of course there was that certain level of predictability you expect in our beloved holiday movies, but this one had a twist that kicked it up a notch and left us quite satisfied.

Now that the praise is done, we must ask: Were we the only ones who noticed Willa wore the same style skirt in different colors throughout the entire movie? 

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

Falling for Christmas

When champion figure skater Claire becomes injured she is sent to a rehabilitation center in the snowy mountains where she meets and falls for a local ice fisherman who shows her there is more to life than competition.

Our Two Cents:

Ok. Here's the truth. We just couldn't finish this one. We're no super feminists, but the lead girl was so flighty and helpless and the male just happened to show up when she got into these stupid and sometimes life threatening situations... Felt the writing was a bit unfair to women.

Aaaand that's just in the first 10 minutes. We didn't even get to the part where it turns into The Cutting Edge, which is the whole premise of the movie.

Plus, the thing that made The Cutting Edge great is that they hated each other and had to learn to work with each other and overcome those differences. In this movie they seem to be twitterpated from the start. Hhhhh...

It may not be as bad as this review makes it seem. Maybe we'll give it another chance.

Note: This is also known as A Snow Capped Christmas.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Falling For Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it! 

The Mistletoe Promise

This is the story of two unlucky people who both have negative views of Christmas. Elise Donner (Jaime King) is the creator, founder, and co-owner of a travel agency known as World Bright Travel Agency. He co-owner is none other than her ex-husband, Dan (Lochlyn Munro), who switched up the Christmas presents one year and accidentally gave her a gift meant for his car show model mistress, Drew (Ashley Ross). Then there is Nick Derr (Luke Macfarlane), a divorce lawyer who is up for partner at his law firm and needs a longtime girlfriend by the end of the week in order to prove that he is a serious family man like all the other partners before him.

The two meet at a food court over their mutual hate for those treacherous Christmas carolers and create a mistletoe promise guaranteed to make him partner at his firm and give her an opportunity to get rid of the burden of her ex and his girlfriend. The promise is intended to be solely business but the spirit of the holidays and the amount of time spent pretending to be in love might just be enough to actually feel something for each other.

Our Two Cents:
So this movie was delightful enough, has everything you expect from holiday movies. As long as you realize it's one of these TV movies, (and of course, this goes for all these movies because there is always something in all of these movies that warrants a groan or a "come on" remark as you watch them), it might just end up a favorite.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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Merry Matrimony

Brie, an advertising executive, lands her dream assignment organizing the perfect Christmas wedding for a fashion magazine. If she succeeds, she will make partner at her firm. The only catch is that she unknowingly has been paired up with a certain high powered fashion photographer who just happens to be her estranged ex-boyfriend.

Our Two Cents:

First time watching this, we had to stop it. We found her somewhat unlikable (especially on her date with Jared), and he seemed a bit dull. But then we each went back and finished it another time. Ironically, just after where we'd stopped it is where it starts getting better. Notwithstanding the slow start, the two characters bloom and hit their stride.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Merry Matrimony? Tell us what you thought of it!

Christmas in the City

With the threat of having to close her father's candy store, Wendy and her six-year-old daughter Grace travel to the big city in hopes of making extra holiday cash to save the store.

Her best friend Angie is able to get Wendy's foot in the door at Wolman's Department Store, where she has her day job. Run by its founder Harry Wolman and Harry's nephew Tom Wolman, Wolman's is an old fashioned business that runs on family values, treating staff truly like members of their family. Much of the Wolman family's values are under the gun as it is not doing well financially.

Its Board of Directors has hired a retail consultant, Teanna Musk, for the Christmas season to turn the store's financial fortunes around. Nicknamed Cruella by the store's staff, Teanna has no sentiment toward traditional Christmas values, only looking at the bottom line. Beyond being a directive by the Board, Tom feels like he has to abide by Teanna's decisions because she is also holding the purse strings for a much needed investor. What Tom is unaware of is that Teanna has ulterior motives, one of those motives being to get Tom as her man. As such, she has to get rid of who Tom seems to have eyes for, namely Wendy. But as much as Wendy likes Tom, she isn't sure if she is willing to give up her Quinton life for the prospect of romance.

Our Two Cents:
We've seen the male lead in this movie before. Remember Holiday High School Reunion? If your answer is no, count yourself lucky. Probably one of the worst Christmas movies we've seen. This movie is made by the same people and isn't much better. A little better, but not much.

There are so many things we could say that are wrong with this, and they are all glaring, but that would take a lot of paragraphs, so instead we'll say what we liked. There's a cute scene with Tom and Wendy singing at the piano.

Also the little boy that is in the daycare center for employee children with Grace is super cute, though his story is terribly sad. His mom isn't an employee. She just likes to shop. A lot. She leaves him there because he gets in the way of her shopping. He's there everyday. We want somebody else to adopt him.

Note: Pay attention when Wendy and Angie are each watching a movie. Can you figure out what it is?

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


Links:
IMDB 


Have you seen Christmas in the City? 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:

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Fir Crazy

Busy career woman Elise MacReynolds (Sarah Lancaster) has no time or desire to take part in Christmas festivities. However, a few twists of fate land Elise in the middle of her worst nightmare: unemployed, newly single, and running her family's Christmas tree lot for the dreaded holiday season. As the de facto representative of her family's business, Elise must navigate a contentious relationship with the lot's new landlord, Gary Dixon (Colin Mochrie), who thinks the MacReynolds' lot is hurting his business and wants them gone...fast. But, things are looking a little brighter as the newly single Elise has a budding relationship with Darren (Eric Johnson), one of her customers.
It doesn't take long for Elise to begin to embrace the Christmas spirit. But when her landlord discovers a way to shut down the lot right before Christmas, Elise must use her newly found holiday spirit, her business savvy, and help from her new friends. Will she pull off a Christmas miracle?

Our Two Cents:

While we liked this one, for some reason though, it's not as memorable for us. It's pretty standard fare for a TV Christmas movie. The most memorable thing about this movie might just be its invention of the word "mistletotally," which was both awkward and awesome.

Note: This is also known as  Oh Christmas Tree.
 

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


Trailer:

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The Christmas Ornament

Newly widowed Kathy (Kellie Martin) plans to skip out on decking the halls and trimming the tree this Christmas, trying to avoid anything that will bring back memories of her late husband. The only Christmas tradition she will observe is baking cookies for her friends, a passion since she was a child. When Kathy meets handsome Christmas tree shop owner Tim (Cameron Mathison), their undeniable chemistry - along with an ornament Tim gives her that symbolizes hope - helps Kathy open up to the joys of the season again. With the support of her best friend Jenna (Jewel Staite), and the budding relationship with Tim, Kathy begins to embrace the hopeful message of the ornament.

Although Kathy wants to take a chance on Tim, she struggles to find the balance between preserving the memory of her husband and moving on with her own future. Is the Christmas ornament a sign that she can have a hopeful future?

(Summary from Hallmark)

Our Two Cents:

The Christmas Ornament is jam packed with holiday movie cliches (you know them well: the Christmas baker, holiday retail store/ Christmas tree lot owner, ice skating, the widow with painful Christmas memories) but it somehow manages to pull it all together into a pretty darn cute movie with a really sweet story.

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


Trailer:

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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:

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Holiday in Handcuffs

Gertrude 'Trudie' Chandler has officially lost it. The day started with a perm gone tragically wrong, a botched job interview and the one thing she thought she had going for her--Nick, a boyfriend every parent would love--dumps her mere minutes before their departure for her family holiday trip. Not wanting to face her parents as a single woman, and in complete desperate lunacy, she spots David Martin. He's a handsome professional looking guy that would be a perfect substitute... so she kidnaps him. Trudie thwarts every attempt to escape, so David decides to exact his revenge in the best way he can think of. He decides to play the perfect boyfriend so when the inevitable moment of truth comes, it will be all the more embarrassing for Trudie. Will David play his role too well and fall for Trudie for real?

(Summary from IMDB)




Our Two Cents:

Melissa Joan Hart + ABC Family = Sheer delightfulness. This movie is over the top in all the right places. We can't help loving it. You can't get much more guilty pleasure than this one.

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon


Trailer:

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Under the Mistletoe

Devoted father and husband Tom Chandler dies in a car accident, but appears as a ghost to his teenage son Jonathan. Now single mother, Susan Chandler tries to concentrate on her reporter job and dismisses the idea of a ghost, but allows the school counselor, Kevin Harrison, to work with Jonathan. Tom and Jonathan arrange for Susan to enter a radio show's dating game, and conclude that only Kevin, a widower and coach in Jonathan's former favorite sport, ice-hockey, will do as his stepdad, while she leans towards lawyer Greg Roberts. 

Our Two Cents:

This one is kind of The Christmas Ornament meets Mighty Ducks. The idea that Jonathan is getting help from his dad's ghost to find a boyfriend for his widowed mom might be a little odd, but it somehow works. Very cute, and sweet, and just a tiny bit of a tear jerker.

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •   Official Site



Trailer:

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A Boyfriend for Christmas

Holly Grant is a child advocate who learned a long time ago not to rely on Santa Claus to leave Mr. Right in her Christmas stocking. She made a wish 20 years before, but it never came true. However, hard-working Holly is in for a surprise when a handsome man arrives on her doorstep with a twinkle in his eye and Yuletide tree in tow.

Ryan Hayes, a successful attorney, is in cahoots with Santa – and in love with Holly. Will Kris Kringle himself fulfill his promise to Holly all these years later?

Our Two Cents:

Super cheesy. This is one of the awesomely bad ones. Some of the story is a bit muddled, but we find ourselves putting this one on every year. Ok, maybe we own the DVD.

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

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

Borrowed Hearts

Kathleen's a hard-working single mother, who's saving to buy a house for herself and her daughter, Zoe. Sam's a businessman who has to pretend he has a family in order to close a deal with the mysterious Javier Del Campo. Sam owns the company that Kathleen works for, and as her boss, manages to convince her to help him out. But Del Campo is more than he seems, and it just might be Zoe who's making the real deal to get a new home for herself, her mother, and Sam.

Our Two Cents:

And oldie but a goodie. Roma Downey--you know, "You see, I'm an angel", and Will from Will & Grace (with an Uncle Jesse mullet no less!). This one is so bad that it's good. I mean, we know it's bad, but we love it. I'm not sure they still air this one very often,  so if you see it coming on, don't miss it!

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon

Have you seen Borrowed Hearts? Tell us what you thought of it!