The Angel Tree

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been (there have been worse years). None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. While not one of the best 2020 Hallmark Christmas films, 'The Angel Tree' is still worth watching, has a lot going for it and a good representation of why Jill Wagner is so popular with Hallmark.

Did find the film a little bit of a slow starter. The ending is once again on the pat side.

Also that the lead character's naivety was not buyable, neither was the reactions to what she does and what she intends to do.

However, a lot is good. It is visually pleasing and has a professional look. The appropriately festive locations especially. Enough of the soundtrack is nostalgic and pleasant enough. The direction is accomodating while not going through the motions. Wagner and Lucas Bryant don't overplay, any mannerisms not overdone, and neither do they hold back too much. Wagner especially is very good and the main reason to see the film. Their likeability shines through and their chemistry charms, personally actually thought it was there.

Moreover, the dialogue is tighter and less stilted than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story is heart warmingly charming and with the right amount of light heart, told simply but not too much so and not as overly predictable as it can be with Hallmark. The good intentions are sincere and are not laid on too thick. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Actually cared for these characters, not the case with a lot of recently seen Christmas films.

Nice film overall, don't expect anything award worthy though. 7/10.

The premise of this Christmas themed film is when a writer named Rebecca McBride (Jill Wagner) returns to her childhood hometown some twenty (20) years later after she writes about a childhood memory of a magical Christmas tree that grants wishes and they come true. Rebecca's boss agrees to let her return to her childhood home town to investigate and capture the follow up story as to who is the person responsible for the Angel tree and granting all these mysterious wishes.

Rebecca and her daughter Cassie (Cassidy Nugent) are welcomed to stay with Rebecca's favorite Aunt Mimi (Annabel Kershaw) while they are in town and it also gives Rebecca an opportunity to catch up with her childhood friend Matthew Anderson (Lucas Bryant). Matthew still owns the family diner in town which the family almost lost twenty (20) years ago until Rebecca convinced her young friend Matthew to write down his own Christmas wish and place it on the Angel tree to see if it comes true. Miraculously Matthew's wish placed on the Angel tree does come true as evidenced by Matthew now as an adult inheriting the diner from his deceased parents.

As Rebecca continues to try and discover who is responsible for taking the many wishes placed on the Angel tree and making them come true, she is constantly reminded by many of the townspeople who have benefitted from the Angel tree, but no one can tell her, or at least they choose not to tell Rebecca WHO is the person responsible for granting all the wishes placed on the towns Angel tree.

Mrs. Shullivan enjoyed the film so much she watched it twice. As for myself, it's a nice story with a good message which is for people to always consider helping out others who are in greater need than ourselves, in a "Pay It Forward" Christmas way. There is a feeling of hope, mystery, faith and of course romance all wrapped up in a big red bow on the Angel Tree. I give it a 6 out of 10 IMDB rating.

This is the typical Hallmark Christmas movie script about a small town community where everybody is doing something good for someone or for others -- which doesn't really happen -- but it's why we watch. Jill Wagner is great in this movie and it's one of the best titles to watch of 2020.

Another classic Hallmark movie: a sweet and warm Christmas story with a solid script; strong performances by the leads; and plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. One of my favorites thus far this season. The chemistry between Jill Wagner (as Rebecca) and Lucas Bryant (as Matthew) was excellent. There was some very good, convincing interaction between the two of them thru-out. For example, about 30 minutes into the film, there was the scene where they were walking down the street together; the banter and dialogue (and chemistry) here was great. Wagner, a Hallmark regular, performs great in these types of roles. The supporting cast was very good too. Cassidy Nugent (as Cassie), for example, had a cute performance. The story itself is a heartfelt one and provided a sense of Christmas spirit (it did for me, at least). It is a predictable story of course but engaging, nevertheless. Though to be fair, I did not know who Angel was until the end. Regarding the wish tree, I do think that writers could have done a bit more with the wishes (some more, e.g., nobler wishes). Overall, it is an entertaining Christmas movie, providing some holiday warmth, spirit, and festive cheer. Fans of Hallmark will not be disappointed.

I hate this premise. Reporter is sent to town to do an expose on something or someone and either a promotion or even a job depends on it. In this case, as is often true, the hit piece is aimed at a selfless and generous enterprise. Often there is a betrayal involved. This is not intended to necessarily describe this movie, but it is the pattern most movies with this premise follow. In this movie, the reporter is Jill Wagner whom I can't imagine having a ruthless bone in her body.

This movie has some nice banter. There's some funny moments even beyond the dialogue.

Wagner and Lucas Bryant have instant chemistry. Cassidy Nugent also does a great job as Cassie, Rebecca's daughter.

There's a sub-plot based on what has usually been a surefire heart warmer. This device is becoming very common and predictable to the point where I fear the impact is becoming diluted. I won't say what it is, but you should probably recognize it when you see it. I did like the way it was handled and it still got a tear or two.

Rebecca's backstory develops into an interesting theme. I love the lesson about Christmas magic. Again, I don't want to spoil it and it's well explained by Rebecca.

In the end, it wasn't as predictable as I expected. As I already said, there are a lot of sentimental moments even if some of them are predictable. You might even call it sappy, but I like sappy.