A Very Merry Toy Store

Connie Forrester (Melissa Joan Hart, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"), a young single mom, and Will DiNova (Mario Lopez, "Holiday in Handcuffs") each run their small, family-owned toy stores in Connecticut. Similar to their families, Connie and Will have been business rivals for year, until both of their livelihoods fall into jeopardy when the big box toy store "Roy's Toys" has its grand opening right before Christmas. In order to save their businesses, Connie and Will band together to save the stores that have defined their families for generations, and in the process, might just find love in time for Christmas.

Our Two Cents: This was a HUGE disappointment! We generally love Melissa Joan Hart. And her first collaboration with Mario Lopez 10 years ago, Holiday in Handcuffs, was such a ridiculous and AWESOME movie that we had high expectations. This was just awkward and boring and lame. We wish we could list some redeeming qualities about this one, but the commercial with the squeaky dog toys creating the tune of Jingle Bells was more entertaining than this movie. 

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site



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The Spirit of Christmas

Attorney Kate Jordan is sent to broker the sale of Hollygrove Inn, but she is told that her appraiser has left because of a ghost. Sure enough, it's not long before she meets Daniel Forsythe...a man who mysteriously died 95 years ago. The two strike a deal if she can help him discover the truth behind his death and why he is cursed to return to the inn for Christmas each year, he will leave and allow Kate to finish her job. As they work together, Kate can t help but fall for this dashing Christmas spirit, and a romance develops that will alter the course of both their lives.

Our Two Cents:
A little more of a drama, but it doesn't take it's self too seriously. It still has some comedic moments. too Overall this was a pretty good movie. We like this one especially because it's a bit different from the typical Christmas movies.

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon

Have you seen A Christmas Detour? 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 


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A Bride for Christmas

After Jessie Patterson (Arielle Kebbel) calls off her third engagement (at the altar!) she swears off serious relationships. That is, until charming but chronically single Aiden MacTiernan (Andrew Walker) comes along. Unbeknownst to Jessie, Aiden has bet his friends that he can convince a woman to marry him by Christmas (which is only four weeks away) and Jessie is the assigned target of his bet. As Aiden attempts to court Jessie by first hiring her to decorate his apartment, Jessie looks to her sister, roommate and interior design company partner, Vivian (Kimberly Sustad) as her closest confidant. To complicate matters, Jessie is doggedly pursued by her most recent ex-fiancé, Mike (Sage Brocklebank), who still wants to marry her. When Aiden finds himself falling for Jessie too, will he call off the bet and truly pursue her?

Our Two Cents:

Runaway Bride meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days meets Christmas. The movie is way cute. The boy is way cute. Isn't that enough?

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

Links:
IMDB  •   Official Site


Trailer:

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Mrs. Miracle

Losing a spouse is always hard, and for Seth Webster (James Van Der Beek), playing single dad to two rambunctious six-year-olds doesn’t make it any easier. With the holidays approaching, finding a housekeeper has proven to be near-impossible, until Mrs. Emily Merkle (Doris Roberts) shows up at the Websters’ door, ready to turn their lives around. No sooner has “Mrs. Miracle,” as Seth’s boys call her, straightened up the house, than Seth meets Reba Maxwell (Erin Karpluk), best friend to the Webster kids’ first-grade teacher.

After just one date, Seth and Reba find they have a lot in common. Since the death of his music-loving wife, Seth has been unable to play a single chord on the piano, and, in the name of her career, Reba, once an avid actress, has avoided the theater. With a Christmas pageant to prepare for and a fresh romance on the horizon, Mrs. Miracle definitely has her work cut out for her and proves to be more than just a normal nanny.

Our Two Cents:
This one is a bit cheesy, as you would expect from a Hallmark Holiday movie, but we can't help but liking it. Maybe it has something to do with James Van Der Beek's deep brown eyes... and we are okay with that.

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

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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