Christmas on Candy Cane Lane

I read the other reviews and thought I would write one. I found this movie hiliariously funny while teaching valuable life lessons on how to get along with others and forgive. Definitely worth the watch! All of the cast were perfect for their roles! Great to see Andrea Barber in a leading role for the first time!! Andrea was true to her personality--seriously funny!! I loved Dan Payne, Devon Alexander, and the ladies that played Tilda and Mrs. Walters. I enjoyed this movie tremendously! If you want funny and heartwarming, you will find it when watching this movie! Thank the Lord for a movie that contains clean, funny, true to life mishaps!! Enjoy!!

This was an okay movie - guess they can't all be show-stoppers. Most of the cast was pretty good and worked well together. Too bad they were not listed in the cast listing on IMDB. The leads were awkward together. At times cringy to watch. Dan Payne definitely is a much more seasoned and polished actor than Andrea Barber. The daughter was a genuine trooper in her role and the police officer/ friend was awesome and her humor was fun, along with handyman Devon (again, neither of them were credited and both had sizable roles - why?). I agree with one of the other reviewers about Andrea Barber's lack of skill. Either she just doesn't have the depth for a lead role or was woefully unprepared. The plot kept jumping from one storyline to another, hard to follow(or care about) most of them.

Overall, it's a decent movie as long as your expectations aren't too high. Just could have been so much better. I'd say the director needs more experience or skill since that's where the cohesion should have come from. Choppy and labored and stilted.

This is so hectoring and hard to take seriously. I gather this is intended to be a "film with a moral" but, if you want to produce a film that extols the virtues of reconciliation and renewal, you do need to write a believable screenplay.

I really struggled to see Rob (played by Dan Payne) as a well-rounded and consistent character. If someone had been through a traumatic experience, wouldn't he have at least shown some small amount of nervousness about jumping back in the deep end?

Since this is really built on the past, present and future of the relationship between Rob and Ivy (played by Andrea Barber), it fails to enthrall because the way their relationship evolves is simply implausible. So, all in all, a real dud of a Christmas film.

If not for Dan Payne, this wouldn't be worth the time it takes to watch. I'm not sure who decided Andrea Barber could carry the lead in a movie, but they were wrong. She is cute, and would be fine in a supporting role. It actually looks as if they are trying to hide a pregnancy, but at 46, I think she is too old for that.

The movie tries to be heart-warming but just doesn't get there. At times it goes for silly, and doesn't quite make that work either.

Dan and Andrea have zero chemistry as a divorced couple trying to keep things good for their teen daughter as the holidays approach.

Throw in an obnoxious neighbor, a prankster, a female cop dealing with the tragic death of her fiancé, and a veteran trying to woo her, and you end up up with 90 minutes of meh.

One of the worst I've seen from GAF.

Christmas On Candy Cane Lane (2022) -

I did not like Andrea Barber in the lead role of Ivy, but Dan Payne was much better in his role of Rob and certainly more charming than his character was in 'How To Fall In Love By Christmas' (2023).

I didn't think that the two actors worked together either. I could understand why Rob had left her, because it's all very well being a strong independent woman, but independence is knowing when to ask for and accept help.

Dan was just so fricking hot though! I'd like to sit on his lap as Santa or not. Those eyes and that softly spoken voice - Yum!

The cranky neighbour Mrs. Walters (BJ Harrison) was way over the top. It was almost as if they wrote her in to give the actor something to do and there were a few others playing the ham and cheese a bit heavily too.

Actually the whole film seemed to be much more of an ensemble piece anyway, with lots of characters to potentially fall in love or cause problem and I liked the fact that to start with I didn't know who was going to end up with who for a change, although I did of course have my suspicions.

I do find it hard to see the fascination in something as specific as the light display event shown in this film, because it doesn't really happen here in the UK, where we might drive around and point out houses, but would never make a beeline for a certain avenue or cul de sac draped in lights or get out and wander around, mostly because light displays rarely appear on more than about 30% of houses and I don't feel the need to ooh and aah up close. Maybe I would if there were some planned arrangements with more than just lights like in this films case, but I'd probably still be one of only a few.

As for the actual story itself, sadly it wasn't comedy enough to be good for its humour and it wasn't serious enough otherwise. If they'd made it a proper comedy it might have worked better, because otherwise it just became a bit of a farce, with relationship issues thrown in as an attempt to create balance.

It wasn't the worst I've seen or ever will, but I felt that it could have worked better with a little bit more thought all round.

6.01/10.