A Dickens of a Holiday!

Divorcée, Cassie, is directing her hometown of Dickens, Ohio's production of A Christmas Carol. It's the one hundredth anniversary and this year has to be spectacular. Her first major problem...she looses her Scrooge. The mayor wants major Hollywood action star and hometown native, Jake.

Jake is desperate to get a serious role, but they won't even let him read for it. He wants the lead role in a drama based on his deceased mother's favorite book. So, home to Dickens he goes to play the very serious role of Scrooge under Cassie's direction.

Cassie and Jake have a bit of a past in that he asked her to the prom...and she said no. A little unrequited love.

This is a second chance holiday romance with Kristopher Polaha, who I have grown to love in the Mystery 101 series. I think I would watch him in anything. He is charming, funny and always engaging.

Sweet must see for the holidays.

While the basic story is common, it doesn't feel that way. Cassie is basically unemployed. Jake is looking for a promotion (a part in a new film). She turned him down for the prom in high school. Now he's an action movie icon. And they have to work together to save the festival. This particular story uses a less common premise that what they are working on is a performance of The Christmas Carol where she's the director and he's Scrooge. Certain subthemes add a little spice. Of course, there is going to be a romance kindled.

But what makes this movie a little better than average is the lead actors. Brooke D'Orsay and Kristoffer Polaha have great chemistry. I have rarely, if ever, seen either one of them not have great chemistry with their counterparts. Polaha does the movie action hero thing well and that persona doesn't disappear instantly, which is the mistake some movies make. D'Orsay's Cassie nurtures his hidden dramatic abilities as he gradually goes from an action oriented actor, delivering his lines with too much force, to one who feels the dramatic elements of his new part. And not to be shortchanged, Cassie blossoms under Jake's praise and encouragement.

Don't get me wrong. There are no outstanding highs or lows or surprises. The conflict and ending are predictable. The tension is relatively mild focusing on the outcome of the performance and Jake's career. The closest things to bad guys are the demanding mayor and neglectful agent. Neither is mean about it. But the actors make it enjoyable. It's not one of my top ten, but it was worth watching.

These are two leads who can actually act and I always enjoy so it's great Hallmark finally paired them together. The story is fun and as realistic as this type of fare can be. You actually care which is a rarity w Hallmark. Both characters are endearing and have chemistry for a change! They actually touch the way couples do in first blush of love. It's sweet and sappy in a fun holiday spirit way. Best in show.

I was hesitant to watch this after reading a few of the less than positive reviews. Glad I watched this. It was wonderful. No overdone tropes, just a genuine story of two people and a transformation of a mediocre action hero into a quality dramatic actor. Kristopher Polaha was amazing! They both were exceptional. I like them both individually; here they were great together. I will add this to my DVD collection. And yes, they had great chemistry! Kristopher posted about it on his Facebook page. He enjoyed working with Brooke a lot. You can tell they had fun with this! Bravo!

8/10

"Dickens of a Holiday!" is about a woman named Cassie who set to to direct the theatre production of "A Christmas Carol". When the usual Scrooge is sidelined Cassie is forced to make a decision she doesn't want to and asks an old friend and current mega movie star Jake to step in. A bit of a Scrooge himself he reluctantly agrees.

One of the few Hallmark movies that actually hits the mark. While it is definitely cheesy at times with how quickly problems are resolved and how flirtatious romance is practically already there, it still hits the emotional marks. The actors were definitely believable in their roles and the chemistry between them was perfect. The story in and of itself is engaging and touching at the same time.

The weakest part of the film was the cinematography. I hated a lot of the shots they used and at times it was distracting. I managed through, however, because as stated above, the actors were convincing in their roles.

All in all it was a perfect blend of holiday cheer, with the slightly cheesy romance and quick resolve of issues, and a cast that brought their roles to life. While it's set to leave Prime in a few short hours it's worth the watch the next time you come across it.