A Magical Christmas Village

The story strongly implies that the family's Christmas village set has magical powers that intervene in the lives of the story's main characters. One thread of the story is the developing romance between Allison Sweeney's Summer and Luke MacFarland's character. Another thread is the family struggles that center around Marlo Thomas' Vivian.

I am more than happy to imagine how Chloe can use the village's magic to find romance for her mother whom everyone says over and over is controlling. As controlling characters go, I found Summer to be not nearly as bad as many in this type of movie. I resent that the movie implies that there is something wrong with a woman who is financially responsible and works hard to accomplish the tasks before her through her organizational skills. Summer has rules for Chloe and holds to them, but in a reasonable way balancing carrot and stick in her parenting.

Vivian seems to think that overdue bills will be taken care of by the Universe in its own good time. Even Summer's sister recognizes her mother's challenges. She and Summer have a running joke about whether a discussion about mom is a "five alarm" discussion. Yet she seems to take mom's side when these differences create conflict within the family. This entire premise in the movie turned me off to what could have been fun.

Sweeney and MacFarland have chemistry. The dialogue in the movie is good, although not as sparkling as some movies. The acting is good.

When I saw Marlo Thomas attached to this movie, I was eager to see it. I'm an original Marlo Thomas fan since That Girl back in the 60s. However, her role in this movie didn't work for me, and I believe that was a failure by the writers.

They went for kind of a zany hippy but wise character who was irresponsible but several times promoted the idea that "the universe will make things right". The dialogue simply sounded contrived and delusional.

I also found it painful to watch her. Marlo has done a lot of great things, including continuing to support and promote her father's effort with St. Jude's hospital, but she's also now a cautionary tale for any older woman considering plastic surgery. It doesn't look good on her ... at all. But with the face lift and died hair, they had her playing a role probably 25 years younger than her actual age, and that didn't work well, either.

More on just the movie. Despite us liking the actors in the romantic lead roles, I wasn't sold there. Again, just writers going through the motions rather than selling the characters and the relationships with something deeper than a magical fake pond causing him to suggest ice skating or some very thin dialogue about architecture.

This movie won't be on our rewatch list.

Allison Sweeney and Luke Macfarlane are better than this forced and fairly empty mess. Too easy to solve issues, too sappy and sugary and disgustingly sweet. Hallmark took an outline and filled it in with fluff and nonsense, but no heart. Why does the network feel it necessary to churn out mediocre junk in great numbers rather than make fewer but much better movies? The magic Christmas village was a wasted element that was tossed into the story to provide Christmas Magic? It didn't. I found Marlo Thomas's dated hippy philosophy and preachy tendencies distracting and annoying. (As was her plastic surgery face, especially as I am old enough to remember That Girl). I couldn't wait for the movie to end. It won't be on many Do Not Miss lists next year.

Agree with the other reviewer. Marlo Thomas's freakish looks were distracting and I found it hard to watch her. She has had more than one too many face lifts. Also agree her character was rude and disrespectful and the whole " just believe was " was very annoying. I found myself wanting to yell at the tv every time Marlo was on screen. Also I have always found her voice annoying.

She was in no way a sympathetic or likeable character. It was impossible to find any redeeming qualities in her character as a mother. Alison Sweeney as always did a marvellous job. It was easy to feel sympathy for her character.

The four main actors Alison Sweeney, Luke Macfarlane, Marlo Thomas, and Maesa Nicholson did their very best to make this a pleasant Christmas themed film, which they succeeded in doing. Having said that I need a heck of a lot more icing on my Christmas Yule logs than a run of the mill romance with a new handsome guy moving into town to sweep a single mom off of her feet.

Marlo Thomas's performance as the mom and grandma who lives life not only as a glass half full type of mom and grandma but more like a gypsy woman who can cure all that is needed for her family and friends. Marlo Thomas may have been in her mid 80's when she filmed this but you wouldn't have guessed her age with the expressive energy she has displayed of a much younger octogenarian.

It is an okay Christmas film but I must admit it's rather a forgettable film to watch once and forget about it.