Christmas Collision

For starters, there are many of the usual formula plot lines. Save the farm. Send Theodora to close the deal, but instead a romance develops. Friends telling the leads that they are in love. (This one got used way too much.) A cookie contest. Overbearing dad.

There is an element that starts out as a small mystery and grows more ominous as the story goes on. How far this goes is not normal in Hallmark movies, but this isn't Hallmark.

The script is very clumsy. For one thing there are plenty of filler moments that have nothing to do with the main story and are stupid besides. The romance is clumsy. It is not uncommon for the leads to start out with blatant animosity and then have that melt. In this movie, Theodora is downright rude and uncaring. Then the animosity doesn't melt slowly, it disappears entirely and instantly. If Sebrina Scott and John Wells have chemistry, it is hard to find. Which leads me to the terrible dialogue!!! The misunderstanding which creates the conflict is also clumsy. Then more friends saying you really do love him/her. By the climax, there is no mystery or surprise but even that is dragged out and goes too far.

The acting by all but the leads is horrible. Oh, wow, the mayor is cringeworthy, but other supporting people are not far behind. The leads are just so-so. Almost the entire tone of the movie lacks any fun or joy. There is no Christmas energy.

I wondered about ballot box stuffing for reviews and ratings. Two of the highest reviews are one timers. The rating distribution has a huge gap between 10 stars and 5 stars with another spike for 1 star.

I have no idea how this was made. The worst written I have ever seen. This is not against the actors, who had to work with this drivel. Lack of motive. Melodrama. No logical info on a conflict that was empty. Everything resolved with no information about what happen. How the foreclosure came about. No research done about how these kind of situations work. No explanation of why some little farm was important enough to steal. Did they steal? What happened at the bank? Heroine does a character 180 between scenes. Horrific cliches: she breaks a high heel; opens at a funeral; sudden motive for the all life-important cookie competition? OMG! Over the top dialogue and focus. All that was missing was her father's twirling mustache. The writer clearly has never written anything. Wince-worthy.

It doesn't claim to be a Hallmark movie and the quality shows that. The acting is fair, but slow and non-professional. The lighting bothered me the most. Many scenes were fuzzy and dark. Natural sunlight was pointed towards the viewer and very distracting.

The story was similar to a Hallmark movie, but it wasn't cheerful or nearly as decorated.

The scenes were dreary. For those of us who are familiar with Hallmark movies, it must be very expensive to have top lighting professionals, but this film just doesn't have what it takes.

It is a movie with a happy ending, and that's always a pleasure to see.

I've had to fast forward parts of this. I love Christmas films, the cheesier the better but this one. Oh dear. The two leads at at the bad but as for the rest. The most stilted awkward acting I've seen in a long time. Even Am Dram can be better.

I saw how low the ratings were but I thought I try watching it anyways. No expectations. The acting and plot were so so. The filming was awful. The camera kept moving unsteady like no one had anchored it down. I started getting motion sick after awhile and had to stop watching the movie.