Christmas in My Heart

The leads were fine, but dudemans solo at her house was cringe. Movie was okay, but some things were overkill. I'd still recommend it overall. Hallmark knows how to get it done 8/10 times.

I really enjoyed this Hallmark Christmas movie. Both the script and acting were strong, and of course, it had a warm Christmas feel to it. As another reviewer has suggested, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries tends to have deeper, more meaningful storylines than its sister network, the Hallmark Channel. This movie is no exception and is an excellent start to this year's Miracles of Christmas series. Our two protagonists of this story are Beth (played by Heather Hemmens), a violinist who recently returns home after the death of her mother, and Sean (played by Luke Macfarlane), a reclusive country music star who is a widower and a single father. The two connect when Sean, unknowingly, hires Beth as his daughter Katie's (played by Maria Nash) violin tutor in preparation for the upcoming holiday concert. And so their romantic journey begins. The movie touches upon a number of challenging, real-life issues such as the loss of a loved one, interracial identity (e.g., being proud of who you are), and the raising of a child as a single parent. The script was well written (keeping in mind that this is a Hallmark movie). The dialogue was down to earth; that is, it felt real. There were some nice scenes, for example, between Sean and Katie. I especially enjoyed the banter between Sean and Beth regarding country versus classical music. That is, I enjoyed how they scrutinize each other's genre of music, which led them to appreciate and respect the differences between the two, adding, I felt, to the development of mutual admiration and their romantic connection. The acting overall was brilliant. Both Hemmens and Macfarlane had outstanding performances. The chemistry between the two was excellent. As noted above, you could feel this from the start via their banter at the music shop. Towards the end, when they were saying goodbye, I found myself wanting them to kiss, cheering for them to kiss, that is. I could feel the chemistry on screen. The supporting cast too was superb. Nash's performance as Katie was absolutely adorable. She is a future star. The movie too had a nice warm Christmas feel to it. For example, the holiday concert at the end was lovely. If you are in the mood for a more meaningful Hallmark Christmas movie, then Christmas in My Heart may be just what you are looking for. It is a warm and heartfelt Christmas movie with some wonderful performances. I highly recommend it.

I always enjoy it when Hallmark holiday movies include musicians and music. This one stars a country music star (Macfarlane) and classical violinist (Hemmens). There are a few musical numbers, which were terrific. I could have listened to a lot more of that.

Macfarlane also has a daughter he's raising alone, which introduces a nice family vibe to the romance. Grief is a theme as both the country music star and the violinist recently lost someone important. Both main characters are in multi-racial families, and the script actually brought up issues of racial identity (in a very light way) which I appreciated.

A really solid Hallmark movie worth keeping.

One con - Luke Macfarlane has a scene where he sings--there's a reason why he's an actor not a singer. But points to him for putting his heart into it.

I appreciate Hallmark's efforts to incorporate more diversity into their love stories. But so far they have not tailored the script to even acknowledge the difference in ethnicity or the unique challenges that an interracial relationship might entail. The black (or other) person of color might just as well be played by a white actor. It's been giving a new meaning to "color-blind." They don't in this one either. But they do touch on the complications that a white father might have raising a black daughter. The black mother of his late wife has a talk with her granddaughter while discussing her hairstyle options for a special concert. The young girl, beautifully played by Maria Nash, states that she thinks it would look more "professional" slicked back. The grandmother (Sheryl Lee Ralph) then takes the opportunity to encourage her to be proud of her heritage and her different hair and to be herself. But also, what ever she chooses, she will look beautiful. In another scene, the young daughter confides in her black mentor and her father's love interest that she almost quit playing the violin because she didn't see any other violin players that "looked like me." Also the father, Luke McFarlane, a favorite of mine, is overprotective of his daughter. He is a big country star on a hiatus due to the death of his wife, and although not stated, it is implied that he fears some friction or hostility from social media and the tabloids because of his black daughter. I was curious, and I checked the writers of this. And sure enough, one of the trio of women writers is black.

The love interest, also the product of an interracial marriage, is played with warmth and dignity by Heather Hemmens. I like the way she handled Luke rudely telling her to back off when he finds out his daughter has been confiding in her about the loss of her mother. It was well played. I won't critique the plot. There was a lot going on with Luke and Heather's career prospects and their different tastes in music, as well as their attraction to each other. Luke, who is usually in more comedic roles, is very effective in this more dramatic plot. However, I could do without his singing next time. Luke, I love you, and I suspect it was that god-awful song rather than your performance, but I was as stunned as poor Heather looked during the private audition of his new tune. She handled it with tact and kindness.

Sorry, but it was extremely hard to watch and listen to Sean play for Beth.... definitely not in Luke's wheelhouse....either cast a singer or change the script...