Ms. Christmas Comes to Town

Ohhh I liked this movie a lot.

I really liked the plot line - it produced all the feels and I liked that the romance wasn't the main story.

I have only ever seen Barbara Niven as a support actress (of which she excels every time) so it was lovely to see her take a lead role, and she is such a dote in this that you really can't help but care for her character.

I really like Brennan Elliott and Erica Durance individually so this pairing was a win for me. They had this easy natural rapport which made the romance inevitable. I will say though the movie could have done with exploring Travis' backstory a bit more. His character wasn't developed enough for me.

All in all even though there was a serious element to this I thought it was a nice light watch.

I was happy to see Erica Durance join the Hallmark lineup a few years back. I've always liked Brennan Elliott. So I was off to a good start before the first scene.

There are two romance stories here. Of course you knew as soon as James actually appeared that he would be part of the story.

The premise is a little different, but the story develops like many Christmas movies do but with the additional thread of Gale's illness. Travis and Amanda have an interesting meet cute and then get thrown together on the road trip and, oh my, on stage! Elliott and Durance have chemistry and watching their relationship is enjoyable.

The movie goes a little deeper than some with Gale's illness, but her secret becomes another plot device like so many others that throws a temporary obstacle between Travis and Amanda.

I agree with the reviewer that said that Travis' backstory was underdeveloped.

What makes this movie work so well is the three lead performers. It is about a successful television personality, Gale Storm aka Ms. Christmas, who is on her final televised Christmas tour before her retirement. Amanda is her successor and Travis is her undercover aide/nurse. Erica Durance as Amanda and Brennan Elliott as Travis cement their reputations as two of the best of Hallmark's actors here, giving performances that are sincere, natural, and heartfelt.. Their eventual attraction to each other is quite believable.

It is nice to see Hallmark present a film that highlights an "older" character as much as it does here - that doesn't happen very often. And Barbara Niven as Gale is just wonderful. Her character, as written, could have been played with a lot of histrionics and over-the-top emotions.

But, Niven, always one of Hallmark's best supporting actresses, plays Gale with intelligence, humility, and sincerity. So much so that her performance is very real and believable.

Basically, it's about three people who, through no making of their own, become a family for each other at a critical time. And these three - Niven, Durance, and Elliott, pull it off perfectly with the writer's good and fairly unique script as their guide.

At the same time, there is much here to put you in the Christmas spirit, and in that regard, it succeeds as well.

The only drawback is that sometimes some of the indoor sets are a little cheesy, but these three performers make sure that is not a distraction.

For trivia buffs : By naming Niven's character Gale Storm, the writer, intentionally or not, delivers a nice tribute to the real Gale Storm, a television pioneer who had a couple of successful TV series in the early 1950's. Much like Niven's performance here, she was always a delightful and sincere personality.

One last thing : How many films have you seen where the character is in a hospital bed for treatment and she is wearing full make-up ? It happens regularly, but not here.

Nivens is so professional and realistic, that she strips it off for her hospital scenes - which only adds to the authenticity of her performance.

This could end up being one of Hallmark's best Christmas entries for the 2023 season.

But nothing more. The cast was semi shockingly underwhelming; i had to rewatch it after i fell asleep. It's not the best in the world (it's competing with the worse) but if you want cheese, do watch this our buy a block of cheddar. I do wish I could get my life back after this garbage.

My primary issue was the acting. It was so bad. It's like they didn't even care to try. The story was, like, average or expected. However you wish to define it. The whole thing left me feel nothing but boredom due to it's lack or realistic characterization. Its so sad to see stuff like this; lazy and uncaring. It simply disrespects the viewer-base (i want to like it, but they're legit making it impossible to do so)

For the record let me say with each passing year I watch less and less Christmas movies not because I don't want to but because most of them follow the same repurposed plot lines over and over again. Well hello Ms. Christmas!! From beginning to end I wasn't bored, I didn't roll my eyes, and I didn't fall asleep! I thought Barbara Niven acted her role perfectly, she was believable, beautiful and cute as a button, nevermind she's 70, she looks fantastic. I also enjoyed BE & ED, I liked the fact they hit it off right away in the beginning of the movie instead of a build up to one small predictable kiss at the end. I say a job well done to all involved with this project and I truly hope Hallmark will not be quite so lazy when it comes to Christmas movies.... more originality like this one will keep me coming back each year. Kudos.