One December Night

I've been a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies since they did few enough titles a year that they didn't all look the same. "One December Night," thankfully, doesn't follow the recent formula.

I was curious to see how Peter Gallagher had matured; my image of him is from another favorite Christmas movie where he plays the immature brother, "While You Were Sleeping." Age has been kind to Gallagher, and his acting proved he's more than just a pretty face.

While the plot still contains a few too many, "Will they or won't they?" (when we all know they will), it's nice to see a story that revolves around older actors in this bromance. The young folks in this case are the side story.

While it's no "Christmas Card" or "Snow Bride," still, nice job Hallmark.

As soon as I saw Peter Gallagher (aka the dad from 'The OC') and Bruce Campbell (aka Ash from the 'Evil Dead' franchise) at the top of the bill, I was looking forward to seeing 'One December Night'. I can report that I was not disappointed. The acting is great. The story is engaging; i.e., it feels genuine. And the musical performances sprinkled here and there are surprisingly good. The story is about two feuding rock star fathers (played by Bruce Campbell and Peter Gallagher) who, after ten years, reunite for a lucrative holiday concert in the small town of Pineville, the place where their band, Bedford and Sullivan, began. The challenging task of keeping these two from butting heads lies with their children, Jason Bedford (played by Brett Dalton) and Quinn Sullivan (played by Eloise Mumford). Jason and Quinn, who also work in the music industry, have their own personal and professional motives for making sure their dads reconcile and take the stage that one December night. It is through this challenging experience that the two reconnect and soon discover that they are more than childhood friends. The story has several layers, several storylines. The writers do an excellent job of bringing these together in a coherent, and more importantly, engrossing overall narrative. What makes this work, and one of the strengths of the film, is character development. The writers do a brilliant job of portraying Bedford and Sullivan as complicated and flawed men who are at turning points in their lives. The dialogue, in particular, between the two reveals a considerable amount of depth to their relationship, which pulled me in as a viewer. The script also does a good job of integrating humor with the more touching, heartfelt scenes. I may have even shed a tear or two. What makes all this work on-screen, of course, is the acting. It was impressive. Both Campbell and Gallagher had strong performances. They are the perfect duo in this one, both tapping into different energies that work well together on-screen. Dalton and Mumford too had convincing performances. The chemistry between the two felt authentic and genuine. I could feel them (re)connect and fall in love on-screen, which is always a plus for a romance. Finally, this Hallmark movie was a bit light on the Christmas traditions and holiday cheer (no making of gingerbread houses in this one...thank god), which I suspect will be refreshing for some and disappointing for others. However, we do get an ugly Christmas sweater and some fun Christmas sunglasses. All in all, it is an enjoyable Christmas movie, a change of pace for Hallmark, which many fans will no doubt enjoy this holiday season.

It was refreshing to see some older actors get some front row roles in one of these holiday hallmark films. This was a reunion of a famous musical duo for a pre-Christmas live tv concert. Things aren't exactly as they seem it is also a story about Alzheimer's, being clean and sober, and reuniting families.

As mentioned it was thrilling to see Didi Conn who played Frenchie in the original 1978 film, Grease.

This was a little different than most of the holiday romances on Hallmark in that it focused less on the romance and more on reuniting these two former musical brothers.

A broken friendship in need of mending, grief for losses in need of closure, aging with failing health, a rekindled youth friendship, good music, and Christmas time. Here, all you need for a rich story to tell in a movie. What makes the movie enjoyable is that all the ingredients are honestly dosed well, with gentle touch, and rendered credible. What could have gone, as often happens, pretentious or garbled with cheap emotions, becomes, here, a captivating and moving production. The acting is good, the pace is just right, the pathos is real. Kudos to Hallmark for choosing a different and thoughtful pathway.

Films centered around music is not new territory for Hallmark, with it being used quite a lot in its 2021 output alone. Heck even the Christmas output had this sort of premise, and most of them are fairly samey formula-wise. 'One December Night' however was a music-oriented film from Hallmark that sounded different from usual and had potential to have more depth than is often seen. Peter Gallagher and Bruce Campbell are also always watchable, regardless of the state of everything else.

'One December Night' really impressed me and does a great job with its very promising premise. As far as the 2021 Hallmark films having music as a big part of the story go, this is one of the best and most emotionally investable and also is different to the usual formula. Which makes it stand out. As far as the 2021 Hallmark Christmas films go, 'One December Night' is also another one of the best, and one of the better films of the 2021 output with a scenario that is not as predictable as others that year.

Is it a classic? No. Did feel that the ending was not a surprise and that it was a little on the pat side.

Did feel too that Eloise Mumford's character was slightly underwritten.

However, the acting is very good. Terrific actually in the case of Gallagher and Campbell, both showing different sides and bringing edge and heart to them with no signs of being taxed. The chemistry between them also grows realistically and doesn't come over as contrived or anaemic. The same goes with all the relationships, with that between Brett Dalton and Mumford not being too sidelined and being genuine and not dull. The characters were ones worth caring for, with both flaws and strengths that never go overboard in either extreme, and any development doesn't feel rushed or aimless.

Visually, 'One December Night' is not lavish, but it is slick and attractive enough. The music is great on its own and is beautifully integrated into the film, it is always a good thing when music is like a character of its own in a film etc, which is what this premise calls for, and that is definitely the case here. Very nicely performed too. The script is not too sentimental, while being more serious and personal than can often be seen from Hallmark, while having enough lightness to avoid being over serious without being juvenile or cheesy. The story is heart-warming and moving, done in a way that's not difficult to relate to.

Concluding, very well done. 8/10.