Too Close for Christmas

Couldn't get past Chad Michael Murray's bird nest hair. It was like someone roughed it up before every scene.. He was trying too hard to look rugged and ruffled and laid back. It just looked phony.

I have never been a fan of Jessica Lowndes with her Valleygirl/Kardasian inflection and her eyeliner. But she has really really improved. So much so that she is the main attraction in this very watchable movie. Her acting is very good and I can't always say that this has been the case. Her beauty has been indisputable but kind of unapproachable. She has scaled down the make up which has allowed her natural beauty to shine through. Well Done! Now to work on that unfortunate southern California accent.

Her chemistry with the messily coifed Chad Michael Murray was palpable. I just wish they had tamed those locks a bit at least for the gala.

This was pretty darn good with most of the Hallmark/Lifetime set pieces avoided or toned down. Not a stand out, but I liked most of it and it had very few if any cringey moments.

I have always been a fan of Jessica Lowdnes. But it is my first time watching Chad Michael Murray and I like the way the two actors play off one another. It is a wonderful Christmas love story. The only affectation I found distracting is the character's eating granola in so many scenes. After watching this program I went looking for other movies starring Chad Michael Murray because I am interested to see what he did with other acting roles.

This Christmas movie is filled with laughter, love and family. It's what Christmas is all about.

I enjoyed this Lifetime original Christmas movie. It is a low-key, simple story that focuses primarily on the dialogue between the leads, which is its strength, I thought. There is not much in way of sub-plots and other storylines in this one. The script was solid. Another reviewer on here talks of the various clichés and stereotypes used in the script. I notice some of these (plot devices) as well, but they did not bother me or take away from the film, from my viewing experience. To be fair, we are talking about the TV (romance) Christmas movie genre; it is not the most original genre of film. The strength in this one for me was the dialogue between the two leads, and of course the acting. The acting, overall, was strong. It was 90210 meets One Tree Hill (sorry, I could not help myself). Jessica Lowndes's portrayal of Hayley Parker, I thought, was pretty good. I agree with the other reviewers on here, I think, she has improved over the years (since 90210). Chad Michael Murray's performance (playing Paul) was strong. I think he does great in such roles, in this genre of film. Members of the One Tree Hill cast have been in some of the best Christmas movies I have seen this year (well done). The chemistry between the two is very strong, one of the strengths of the movie, I felt. The dialogue and interactions between them were convincing; it pulled me, as it were. I did feel the ending was rather rushed, or put differently, the writers could have done a better job setting up Hayley's reaction at the end. The supporting cast was good. No complaints about music or music editing, which has been an issue with some of Lifetime's Christmas movies this year. There is a little bit of festive cheer in this one too, but you should not expect a Hallmark production in this one. All and all, this is a low-key Christmas movie with some strong performances by the leads. It is a nice new edition to Lifetime's 2020 lineup. If you like dialogue and chemistry, this one is for you.

The story has a bit of snowed-in-for-Christmas and of newbie-event-plans-gala. But the approaches were different both in story and dialogue.

I agree completely with another reviewer concerning Jessica Lowndes. For a long time, she was my least favorite of the actors we see repeatedly in Christmas stories. Maybe she's improved, or maybe she's just grown on me. Also she and Chad Michael Murray developed some great chemistry once Paul stopped insulting Hayley with virtually every word he said. Was Hayley a bit too sensitive? The "argument at the wedding" might have been overblown, but if Paul was as relentless then as he is for the first half of the movie, it's no wonder Hayley was unhappy. Just before half way, their banter goes from rude to playful and from there on it was fun to watch.

Some of the usual devices are there, but like I said, they seem a little unusual. I especially liked the ending. A lot of it is expected. Usually the final scene is what's expected but doesn't overly impress me. In this movie, I really enjoyed that final scene.