A Christmas Break

I've been on a mission this lockdown holiday season to watch a lot of holiday movies. I did not look forward to this one because I had seen the lead bomb in an earlier movie. Also, I'm reaching the burned-out point of the holiday movie season. Despite all that, I kind of like it.

The plot is pretty typical. Hollywood star, Dylan, slums in his home town. This time he's there to save his old school. The school is going to be closed and the principal is trying to save it. A real witch of a starlet is doing everything she can to hurt Dylan and even shows up in town. There's a potential film far away hanging on Dylan's radar. There's even a snowball fight which is actually done in a clever way.

Despite too much of the familiar, there is a bit of a different feel to it. There's some funny moments and some romantic ones. Cindy Sampson and Steve Byers have decent chemistry. It is a little odd how quickly Addison goes from wanting to totally avoid Dylan to spending every free moment just hanging with him, but that's how these movies work.

This isn't a big budget movie, and the pace is a little slow, but the story is interesting, and the acting is very good. Cindy Sampson and Steve Byers do a good job as the leads, they have good chemistry together, and it's fun to watch them as they rekindle their old flame. The supporting cast does a good job and there are several cute subplots that hold your interest throughout the movie. It's overall a good Christmas movie that's well worth watching.

Expectations were a bit mixed to not being overly excited. Love Christmas and many Christmas films and Lifetime have done their fair share of above average and more Christmas efforts. They also had some big duds, and the premise was another one that could have been executed very charming or disastrously. The previous film seen starring Cindy Sampson, which was seen close to this, was 'A Christmas Crush', which was a major misfire as was Sampson's performance.

'A Christmas Break' was a pleasant surprise and better than expected. 2020 was another mixed year for Lifetime, but a lot better than the previous year's Christmas output, and 'A Christmas Break' is in the better category. It is a significantly better film than 'A Christmas Crush' in every single way and Sampson's performance is leagues better here. Is it a great film? No. Is it worth watching? Absolutely yes, and one of the recently seen Christmas films that surprised me a lot.

Sure, the plot is nothing special formula-wise and in terms of how it maps out. It's another film that is a bit of a slow starter, where it takes time to set up and the dialogue is on the awkward side.

Did think that some of the conflict was a bit forced and that the ending was too neatly resolved.

Having said all of this, 'A Christmas Break' succeeds in many areas. Visually, the film is professional looking rather than looking on the cheap, the scenery is lovely. The music is not used too much and has an appropriate sound. The direction shows somebody at ease with the genre and while there is nothing innovative it's not routine or dull either. Sampson is, as said, leagues better than in 'A Christmas Crush', much more comfortable and has a lot more charm and personality. Steve Byers is a likeable partner to her and while their chemistry is warm and genuine he's a real charmer in his chemistry with Adrian Vissers.

The characters were ones worth rooting for, they may not be complex but they at least have personality and the personalities are interesting and appealing. No overblown character flaws. Furthermore, a great job is done with the Christmas atmosphere, where it does feel like Christmas and in an affectionate way. Some lovely Christmas touches and there are some very sweet, but not sickly, scenes. Was not crazy about the script early on, but it did have a nice mix of funny and poignant lines. The story may be thin but has a warm heart and charm and doesn't take itself too seriously.

In conclusion, a pleasant surprise. 7/10.

A Christmas Break was okay but way too predictable, an element that ruined the few good qualities of the movie. Sure, this is a TV movie and one should not really set the bar too high, but this one chose to deal with too many plotlines and left them a bit halfbaked in the end. Good performances though.

"A Christmas Break" has a beautifully written script. The story is sweet and both Cindy Sampson and Steve Byers do an amazing job portraying Dylan Davidson, the Hollywood star who is trying to clean up his image, and Addison Tate, the School Principal trying to save the small-town school from closing. Additionally, the children in the movie are also convincing in their roles, much more so than in many TV movies. I was impressed. The storyline contains elements that will interest audiences of all ages, making this the ideal choice of a film to watch when multiple generations pile in front of the TV for some post-dinner relaxation. I would recommend this film for the whole family!