Joy for Christmas

Five stars for Sam Page. Minus for Cindy Busby. Can't for the life of me figure out why she keeps being cast in these movies - in Hallmark, GAC, and Lifetime. She is a terrible actor ... always plays the same character in EVERY movie. No different in this one. Thankfully she left Heartland ... she ruined it too.

Pair Sam Page with an actor of the same quality. He's awesome.

Sam Page is such a good actor, but even he couldn't save this movie. I'm not sure why they paired such a serious actor, who is so good at heartfelt roles, with an actress who is so different from his style. I try to like her, but her reactions in scenes are always so overacted. She comes across as a bratty kid in and adult body. If she would bring it down a few notches, she would be more believable in her roles. This was a nice story idea, but the script was poorly written. The only good thing about the movie was Sam Page. Too bad they wasted his talent on this movie. He works better with more serious actors like Lacey Chabert.

The story was OK. Cindy Busbee's character seems the same as all her other characters. The actress that played the sister was great. Maybe she should have been given the lead. She would probably have carried the part better.

Joy For Christmas (2021) -

I did not like Sam Page's character Jack at all. I just didn't connect with the cocky sports star type that he played and didn't really fit to be honest. He had none of the charm of his characters from 'Annie Claus Is Coming To Town' (2011) or 'A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love/Christmas Coincidence 3' (2020).

I couldn't see him giving in to her whims so easily, unless he really wanted to get in to her pants, which didn't seem likely. He was just so awkward in an odd role.

If Sam hadn't had a proven track record, I would probably have given up on the film altogether and I repeatedly felt like doing that.

Cindy Busby as Holly had an eternal optimism that was very annoying and she made everything too daft. Her dress at the end was absolutely hideous too.

The storyline was a very typical collection of clichés and a farcical concept where the leads had to come up with a massive event in a few days and in time for Christmas. It was even worse than other versions of this story that I have seen before.

The Step-Brother (Madison Smith) and Step-Mother (Lauren K. Robes) were stereotypically awful as well, as if they couldn't be bothered to explore their characters or give them any depth.

Not to mention the fact that her Sister Eve (Erin Boyes) could have done so much better than Bob (Wesley MacInnes) who was actually a bit grim and quite irrelevant to the story, as was their lacklustre flirtation.

The whole film felt like the people in charge were still working from old values, because I might have forgiven it more if it had been made 20 years ago, but for a 2021 effort it seemed more than a bit poor just two years later.

The ultimate result of the film was so unbelievable and I found it really unlikely that Jack managed to achieve so much in 24 hours. I believe in Christmas Miracles, but even the elves and Saint Nick would scoff at what they can achieve in these films sometimes.

As much as I like Sam, the performances overall and the story weren't enough to bring me back to this one again.

3.75/10.

The script is more original than usual for this genre, and reaches out more to the heart. The cast are on their toes, and demonstrate great chemistry. The plot and action get on a role and never lose momentum and entertainment value.

Sam Page and Cindy Busby balance each other out; he calms her anxiety, and she motivates him to do some good. Everyone can come away from this film feeling the good in life, and wanting to do something to make the world better.

Glad it is decent for my family's viewing. And Cindy, you one fine, pro actress!