Christmas Time Capsule

This movie follows James and Tiffany, best pals from their childhood days in the Midwest. James asks Tiffany for an engagement ring he gave her for safekeeping before he enlisted. He's got plans to propose to someone else, but their trip back home stirs up old emotions.

During their journey, they rediscover their connection. Some folks thought the actors didn't click, but I found their bond quite genuine.

I won't spill the beans on all the surprises, but trust me, this movie keeps you hooked. Some people had mixed reviews, but if you're up for a cozy, feel-good Christmas film about friendship and true love, this one hits the spot!

The premise is a variation on the romantic leads are best friends from childhood. But now he is about to propose to his girlfriend and Tiffany is trying to stall him. One thing that is slightly unusual is that the rival, the pending fiancé, is totally likable. The movie gives you nothing in her character to dislike. That's the one exception to everything being wrong. The surprise that comes out of the time capsule is stupid and makes no sense. Other than that surprise, the movie follows the usual lines and has no great highs or lows or other surprises.

Mom is just stupid. I cringed at her appearances until late in the movie. It's a Christmas movie, so there is baking, but mom bakes cookies without sugar, on purpose.

Except for Emily Alatalo, the acting is bad. I found nothing appealing about Franco Lo Presti's James and certainly no chemistry. James was negative for so far into the movie that I couldn't understand why Tiffany was friends with him, much less thought she loved him.

I found this to be a very likeable rom movie. There is comedy angle with the little off the norm parents but they provided a fine background of a loving family. The story is the usual why didn't they each say something earlier but the years had gone by. There was no hystrionics, the characters were down to earth and all likeable. They just needed to sort out what they felt and wanted. Closer to real life. Franco Lo Presti is always good, providing a good reflection of the characters he plays. If you want a really rom-com -ie movie, with the emotional, teary female with silly interactions with the male and the best friend not so sage advice, this isn't it.

It is that time of year where I love to watch these type of Christmas movies. Randomly came across this one and let's just say I won't be adding it to my rewatch or recommendation list to friends. Bad acting is usually fine with these movies, but when the leads have zero chemistry whatsoever with each other, it makes this a big miss...

These two should not work together again. Not believable... The lead actress was fine, but the lead actor was not very good at acting. He should be a secondary actor at best as I did not believe him as a leading man as there was a smugness to him I did not enjoy. He would be perfect for the jerk boyfriend role, and not this.

The Tiffany character was way more unlikeable than the fiancé and I felt that there was no rooting interest in seeing these supposed best friends get together by the end of the film.

Much better options out there for your "Hallmark" Christmas movie marathons.

Christmas Time Capsule (2023) -

I would not have watched this all the way through if Franco Lo Presti as James hadn't been so God damn tall, dark and handsome, because his character seemed like an absolute lunkhead and really unpleasant from the off, without any sign of redemption, even half way through. I didn't want Tiffany, played by Emily Alatalo, to have to be stuck with him. She deserved so much better.

If he had been my best friend I would have told him what I really thought and I'm not talking about the four letter "L" word, but probably repeated use of the four letter "F" word instead.

She'd had a crush for so long that the poor thing couldn't see that he had grown up to be very unattractive on the inside.

He also didn't really represent the soldiers of the U. S. very well, with his minimal seeming IQ. I wouldn't want to be relying on him in my platoon, with his slow wits and generally clueless ways.

The leading pair returned to their hometown to obtain an engagement ring that Tiffany had, for some reason, placed in a time capsule and I was supposed to see him warming to her as they made stops along the way to enjoy various festive activities, but he just appeared to make mistakes, referring to Tiff instead of his girlfriend Ashley (Lindura), which wasn't actually a sign that he was falling for Tiffany or remembering old feelings for her, but more of his stupidity shining through.

If he hadn't been such a d!ck all the time I might have felt for them both. I could truly empathise with Tiffany, because I've been there so many times too, but I wanted her to realise that she could do better and meet someone new on their journey so that he could make Tiff happier and then James could marry Ashley, who was alright, if a bit pushy, but perhaps more suitable for him.

The parents Elise (Toni Ellwand) and Frank (Randy Thomas) were far too nutty as well. They didn't need to be so comedic, especially in those daft tracksuits. It felt like another failed attempt at making a comedy Christmas film instead of just making a Christmas drama with heart that features comedic moments, which for me will always work better, unless you can reproduce the magic and hilarity of 'Elf' (2003) or 'The Muppets Christmas Carol' (1992).

Overall the story could have worked, because the production was good, but James' mardy ass character let it down too much and made it slightly hard to buy.

Not one for the rewatch list.

4.56/10.