The Holiday Stocking

Yes, this is another movie where an angel goes back to earth to resolve a problem from the angel's past life - this time, it's reuniting his estranged sisters.

But, this really works because of the really fine writing by Cas Sigers-Beedles which is sharp, with realistic dialogue and enough twists and laughs to keep the story really interesting and fun to watch. It also works because the acting is excellent - the leads: Tamala Jones, Nadine Ellis, and a wonderful B. J Britt as the angel, are just terrific, and the rest of the cast supports them with nice performances as well. It's all here - humor, warmth, some spark, a little intrigue, and a little sadness, all played by the cast with sincerity, spirit, and genuine feeling.

A pleasure to watch all around.

The Holiday Stocking (2022) -

It was a different story and one that I wasn't expecting to even get through. Based on the TV images and IMDB thumbnails, it looked over the top and cheesey, but I was soon engaged and enjoyed the way that the story went, not focussing on romances, although there were some, but rather concentrating on the idea of family at Christmas and reuniting estranged sisters.

Overall I felt that it was enjoyable, heartfelt and easy to connect with. In fact the whole production was well done and a new spin on the Heavenly intervention of a Guardian Angel at Christmas trope, whilst also being cheerful and festive.

Nobody gave a bad performance and while some of it was a bit of a stretch, nothing was so unbelievable that I couldn't get on board with it.

I might have liked handsome men to come in to the ladies lives more prominently, which they probably could have achieved with just another ten minutes, but I did appreciate that the focus was on the family relationship this time.

A film that was full of the importance of family and shared the joy of the season will always be alright by me and I would definitely look to watch this one again in the future.

7/10.

This time the angel is part of a deceased brother and his targets are his sisters who have become bitterly estranged. The journey is a rocky one with a lot of anger which is expressed mostly in words and turning away from each other. Romance is not really a focus in this story, although one of the sisters develops a new relationship.

There is a strong emphasis on charity work which was a big family tradition when these siblings were children. Dani is a rich CEO and her motives are questioned by both her sister and potential beau. This rich snob softens considerably as the story progresses.

The acting is good and the script is decent. There were not any real highs or lows or surprises.

'The Holiday Stocking' (2022)

Opening thoughts: The previous 2022 Hallmark Christmas films were pretty patchy. There were some good ones, 'Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas' in fact was great. There were some bad ones too, such as 'Christmas Bedtime Stories' and 'A Maple Valley Christmas'. It is always good to see non-Hallmark regulars in lead roles and here the leads were relatively unfamiliar names to me. Have no problems with many actors and actresses being featured regularly as there are Hallmark regulars who have consistently impressed, just that it is nice to have new actors to shine.

While not as great as 'Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas', 'The Holiday Stocking' was very well executed, well-meaning and poignant. As far as 2022 Hallmark Christmas films go, 'The Holiday Stocking' is one of the best ones. Also one of the best 2022 Christmas films in general, being one of the few to be close to great. It is another example of serious themes and drama being done well by Hallmark, one of the best from 2022 to me.

Bad things: It is not flawless, though there is little wrong with it. For my tastes, it could have been longer by about 10-15 minutes in order to flesh out some of the supporting characters more.

Particularly the male roles, here on the underwritten side.

Good things: However, 'The Holiday Stocking' is very well acted by the whole cast. BJ Britt in particular has some very powerful dramatic moments, particularly when opening up (very difficult to do and worthy of admiration whenever anybody does it). It was very easy to care for the characters, ones that will resonate for anybody who has had, or has, dysfunctional family relationships (speaking from experience).

Furthermore, 'The Holiday Stocking' is very sincere emotionally and true to life. It never feels melodramatic, a very easy trap in this type of film and fallen into a lot, or overly sappy. The ending did make me cry. The twistier parts of the story didn't come over as predictable, too simple or/and shoehorned, a surprise actually. The script flows well and is well meaning and honest with little fluff, filler or mawkishness. It is beautifully filmed, with lovely scenery, and appropriately scored.

Closing thoughts: Overall, very well done.

8/10.

I really debated on watching this because I thought I wasn't going to like it for some reason. Maybe the typical angel comes back and saves the day like a lot of other movies. Not that some of these haven't been really good, I just wanted different stories this year. But, even though this was still based around that concept, the movie dealt more with the sisters and their lives. It showed how families can grow apart without even realizing. It centered on forgiveness and love. Showing such an accurate description of what Christmas is all about. The scenes where the brother/angel admitted his part in the breakdown of his family were very emotional. The ending was beautiful and I found myself tearful several times. Really good movie.