Christmas Together

This is ION's second original Christmas movie this 2020 season. I am happy to report that it is much better than their first (i.e., better than A Royal Christmas Engagement). However, it was still a disappointment, nowhere near as good as, for example, last year's the Best Christmas Ball Ever, which was a wonderful ION Christmas movie. The plot was ordinary and predictable, though, to be fair, so is much of the TV movie (romance) Christmas genre. That said, the story was sweet and warm. There were a few odd scenes and strange lines here and there (e.g., Mason not knowing where the circuit box was in his own home or his lines in response to Ava when she commented on him taking notes). Indeed, at times, the script and dialogue were quite dull. The acting, overall, was rather mixed. Marc Herrmann's (playing Mason) performance was the weakest link in this one. His performance was often dull and stiff (to be fair, he did smile a lot). More specifically, his performance as a father was unconvincing; it was not believable at all. First, he looked more like an older brother than a father of an 11-year-old. The writer/director/producers were clearly aware of this, as they added some lines/dialogue at the start of the film where Ben (Mason's friend) tells him how young he looks. I laughed, as it was clearly intended to deal with this issue; I suspect it was only added to the script after Herrmann was cast in the role. The other issue was that he simply did not come across as a father. For example, he never touched his daughter; there were no kisses, hugs, acts of affection at all really, other than his lines and a shoulder bump. It was a strange performance in this regard. Anna Marie Dobbins (playing Ava) was much better; she had a pretty good performance overall. Her dialogue with Mia (the daughter) was very strong. I know I am being a bit harsh, but it is a pity that she got stuck opposite Herrmann in this one, as she has talent. The chemistry between the two was rather lacking. This is partly due to the acting and partly due to the script. Regarding the latter, they simply did not have much time on screen together. The supporting cast was decent, though there were some awkward moments here and there. What stood out for me was Rylie Coe (playing Mia) and Vivica Fox (playing Deb). They both had great performances (they kept this one afloat, along with Dobbins). The scenery, props and sets were festive. And I have no complaints about the music; the music and music editing was good. All in all, it is an ordinary Christmas movie with a cute and warm story. Not one ION's best nor is it one of their worse.

This is a cute and interesting story and really could have been good. Anna Marie Dobbins does a great job here and is entertaining to watch along with the adorable Rylie Coe, as the Daughter, and Vivica Fox, the neighbor. These 3 alone make this at least watchable. The role of the father however was very poorly cast with Marc Herrmann, who seems like a nice enough guy, but certainly no father of an 11yr old, he's not at all believable. Herrmann just seems in over his head in the role, his lines are simply spoken, monotone, without any emotion or feeling. Had a different actor been cast in this role, it would have made the movie much much better.

The only decent thing was Rylie Cole as Mia. She is the only one that could act. The squeaky voices of all the others made me wonder if I was watching munchkins. Apparently there are no more writers in Hollywood. Cheesy and pretentious and contrived. Tinsel?! (Tinsel Town)

Don't bother, it made me nauseous.

Biggest problem is the actor cast as the male lead and father of the young daughter. He looks like he's 24, which is problematic with an 11 year old daughter. Why did they cast him in this role? Ridiculous. As someone else noted, he doesn't act affectionate with his daughter. Zero chemistry. Female lead does a much better job, as does the actress playing the daughter. I'm no head of casting, but I could have done way better in creating a father that the audience would accept. I'm all for other networks doing Christmas movies (Hallmark re-uses the same actors too many times), but if you're gonna dip your toe into the romance genre, get your casting right. Actually, as I think of it, why not write the story with the male lead as her older brother, struggling to raise his younger sister on his own. Easy fix and a compelling backstory that would intrigue the female lead and the audience. Holy cow, I think I just came up with a new career for myself. Head of casting or executive producer? Hmm. I couldn't do worse than whoever did this.

For the past two weeks (in August) I've been watching all the cheesy Christmas films I can get. When life gives you lemons, watch a Christmas movie. Just what I need at the moment. This one however isn't particularly great. I managed to watch it all, so it can't be that dire. The father just doesn't feel very fatherly. He's so young and although he's a likeable actor he seemed a bit wooden. Loved the neighbour and his best friend. I liked Ava and Mia.

It has all the things needed to be in the top of the cheesy films. But there is just something missing. I think if I was to narrow it down it would be due to my he dad character. He just isn't believable.

Look for better Xmas movies, save this one until you run out of all the good ones.