Our Christmas Love Song

The first virtue is represented by the lead couple. The second one - the admirable job of supporting actors. Not the last - the atmosphere. Result - just a beautiful film about roots, romance and a song.

Alicia Witt shows her singing talent in one of this year's premiere's. I've always known her as an actor, since her days as a freaky little girl in Dune with a scary voice and puncturing finger and Cybill Shepherd's daughter in the imaginatively named Cybill, but since then she's proved her singing credentials in Nashville as well as her own albums and tours. Hallmark gives her the chance to sing and act and make a Merry Christmas.

Miss Witt plays Melody Jones, a country star(luckily she was in Nashville then wasn't it!) who is accused of plagiarising a song by her aging former partner who is no longer as successful as her, now alarms bells should be ringing straight away, so she has to return home to find the evidence that her Dad wrote the song with her. At home is her Mum, sister and niece(whose Dad is in the army and not returning home for Christmas - I have three out of three for army Dad's in Hallmark films this week, surely I get a collectors sticker for that!), her old music teacher, her old love interest, a town needing a Christmas song/production put on and the most amount of Christmas trees outside of a house and wreaths inside of a house that I have ever seen and as you know I have seen a fair few of these films).

Anyway, Miss Witt, sings amazingly well, treats her rival with honour and respect and generally makes you want her to sing Christmas songs to a family whilst snow falls outside and Mulled Wine flows freely forever! She finds the evidence, she finds true love, her niece even sings and so does her sister. The army Dad says hi via video link. Her career grows, Christmas is made right and everyone lives happily ever after but covered in a huge amount of Christmas trees - I mean, seriously what are they going to do with them all in January, it'll take ages just to take all the decorations and lights off. She's not going to have time to tour!

So, I've got Michael from Roswell, Riley from Buffy, Zoey from Cybill, a huge daytime TV star, a star from Fuller House. Hallmark continues to develop he careers of ex-teenage stars into a happily adult world.

Explain to me why she needs the sheet music since she has at least two people outside her family that can testify to hearing the song (and sounds like one helped perform it) long before Connie came out with her song. This is a detail I just can't enjoy the rest of the movie as a result especially since there is so much screen time devoted to it. But without the focus on the sheet music, we couldn't have had the surprise of the ultimate resolution, which I guessed early in the movie when the clue was given the first time. They did come up with a couple of nice twists at the end (even if some of it was very predictable).

Even without that problem, the story seemed forced but as noted, it smoothed out toward the end.

I am a huge Alicia Witt fan. But I can't say I thought she acted well in this movie. I didn't see the chemistry between Chase and Melody. There wasn't enough screen time between the two of them to show it (because too much was spent moaning about the plagiarism accusation).

But I loved the fact that she and others got to perform songs including original music. She posted that she isn't a guitar player (as she said, "not yet"). But she is a very talented singer, songwriter, and piano player.

I would like to see more Christmas movies like this where musically talented actors sing more than one song.

I try to watch as many Hallmark movies as I can, so this one made it to the DVR.

I want to like Alicia Witt. I really, really do. But she seems to only play, lately, the sugary sweet, sappy, too nice for her own good kind of person. She usually does this voice that sounds like she wants to be looked upon as the weak and childish woman who needs help tying her shoes. All that's missing is a pout. I'd love to see her as a character with a stronger, more assertive voice.

Also, the writing for this seems more than a little formulaic. I rolled my eyes when, in the beginning, she reminded her mentor she came to Nashville as a young girl with her "guitar and a dream."

Really? Could we toss a few more clichés in there?

As others have mentioned:

If there are SO many people who remember her performing her song while still in high school, ten years before the other song came out, why aren't they slapping some signatures down on some affidavits?

AND - for someone who so desperately needs this sheet music, she's sure not putting a lot of effort into finding it. Her quest is interspersed in the story almost as an afterthought. "Oh, yeah, so long as I'm here..."

I reached a point in the movie where I think a clue was given as to what happened to it, but haven't gotten to the end, yet, so...

This is a great premise for a movie, lost sheet music, but it could have been more solidly put together. There could have been some funny moments created in this, involving her hunt for the sheet music.

Also, I'm not loving her hair in this movie. I know that's a petty thing to mention, but I'm starting to see more flaws in the movies, which detract from my enjoyment of them. In addition, I started seeing smile lines around her eyes, which is fine. Grow old gracefully, I always say, and never deny your age. It's an earned right. But, she's still playing people in their 20's and 30's and it's getting harder and harder to accept. How about Hallmark letting her be her age? Let's let her be a mom of older children, for a change, instead of the ingenue?

Outstanding music and a terrific cast. The banter between Witt & Hines was exactly like a couple with a long standing relationship would talk. They were fun to watch

The music rates a big 10. The secondary cast rates a 10 as a very talented group. The story rates a 10. It was a balance of fun and life's challenges.

My take away stars are due to Alicia Witt's presentation. She is a very accomplished actress, you enjoy watching most of her movies. However, the question must be raised about casting a 44 year old to act like a 24 year old. The story explains an older person, the dialogue doesn't deliver it.

I am very hesitant to say-Ms. Witt takes off 10 pounds, but it doesn't translate to taking away 10 years. Her wardrobe showed a draping neck and didn't define the character she was portraying with her clothing. The hair was lackluster. Hallmark help your cast.

Hallmark should embrace this talented actor with stories that have depth for a woman of her range.

Disappointed in Hallmark not the movie.