Much Ado About Christmas

Yes, another Christmas movie, not extremely original and predictable. Yet, the production is rich enough, the characters are pleasing and the story flows well. All together, the results are charming. A nice start for GAC channel.

I always enjoy modern riffs on classic works particularly Jane Austen ones. This is Shakespeare and it was well done. Setting it in England, presumably London, and all of the English accents added to the overall charm. I like that they explained why the American mother and daughter's home was in England.

A sweet young couple fall in love, practically at first glance. He is a young advertising executive, Claude, who, along with Ben, works for Don. They are about to try to win a contract with Leona Lloyd, a rich and powerful head of a major corporation. She is also the mother of Haley, who is sweet and down-to-earth. She heads the charitable end of the corporation, and is the best friend of Bea, who once dated Ben, Claude's friend. It did not end well. Anyone who is familiar with the Shakespeare comedy can guess where this will go. The conflict between the young lovers, Claude and Haley, comes not from suspected infidelity, but because Haley does not tell Claude the truth about who her mother really is. She just wants to be treated like a normal girl. When he finds out the truth, in a very dramatic fashion, he is humiliated and dumps her and she is devastated.

The casting was on point. I've never seen Susie Abromeit before but she was fantastic. I was not impressed with Torrance Coombs in a previous Hallmark production, but he was perfect in this, playing Claude. Sweet and love-struck when called for, and cold and unyielding when needed as well. The Bea and Ben romance was wisely very much in the background. The relationship between Leona, Hailey and Bea, and the advertising agency's efforts to win Leona's favor provided interesting background to the romance.

Although there have been some stale plots and casting in Hallmark Christmas movies this year, in general, they have upped their game. If this is because of strong competition from other productions like this one, I'm all for it.

It was interesting to see Shakespeare's pairs flipped. Beatrice & Benedict (aka Ben) are now the secondary pair with Hero (aka Hailey) & Claudio (Claude) moved to the primary romance. I found both pairs engaging and well matched. The location was lovely. Ditto sets, music, costumes. I thought it was a great premiere movie for the new GAC Christmas season. Congrats!

This is a very upbeat movie. In fact it is a little too Pollyanna. Among other things, there are a couple of shots of Susie Abromeit where her smile is pasted on as a little fake looking.

The story starts in a very vanilla way with almost no tension. The inevitable conflict is very predictable based on Haley's secret. There is the cliché failed attempt at an explanation. Then the secret is revealed to everyone in an unusual way which is kind of clever. This leads into a well done ending.

Abromeit and Torrance Coombs have so much chemistry it contributes to the overly cheerful vibe. It's almost too perfect. Acting is mostly good. The dialogue has some good moments. There are a couple of nice singing scenes including some karaoke which is actually good (as karaoke goes).

I'm glad that neither the boss nor the mother is an ogre. In fact I like mom and daughter's relationship.

The setting is decidedly British, even if it is apparently filmed in Romania.

This is a good kick off for GAC Family's Christmas season.

This modern-day take of William Shakespeare's play 'Much Ado About Nothing' is the first-ever original movie from GAC Family. And it is a wonderful start to the season, I must say. All in all, it is a beautiful Christmas movie: a warm and heartfelt story with a fairy-tale-like atmosphere, and some wonderful acting and performances. The story centers on Haley (played by Susie Abromeit), a generous and caring person who is loved by the community for her acts of kindness and support, and Claud (played by Torrance Coombs), an advertising executive who is keen to land a big account. At a charity event hosted by the Lloyd Corporation (the account Claud and his colleagues desperately need), the two meet at a coffee stand, falling instantly in love. However, Haley has a secret, which eventually comes full circle. It is a warm and gentle love story, as we watch the two discover each other and fall in love. The script is well-written for this genre of film with some very romantic scenes and dialogue. There are a couple of touching scenes too, which left me a little teary-eyed. For example, there is one between Haley and her mother, Leona Lloyd (played by Jacinta Mulcahy), towards the end that conveyed a heartfelt message. The acting was simply brilliant. Both Abromeit and Coombs had impressive performances. You could feel the chemistry between the two right from the start at the coffee stand. I know it sounds corny, but it kind of did feel like love at first sight. Again, quite impressive. The acting, along with the cinematography, was excellent in this sense. The supporting cast too was superb. Mulcahy, I thought, had a wonderful performance (noting one of her scenes above). Another aspect of the film that stood out was the props, sets, and scenery. These were absolutely gorgeous. The film had a very charming Christmas feel to it, which I enjoyed. You also got to love Haley's plaid Mini. Overall, this is a lovely holiday romance. One that will almost certainly get you into the Christmas spirit. I highly recommend it.