Un Noël magique

This had a lot of things I liked. Maybe I'll like it better with a second watching. The mom was annoying: angry and grieving throughout the entire movie. Negative about everything. Determined to be miserable. Refused advice or help from everyone.

The story itself was actually cute. Adorable puppies, good acting by the girl, and a magic stocking. The male lead could have been more upbeat, but it was okay. For the most part, it was enjoyable.

This was a different Hallmark Christmas movie, and I found that so refreshing. It has a pretty typical plot - a widowed mom struggling with Christmas, a pushy grandmother trying to get her to move on, and a little girl wishing for a puppy. But instead of just an unrealistic transformation of the actress to an oh everything's suddenly ok, you see a mom with real angst and emotion who is challenged by her mother to work through her grief and who wasn't afraid of the conflict that ensued. I loved the lead actress, Bridget Regan, who usually plays supporting actresses in Hallmark movies. She portrayed a much more realistic struggle with believing magic, with not wanting to move on, and she shows true emotion. I'm not sure why the reviews for this movie aren't higher. It was tense at times between the characters as they worked through conflict- and no people aren't always likable every stage of grief, but you still loved her as a character and felt empathy towards her which is so important. Perhaps everyone just wants the feel good super bubbly always cloyingly sweet can do no wrong lead characters. Bridget was such a welcome change for me. I hope they use her more! Both the daughter and the grandmother were also excellent actors. The leading man fell a little short for me.

Supposed to be cold and all snow yet all the license plates were from Florida.

Our family loves Christmas movies and we liked this one. It passed the doze test (no one fell asleep). It was a simple story with a little fantasy mixed in. Yes it was well done and we would watch it again.

The story was simple and warm with 5 main characters. The Christmas movies I haven't liked have too many characters with convoluted story lines. The grandma character really added energy and a personal touch using pet names like sugar and bug for her daughter and grand daughter. Great job on how the coin guessing contest was won and fit in with the magic stocking. Movie shows the little girl doing the right thing. Great all around.

As has been said quite a few times, Hallmark's Christmas output is very hit and miss. Some though are above average level, and there are some surprisingly enjoyable ones amongst the average and less films that there is in a good deal of in their output. Have been on a roll for the past couple of years watching and reviewing as many Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas films every now and again and it has been interesting despite the quality being uneven.

'Magic Stocking' for me is in the middle/in between category when it comes to Hallmark's Christmas films overall and one of the middle/in between Christmas efforts of theirs from 2015. Really appreciated that it tried to do something different with the female lead and its more serious subject matter, but other Hallmark Christmas films with serious and deep subjects have done this a lot better where characters and situations were easier to root for.

There is a lot that is done really well in 'Magic Stocking'. It is very professionally filmed and the locations are simply beautiful. While a bit mixed on the music (a common flaw for Hallmark), it didn't feel as overused or over-scored as other Hallmark films. The acting is well done on the whole, with a brave and poignant performance from Bridget Regan and Imogen Tear is very charming and likeable (one of the better younger performers of all the recently seen Hallmark films, this is an aspect they have always varied in).

Iris Quinn steals every scene she's in and gives the film a lot of energy, liked her chemistry with Fred Henderson. The script is well intentioned and honest, not sounding awkward or corny at all. The story is not perfect (neither is the script) but the conflict does have tension, it was touching and it did warm the heart when it let itself go. Regan and Victor Webster do have an appealing chemistry when the relationship starts to develop which it does at a realistic rate. Did like that everything with the magic was not over-emphasised or take over too much of the story, while not being neglected.

However, can see where people are coming from regarding Regan's character and the story's tone. Despite it being a very serious and relatable situation, 'Magic Stocking' did in my view go overboard with the grief suffering. It actually is realistic for people to get worked up when grieving over small things or struggling to come to terms with a trauma, especially if one has mental health problems or is autistic. It does though here get a little too disproportionate and made the film get too morose and over-serious at times, and with her being like that for a lot of the film's length it was not hard to feel depressed. A far cry from the light-hearted fare typically associated tonally with Hallmark.

While not intrusive, there are times where the music did spell out the emotions a little too much. The script could have benefitted from a lighter touch and the story is at times on the slow and sentimental side. Webster has sympathetic moments, especially later on, and his chemistry with Regan later is lovely, but his character doesn't have the biggest of personalities to begin with which made him come over as bland.

All in all, not great but above average. 6/10.