Christmas à La Carte

Christmas A La Carte (2021)-

It's hard to believe that either of the leads could get a partner, they're both horrible people and don't really seem to get any better as the story progresses. I did like his intention to spend more time with his daughter, but it's easy to see that it won't last.

To start with, I thought that his quirky look might be attractive, but he really didn't grow on me. In that respect they were perfectly matched, because I didn't like her face either. If I had realised that I didn't like him sooner, I would have turned it off, although it's not the worst I've ever seen. I tend to watch the ones with people that I like in so it keeps my interest and skip the others, as life's too short to watch uggo's!

It's not overly Christmassy and could have been set at any time of the year with the same results.

With that said, the story in general is nice and the acting is okay too. With nicer actors and better direction I think that they could have had a bigger hit, but this didn't appeal to me and I doubt I'll watch it again in the next 5-10 years.

5ish/10?

I tried watching Christmas à la Carte in German, but the synchronization was such a disaster that I couldn't make it past the first 5 minutes. The complete absence of background noises - no footsteps, no ambient sounds - creates an empty, almost eerie atmosphere that makes it impossible to connect with the story. On top of that, the voice acting is so uninspired that the characters come across as completely unsympathetic. It feels like the dubbing team just couldn't be bothered, injecting no emotion or effort into their performance.

This lack of care strips the film of any warmth or charm, making it a tedious experience to endure. The cheerful holiday spirit, which is so essential for a movie like this, is completely lost. I'm sure the original English version is much better, as no film could possibly be as flat and lifeless as this dub suggests. If you're considering watching it, avoid the German version at all costs - it's an absolute train wreck that does the movie no justice.

Although the script was predicable and had the usual snowball fight, cookie baking and misunderstanding it ended with the kiss. I thought the leads had good chemistry. I disagree with a previous reviewer who called them "uggos". When people judge a movie based upon the looks of the main characters, I wonder what the reviewer looks like. He also must be blind. In addition to being good actors, Erin Agostino is very pretty and Dillon Casey is quite the handsome hunk. The supporting cast was very good especially young Maya Misaljevic and Deborah Tennant.

I liked the fact that the houses were not decorated too "over the top" ala Hallmark, but I wish these LA set designers would find out what real snow looks like. You don't have to show the dirty snow and slush, but having supposed day old snow look pristine only emphasizes the fact it's fake. FYI, poinsettias are a tropical plant and would never be outdoors in winter and if we have outside events we clear the walkways and festival sites.

This movie is everything you expect from a Christmas movie minus the tired trope of "big city woman must give up career to find love". The dialogue is snappy and clever, the actors have great chemistry, the set design is lush, and both main characters learn valuable life lessons through trial and error. I also really enjoyed how food and recipes are used as story teling devices - a very clever choice by the writer.