Holiday in Santa Fe

This movie roughly follows the formula where a business executive, Belinda, is sent to close a deal on buying a family owned store. It appears to be the usual "evil corporation" who will ruin everything good about the store. The movie didn't make it seem that important for the Ortegas to sell. There were no huge debts threatening foreclosure, but the case was made that business wasn't sustainable the way things were going. So Belinda meets Tony, played by Mario Lopez and the usual romance story based on this premise takes off.

It didn't seem like these were strangers starting a romance, but Lopez and Emeraude Toubia have chemistry right away. It always seems to me that Lopez is well aware that he is a big deal and that shows implicitly in the story. Yet he is so upbeat and friendly that you can ignore that. Toubia also is very upbeat.

There's a plot thread where Tony's sister Magdelena, played by Aimee Garcia, lacks confidence in her own abilities. She vacillates between fun and energetic vs a sad faced downer. I think this aspect was overplayed a bit by the writers or director.

The climax and ending is drawn out, but predictable.

A Gift Shop Christmas/ Holiday In Santa Fe (2021) -

As much as I loved Mario Lopez in 'Breaking The Surface' (1997) and before that he was always my favourite in 'Saved By The Bell' (1989-92), I have not been impressed by any of the made for TV Christmas films that he has done so far and this one was not an exception. He was also looking very plasticky, almost as if he was wearing a mask.

I did like the fact that Emeraude Toubia as Belinda wasn't a b!tch to start with. So often the execs are horrible and completely clueless at the beginning and have to go on a journey to realise the importance of the business they're trying to take over, but she was a nice character from the beginning, while Mario as Tony was the more conceited one.

Her assistant, Kevin, was so annoying though and overall the film was incredibly cheesey and none of them were the best actors.

I liked the Santa Fe "Mexican" element though and it was very cheerful. It certainly didn't have that gloomy filter that some of them have had and it was bright and colourful.

Early on, I had considered turning it off, because it did seem quite cheap, but I was glad that I stuck with it, because it was so cheery.

The final unveiling of the art by his Sister Magdalena however was embarrassing, because it was absolutely hideous. It's poor quality attention to details like that and poor props that are the difference between a good film and an okay one.

I wouldn't rush to watch it again, but the Santa Fe take on things did make it interesting and I would never say that I would turn it off in the future.

4.75/1000.

Gia, Mario's daughter steals the show. Nice to see family emphasized. My son-in-law is Salvadorian and has 5 sisters. They took care of him during the Salvadorian civil war. I loved this movie and recommend it to anyone with family. I originally watched it to see Mario Lopez. I'm glad I did.

The film did not them capture the true culture and traditions of Christmas in New Mexico. Not one reference to posole, red or green chile, biscochitos, or farolitos. The lowest point suggesting that tossing hams is traditional in Santa Fe. Give me a break!

True New Mexico food, art, and culture was represented with Mexican traditions, which are not prevalent in New Mexico. The movie only added confusion and assumptions to those outside New Mexico. Obviously, the writers and producers applied stereotypes that caused the audiences not to learn about the true New Mexican culture.

None of the Hallmark/Lifetime or related movies are good but they're usually okay enough to put on in the background and not feel too offended by. I mean they are all the same, formulaic, and predictable. This one was atrocious, though. The acting is so contrived, the story makes no sense, and the pandering to what the creators think is New Mexico culture was just awful. As some other reviewers suggest, these people really know nothing about New Mexico. The bigger concern I have, though, is they know nothing about movies and telling a story. I can usually at least find something entertaining- this was painful!