Christmas Comes Twice

This movie is another time travel redo scenario. Some things are the usual. The ending might be predictable, and the 'ship certainly is, but I wasn't sure until almost the end how it was going to get there. Will she stay in her home town? Will she keep her job? I thought the possibilities were open either way.

I like the emphasis on science and I liked the make-it-fun approach.

Was it really so bad that there was no long Mr. Spock type explanation for the time travel? It kind of just happened and how wasn't important.

For me the big downside was Cheryl. I can't fault Tamera Mowry-Housley. She played what she was given. Unfortunately for me, Cheryl was an arrogant know-it-all jerk. And then suddenly she wasn't. I've seen it so often before. Some call it character development, but in these movies, including this one, it happens instantly. I checked the time and it was 1 hour 15 minutes in (commercial running time) and Cheryl was still being too smart for her own good. I didn't want George to get with her. Did Mowry-Housley and Michael Xavier have chemistry? I don't think there was enough screen time left to really tell.

Observation about science accuracy: You can't really see major constellations in a telescope. You don't look through a telescope through your bedroom window with the lights on. One thing they got really right - you do have to stay up (or get up) to really see a meteor shower. Prime viewing is always early AM.

Liked this one, especially how a number of characters grow personally as a result of the time travelling twist.

I really wanted to like this movie since I really like Tamara Mowry-Hously, but it was really slow and I gave up after about 30 minutes.

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

'Christmas Comes Twice' is one of the average ones, neither terrible or particularly good. It is not one of the worst Hallmark Christmas films of 2020, or of their 2020 output overall. It is also a long way from being one of the best on all counts. While not hating 'Christmas Comes Twice' and finding some good things about it, there for me wasn't that much to write home about and there are some significant issues here (even when trying to not expect too much, certainly not high art).

There are good things here. Michael Xavier plays his role with understated confidence and honesty and comes over as very likeable. Sheryl Lee Ralph brings a lot of spark whenever she appears and her presence was refreshing. The supporting cast in general were well above average despite the material not being great.

Production values are pleasing, with the scenery being especially beautiful. There are some pleasant moments in the soundtrack.

However, 'Christmas Comes Twice' could have been better and has quite a lot of problems. The idea here was good and interesting, it is just too safely and conventionally executed with little imagination. The story never really comes to life either, too much of it is slight and drags and motivations and everything with the science are not very well fleshed out at all. The ending is very rushed and leaves more questions than answers. Too much of the script is awkward sounding and lacks spark.

Furthermore, Tamera Mowry-Housley tries her best with what she's given but she never looks completely comfortable and instead flat and neurotic. Really disliked her character too, very arrogant and snobbish and she never really grows as a character. Neither does the chemistry between her and Xavier, which is very muted and that is being generous. The direction is routine.

All in all, worth one time watch but pretty average. 5/10.

So I know that this wasn't a Christopher Nolan movie, but the time travel aspect of the story needed a little more science for me (especially considering that the main character was an astrophysicist). I feel that the writers could have developed that part of the story a lot more or tried to tie in the comet that is referred to throughout the movie. "Journey Back to Christmas" with Candace Cameron-Bure did a better job with it's time travel elements.

Also, the scenes on the carousel were very awkward. Could it have gone faster? Or could they have added in more special effects or whooshing sounds? Something was off there.

Having said all that, this was a pleasant, above average Hallmark offering and it's always nice to see Tamara Mowry-Housely on the screen. She is a good leading lady!