The Holiday Fix Up

Well they could not have picked two more attractive individuals for this holiday romance...these two are gorgeous! I can see why everyone wants #soop for Christmas, although I am with Coop-whatever that means.

When Rita and Jack moved in to Bel Harbor it was just four walls, it is the people that make it a home.

Sam has a fixer-upper show on something like the DIY network and has been very successful for the last five years. She has avoided going home to Bel Harbor, where it all started, for Christmas by doing an annual Christmas show...which this year they have given to an up and coming fixer upper because her social media presence is off the charts. Then Sam sees that a storm caused damage to her beloved Bel Harbor Inn and she calls her surrogate father to see if he needs help...and indeed he does. Which is how Sam ends up doing a fixer upper in Bel Harbor for Christmas. There she must work with her ex boyfriend Coop and discovers their breakup was not what it seemed five years ago.

This was a fairly run of the mill romance that added both Christmas and a woman doing DIY. If you are in to that...you may enjoy this film. The two leads are very attractive, if that is a draw.

A Christmas TV movie that wasn't very christmasy, but the story was okay, completely unbelievable, but that's to be expected in this genre, the acting was reasonable, but overall I was underwhelmed.

These Hallmark/Lifetime/Whatever films are all fairly similar, and their success of lack of success, whichever the case may be, depends heavily on the lead actors and also the supporting cast.

For that reason, 'The Holiday Fix Up' is a success because Jana Kramer (Sam) and Ryan McPartlin (Coop) have good chemistry and play off each other well, not to mention both being very good looking. You throw in a likeable bunch of supporting characters like have been assembled in this movie, and it's a recipe for success.

TV star Sam returns to her hometown to renovate her uncle's old inn, which has been damaged by a tree in a storm, and is forced to work with Coop, her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship progresses from animosity to a desire to work together as friends and then, of course, something more.

(Through it all, no matter the weather, Coop doesn't seem to wear much more than a light jacket, even when everyone around him is bundled up against the cold. What a superman!)

Typical Christmas fare, but done well. I thought this was a lot of fun. Maybe Hallmark's best 2021 release.

I watched this with my sisters while playing Countdown to Christmas Bingo, and it was so much fun! We couldn't believe they kissed three times! Of course, they were not appropriately dressed for December in "New England", but whatever. Also, I'm sure I heard the Maestro song from The Holiday! (Although, at times we noticed that the music was, in fact, too loud to be able to hear the dialogue.)

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

Story: 1.25/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.25/4 - Performances: 1.25/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2

Total 6.00/10

This Christmas Romance is in the Girl Re-meets Boy vein. After being a couple, they part ways because life became bumpy; and because they'd lost the ability to talk and string a competent sentence together. Now, years later, the couple's paths cross once again. Of course, they do, as Noddy Holder screams, "It's Christmas". Sam is an architectural designer asked by an old friend to help rebuild a part of his lodge damaged in a storm. She tells him she's happy to help, but she'll require a contractor. Luckily, one has stepped forward. Coop, the old flame, who'd previously left her love lights dangling years before. Maybe this year, they can rectify their problems, and he can finally get those lights suitably hung.

We know the outcome of this story from the get-go, so how's the journey to the forgone conclusion? Overall, the writer does a great job of keeping their re-blossoming romance entertaining and light-hearted - There's no need for any hankies in this piccy. She develops them into robust and credible individuals, though a tad more depth wouldn't have gone amiss. Her dialogue is believable and works well to keep everything light and build the heart-warming atmosphere to the finale, where it's most prominent. The scenarios her characters find themselves in are also realistic, though I would've liked Sam to use her camera in Landscape mode when shooting her media footage. She's supposedly a professional, and portrait videos are so amateur. The director should've also spotted this fubar.

The director could've done a little better with his cinematography. He has some nicely composed shots, but there aren't many: The finale cried out for more. It would've added more potency to the film. For me, the filming style was your average pedestrian run-of-the-mill TV fayre and could've done with some zinging up to give it a more festive feel.

The cast is superb. Ryan McPartlin, who I first saw in Chuck as Mr Perfect, was perfect for the role of Coop. Though he's undoubtedly handsome, he brings a Joe Averageness to the role, which makes him easier to relate to. And Jana Kramer was the ideal choice to star opposite him as Sam. These two work well together. When they first meet and realise they're going to be working together, you can feel the prickly relationship. Coop is hesitant, whilst Sam is a tad belligerent. But as they progress, their relationship softens.

All-in-all, Christmas Fix-Up is an entertaining movie to cuddle up with your beloved and a tipple of your choice on a wet afternoon or cold evening. I may even revisit the ravaged lodge sometime, as the film made me smile, and that is always a good thing.

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.