The Jingle Bell Jubilee

It's probably because I've got a soft spot in my heart for sweet, little girls like Erin Agostino, but I was able to get to the end without yawning or eye-rolling.

The story here involves a a city manager who returns to his hometown and encounters an old school mate when he registers his son for school. She's now a schoolteacher who has invented a way for students to regift presents to people in need.

As there is a shortage of donations to the city's charity gift-giving program, the two devise a plan to take her program city-wide.

The story moves along at a reasonable pace. There is a plotline that each of them dates other people before realizing the obvious.

This is not a front line movie, but if you're looking for something to watch, there's worse choices.

This time of year, it's hard to turn on a TV without seeing one of these mass-produced holiday romances.

I used to say, "Seen one, seen 'em all," but with these things breeding like rabbits, they are sorting into definite categories.

This, alas, is not one of the better ones. Like so many of these, it's so by-the-numbers that you can practically recite the dialogue as it happens. It's like a story on The Love Boat bloated into a two-hour timeslot. All it needs is Gopher and Doc mugging in the background.

It's great that these movies are committed to no violence, gratuitous sex, bad language, or stuff like that. But they also left out good storytelling, dramatics, action, motivation... Oh, well.

He was the only reason to watch this movie. The script was ok, but the acting from everyone else was horrible!

Absolutely ZERO chemistry between the two leads, and don't get me started on the awkward supposed "chemistry " between him and the other girl.

Execution of lines from the other actors was on the same level of my grade 9 high school play.

The facial expressions of the female lead was way too distracting. Constantly looking confused, spaced out, frustrated and bewildered all at once. The scene when her and Marshall almost kissed made me laugh out loud. She looked absolutely frightened and he looked like when you're about to bump into a stranger on a sidewalk and you are trying to move out of each other's way!

I kept it on in the background as it was ok to listen too, but to sit and watch this mess, absolutely not!

I don't understand what world these characters live in. The movie is bearable, the acting a bit below mediocre. The male lead was attractive enough to keep me watching.

I don't know if it was the writing (or the acting just a bit over the top) but I've never in life witnessed adults (let alone a city leader, a semi pro athlete, a school administrator and a teacher) be so completely awkward. Everyone was just awkward around each other. None of them had a single bit of confidence in themselves. I wanted to shake them awake. How could they possibly be in the positions they are in acting the way they do.

All that makes it sound like I didn't like it. But, I've seen much worse, so this pretty middle of the road movie.

"The Jinglebell Jubilee" (2023) GFAM

Erin Agostino and Marshall Williams star in this Christmas movie. Both have done several romance movies so you may have seen them before. I really like Agostino. I think she is very good, and it doesn't hurt that she is lovely. Williams is a good as well. I admit it took seeing a couple of his movies for him to grow on me, but he is actually a pretty good actor.

The story here is a new one, and the twists and turns make for a pleasant watching experience. There are basically four friends--the stars, plus Kristian Jordan and Samantha Kendrick, all playing ring around the romance, and we are not sure how things will fall out until late in the film...but that's what makes it interesting.

I really had no problems with this movie. I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable. Give it a look, you'll probably like it, too.