Gingerbread Miracle

6/10 - this story is kind of different from what we normally see and I am really enjoying Hallmark's new initiative to highlight other cultures and making diversity a priority in their holiday films.

Though not one of Hallmark's best, Gingerbread Miracle is a pleasant story nonetheless that will undoubtedly get you into the Christmas mood this holiday season. It follows the story of Maya (played by Merritt Patterson), an attorney who, after suffering a career setback, is trying to re-establish herself with a firm in the city. In the meantime, she's been using the local Mexican bakery known for its magical gingerbread cookies, a place where she worked as a teenager, as her unofficial office. Luis, the owner of the bakery (played by Jorge Montesi), is ready to retire and enlists Maya's help to find a buyer. However, the owner's nephew Alex (played by Jon-Michael Ecker), who is also a lawyer and, by the way, Maya's high school crush, decides to return home for Christmas to help her (whether she likes it or not) with the sale. And so the Christmas romance begins, as the two rediscover their connection with each other while trying to sell the bakery they both have fond memories of, especially during Christmas. Although the storyline is predictable, the movie kept me engaged throughout. The dialogue was well written. However, the story was rather ordinary, lacking an angle or twist that would make it stand out. The movie was filled with your classic Hallmark film tropes (themes and devices) such as Christmas tree shopping, decorating the tree, the Christmas market, the awkward encounter, and, of course, the first kiss. The acting, overall, was strong. Patterson, a Hallmark regular, had a convincing performance. She had a warm and cheerful vibe, which came off well on screen. Ecker had a solid performance, though he was a bit stiff at times. As another reviewer observed, he had a bit of a Wes Brown vibe to his performance. The chemistry was low-key in this one, which some will appreciate and others, I suspect, will not. It was a bit too light for my taste. From magical cookies to a gingerbread obstacle course, Hallmark continues its obsession with gingerbread in its portrayal of Christmas traditions. It also had a touch of Mexican Christmas customs to boot. Finally, the scenery, props, and sets were well-polished and festive, with a decent soundtrack, classic Hallmark. All in all, it is an entertaining Christmas movie, not one of Hallmark's best, but enjoyable nonetheless. Fans will no doubt enjoy it.

It is great to see different celebrations and cultures, I am so happy this movie shows that. It's a heartwarming Christmas movie like all the others, but there is nothing wrong with the usual loveliness of Hallmark Christmas movies. Predictable but so enjoyable and sweet.

Instead of "save the store," in this one we have "sell the store." Don't worry, with Hallmark no store is ever allowed to be sold, they are all saved, so we'll just get that out of the way right now. The cheery Merritt Patterson is a freelance lawyer who is trying to re-establish her career in the big city after a bad breakup sent her back to her hometown. The glum and sinister-looking (but nice) Mexican baker (I thought all bakers were jolly?) and proprietor wants to retire, so he asks her, a trusted friend, for help in finding a buyer for his bakery. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? However, his nephew, a big city lawyer, visits for Christmas and wants to horn in. I found him very out of line, pouty and whiny to boot. He doesn't like being a lawyer and wants to be a baker instead, but instead of having the guts to do something positive about it, he tries to put the kibosh on the sale of the bakery. Rude.

Merritt and Alex, the nephew, have a history of mutual crushes on each other, bad timing, and communication problems as teens. As adults, the reboot of their romance goes pretty well, and they do have some chemistry. Alex is very attractive and once he got over himself and Merritt realized that she was happy in her hometown rather than re-joining the rat race, all proceeded to the usual conclusion despite the appearance of a handsome French patisserie owner.

There was also some magical gingerbread involved but it was more of a superfluous gimmick than a miraculous gamechanger. It was cute though. I also enjoyed the Mexican Christmas customs. All in all, this was perfectly pleasant, but nothing really special.

Enjoyable movie with an ethnic twist. I actually liked the fact that there was a romance without any of the usual 'misunderstanding' that adds fake tension. The actors were believable although I didn't care much for the 'French' baker. The Hispanic bakery was a nice change. Probably not quite an 8 but I liked it better than the inoffensive ones I give a 7 to.