Heart of the Holidays

I like it. For simplicity of story, for the main actors, for the nice dialogue, for fair use of social side and for the relation between characters. But first, for the wise way to be only a story, with familiar end, without demonstrating something, being not pathetic and proposing a story of redefinition of two young people , with a common past, front to new beginning.

Another virtue - the food bank. Yes, not original for a Hallmark film but wise used in this case , because it is just a honest perspective about people, their needs and problems. So, predictable slices and a new breath. And, good start for Corey Sevier at his first try as director.

This was a decent Christmas movie. The story was nice, the acting was good, and the scenery, props, and sets were festive. It just did not have that 'extra something' compared to some of the other very good Christmas movies this year by Hallmark. For example, I recently saw The Angel Tree; it had great chemistry between the leads. The Christmas House was fun and made me laugh. A Timeless Christmas and Cranberry Christmas had different stories to tell...and so on. In this one, it was not until nearly an hour into the film (the scene where Sam decides to organize the Christmas party at the foodbank) that I started to be pulled in by the movie. The acting was pretty good. I last saw Vanessa Lengies in the Christmas movie, A Date by Christmas Eve, where she had a fun and cute performance. Here she had a decent performance. Corey Sevier had a solid performance as well. He had sort of a gentle and confident feel to his portrayal of Noah, which worked, I think. The chemistry between the two was fine, believable. Not the strongest, but certainly not the weakest I have seen; there have been a few thus far where chemistry was rather lacking. The supporting cast had a strong performance; Hallmark usually does a very good job with casting such roles. As I mentioned above, the sets were very polished and festive. I was impressed with that very large gingerbread house that they carried to the truck; the scene where we saw the first spark between the leads. Overall, it was an average, middle of the road Christmas movie that fans of Hallmark will likely enjoy.

Overall this was a nice Christmas themed movie with predictable storylines but still enjoyed it

Sam's new investment job unexpectedly falls apart in New York and she ends up back home for Christmas for the first time in eight years. Sam's boyfriend Will and his partner buyout Sam's new company and she decides she needs some space.

Noah, Sam's high school sweetheart and local cafe owner, and Sam have an awkward reunion...there is clearly more to their story, with tension you could cut with a knife.

"The years fly by but time has a way of standing still."-Bob.

The actress who plays Val really steals the show.

"I'm not sure I really fit in here anymore."-Sam.

This story has been way overdone by Hallmark. These actors didn't bring anything new or energetic to the screen. The second half was better than the slow first half. I did enjoy the scenery, and that was the high point for me. I can't imagine what Vanessa Lengies and the hair/makeup crew were thinking with her hair. Absolutely. Awful. Not sure if it was meant to be ombre, but if so, it missed the mark and looks very unhealthy. I found it quite distracting throughout the movie. Even still, it was a fairly enjoyable Hallmark holiday piece.