Christmas Unwrapped

Greetings, salutations, and a seasonal welcome to all you movie aficionados. Here are my considerations and recommendation for Christmas Unwrapped.

Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.00/4 - Performances: 1.25/2 - Enjoyment: 1.50/2

Total 6.00/10

The reinstatement of Christmas Magic into the storyline made this movie for me. The rest of which is your standard Romantic Xmas fare: Boy and girl are thrown together by circumstances and grow to love one another until the ugly Christmas Humbug rears its head. But the couple, as always, ends their choppy romance in Happily Ever After Land. The magic added the extra oomph these stories usually require. What's also appealing is that at the end of the story, you're still unsure of exactly where the gifts come from, and maybe you believe a little more in Santa Claus and the miracle of Christmastime.

My enjoyment stemmed from the credible and robust characters, though a tad stereotypical, and the slow, subtle, and delightful way the pair fall in love: My enthrallment grew thanks to the superb and skilled cast. It was nice to see Cheryl Ladd, who is still as beautiful as ever, back in front of the camera. But the movie belongs to the lead actor and actress, Marco Grazzini and Amber Stevens West, who have a pleasant and appealing on-screen chemistry. It made the love story more convincing. I would've scored it higher had the writers chosen a not-so-obvious and much-used twist. And had the director spread his wings a little wider. Though the obligatory heart-warming feeling permeates the picture, it's not constant, and worse, especially for a film about Christmas Magic, there's too little.

All in all, Christmas Unwrapped is a delightful film to watch whilst wrapped up in the arms of your loved one, particularly on a bitterly cold December evening. And, even though it could've been better, I can see myself rewatching the picture - now that is Christmas Magic.

Please check out my HO! HO! HO! Christmas Belles list to see where I ranked the movie.

Take Care, Stay Well, And Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas.

I really like the concept of caring for our fellow humans in this film and the fact that the ending is left open so that you can still believe that there might be some magic involved.

The lead male is very cute, which always helps me to appreciate these films and the lead female is nice enough too.

It's full of lovely, festive and cheery things and actually they do squeeze a lot of Christmas in.

It is your usual girl meets boy story and the same formula as all the rest of these Hallmark films, but it is endearing and has a charm all of its own.

6ish?/10.

It was fine. The storyline was a little better than most Christmas movies.

The main reason we switched off this movie half-way through was the annoying voice of Amber Stevens West. I know they don't get the best actors for some of these Christmas movies, but at least they could get someone who can talk properly.

I've found Lifetime's selection this holiday season to be lackluster at best. Deleting one 30 minutes in. But I loved everything about this one. Both leads did a phenomenal job with the acting plus actual chemistry. This movie also brought back what the made for TV Christmas movies have been shying away from. It infused the romance with the magic of Christmas and Santa. So many of the Christmas movies focus on not much more than the romance as of late. So this was a breath of fresh air with its air of mystery and wonder. I truly loved this one. This production also didn't skimp on the Christmas decorations and back drops of their sets, which I really appreciate! Plus I'd watch Amber Stevens West mime on a street corner. I hope to see her in many movies to come!