More Than I Wished For

You would think two well-educated people would not get themselves into a web of lies about being engaged. That is what happened in this movie. Nothing new here except for the ending which did not have the couple living happily ever after. The movie just ended. There was no chemistry between the leads. The supporting cast did a reasonable job of keeping the story going except for Marie Osmond who was the bold and brassy mother of the female lead.

Her acting was overly theatrical, and not really funny. It is not her fault, the script was not really funny or touching.

It was your standard TV holiday movie. Skip this movie and do something that will leave you feeling good.

The title of the movie is wrong it should be corrected. The title to this movie is A Fiancé For Christmas. It was a good movie I really enjoyed it. Its near impossible to come up with a new movie idea, sure this one has been done before and this one does it well.

The original title, "More than I wish for" seems more appropriate. This movie has nothing to do with Christmas. If the story had been set at Labor Day time, it would not change a iota. It's another spin on the "fake fiancee" theme, where the reasons for needing a fake fiancee are becoming increasingly more outlandish. In this one, it appears whoever knows the lead character, Sawyer, cannot live unless she is engaged, and just a hint this may be happening becomes reason for a 4th of July- like celebration. Hence, you may guess the emotions in the story are far overplayed. The tone keeps wavering between serious and farcical, not necessarily at the most suitable moment. The psychology of the action keeps swinging from cheesy to childish, with occasional charming moments. The mother, Marie Osmond, acts so over the top to suggest a case of severe mental regression. With some caveats, I find Amanda Payton likeable and I really wanted to like the movie. The more I think about it, though, the less I can. Whether it is a case of bad casting, poor acting, a senseless script, or all combined, the result is a mostly forgettable show.

A Fiancé For Christmas/More Than I Wished For (2021) -

I've definitely turned off better, sooner, but I did stick with it and I liked the romance that grew between them mostly.

Although he was reasonably handsome and had lovely eyes, leading man, "Joshua"/Landon (Adam Gregory) was soooo gay! And so was her ex, the other Joshua.

Amanda Payton as Sawyer and Adam Gregory might have been okay with a different director, story and less jolly background music, but it all just contrived too hard to be over the top and silly.

The concept in itself was really daft and Marie Osmond (Mother) was far too much.

It was a bit like a car crash, but I found that I couldn't turn away from it.

I hate it when the characters lie and it gets too extreme. Nobody in their right minds would follow through with the idea to pretend to be dating for so long, especially if they actually did develop real feelings for each other.

I'd like to see the two leads given a better opportunity with different direction, Etc, because I think that they were the reason that I did make it to the end, but there are other actors out there that deliver better for me without having to try so hard.

3.25/10.

This is a very enjoyable version of the fake fiancé trope thanks mostly to plenty of wit and humor in the script and the acting of Amanda Payton. She is adorable and hilarious. When the sweet tooth inflicted obstetrician stuffs a whole cookie in her mouth with her eyes daring the fake fiancé to say anything, I was sold.

Amanda opens a private make believe wedding gift registry for some retail therapy. When it becomes public all of her friends, coworkers, boss, and mother think our workaholic too busy to date heroine is engaged and act accordingly with unrestrained joy and a bridal shower. Her mother even remodels a spare room into a nursery. As one thing leads to another and she feels too trapped to confess the truth and is forced to recruit the handsome brother of a patient into being her fake fiancé. Even her future career rests on not revealing her lie. Romance and hilarity ensue as Sawyer "I wanna marry this dough" and the agreeable Landon become more and more entangled.

Unfortunately, Adam Gregory as Landon is too passive and not up to the task of keeping pace with the force of nature that is Amanda Payton in her role as Sawyer. He is conventionally handsome and just plain conventional, bringing nothing to the table other than his too perfect looks. There is no spark or chemistry although Amanda gives it her all. Marie Osmond is way over-the-top as the high-strung flakey Mom, totally unbelievable as a respected anthropologist, but she is funny. Will someone please tell her to get her hair out of her face though?