Deliver by Christmas

As a man of a certain age, I have come to appreciate anything that celebrates kindness, decency, virtue and honor. Most guys complain about watching Hallmark with their wives. Not me. Hallmark has been a breath of fresh air from long ago. With that said, my thoughts are this; with one exception, the cast was awesome. As mentioned before me, the new spin of having the leads instantly being attracted to each other, yet taking a circuitous route to connecting, is a nice touch. My lone quibble is Eion Bailey. The persona he presents seems sullen and disconnected, with an underlying sense of anger, to everyone around him. He musters up kindness only when confronted. Usually, when the leads finally unite, there's a sense of joy. Not in this case. Alvina August radiates a glow through the whole movie. You can't help but root for her, but Mr. Bailey never, in my opinion, generated any chemistry with her. So when the movie ended, it was like.......meh, what other Hallmark movie have we got recorded. Even so, the movie was quite good. I just don't believe I'll watch it when it hits the rerun cycle later

Two people get to know each other remotely, this time not by email, but at first by text and then on the phone. The story goes through all kinds of situations that nearly bring them together but just miss. In fact, they do physically meet early on but don't put the two things together. Each has a sad and difficult loss in their past romantic lives.

The story is charming but lacks significant highs and lows. The story's conflict is mild but threatens to keep them apart. This is Hallmark, so you know how it turns out. Even the resolution is no big thing. Don't get me wrong. It's a sweet story and a decent way to enjoy two hours of TV with your loved one(s).

Eion Bailey and Alvina August, neither of whom I remember seeing before (turns out I've seen him once), develop an easy relationship through communication. Imagine that - a relationship based on communication. Even so, there are a couple of disconnects there. Kesler Talbot does a credible job as the young son.

The very last scene is a nice touch and a pointed message totally apart from the romance story.

This is my 4th Hallmark Christmas movie of the 2020 season. I would put it towards the top of the list. I like the title of another review on here: 'You've got phone'. Indeed, most of the dialogue between the two leads was via their mobile phones. That said, it did not take away from their chemistry, I think. I thought Alvina August was great in this regard. I have not seen Eion Bailey too often in Hallmark films, but his performance was decent. The supporting cast was also very good. Again, the plot/storyline was what I expected from a Hallmark film. The movie provided some Christmas spirit, though not as strong as some of the better Hallmark Christmas films of the past. Overall, a good start to the 2020 Christmas movie season by Hallmark.

The heroine was charming but the actor that played Josh, the hero, was miscast. First of all he seemed that he did not want to be there. He said his lines in a completely disinterested manner. He was very sexy, don't get me wrong, but he seemed better suited for a western, or an action movie. Very dangerous and swashbuckling. Just didn't seem right for the part of a loving and patient single dad and small town guy. I'd be interested to see if he is cast in any other Hallmark type movies. I'd definitely watch, cuz like I said..... but hope he'd be in one that incorporates his look a little better.

6/10 - small town baker meets sweet single dad in this better than average Hallmark holiday feature