Un ange gardien pour Noël

Have been on a roll watching Christmas films every now and again for a while. Especially the output of Hallmark and Lifetime. It has been an interesting experience, but also a very uneven one and at times frustratingly so. 'Holly and Ivy' did sound good on paper and while some of the synopsis sounded familiar, especially early on, it sounded as if the film was trying to not be too conventional. Plus with that many liked it, there was no chance of missing it.

2020's 'Holly and Jolly' didn't disappoint. As far as all the Christmas films seen as part of my Christmas films go, it is among the best and namely because it was one of the few recently seen ones that had emotional impact and didn't try to stick too much to conventions. 'Holly and Ivy' is not a masterpiece and it won't be one of my favourites any time soon, but it comes to talking about the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films this is among the best.

It is a bit of a slow starter, with the film taking a bit of time to get going story and script wise.

Do agree that Marisol Nichols never quite disappeared into her role and comes over as overly-restrained, even for a restrained character.

On the other hand, much is great. 'Holly and Ivy' looks attractive, especially the scenery, and the music has a pleasant and nostalgic quality that doesn't become overdone, over-emphasised or too syrupy. The direction was sympathetic but still gave the film momentum when necessary.

The dialogue is heartfelt, thoughtful and flows well without being self-indulgent or too flowery. The story is charming and moving, but instead of going down the cheesy and sugary sweet route that a lot of Christmas films in recent years do it takes a grittier and more serious turn. Without being overly-serious that it becomes dreary, without it getting preachy and without the shift being jarring. The charm and pathos, as well as heartfelt warmth, were still there even in these stretches while neither go into overload. The ending did move me a lot, easily the most heart-wrenching ending of all the 2020 Hallmark Christmas films and actually the only one to move me.

So refreshing too in 'Holly and Ivy' to have characters that felt like real people and ones that one gets behind in their trials and tribulations. Something not commonly found in recent years Christmas films. Personally thought Jannelle Parrish was fine and had charm and energy. Jeremy Jordan doesn't overplay or underplay, while Piper Rubio is adorable. As is Betty. The characters have a very natural and sincere chemistry, especially in the final third.

Concluding, well done. 7/10.

"Why blend in when you can stand out?"-Dr.Seuss "Be white hot and passionate."-Roald Dahl

This film has a beautiful cast and is about a sweet former foster care raised master of library science driven 27 year old woman, who buys a large dilapidated house to start working on her dream of working with children as a librarian. She befriends her next door single-mom neighbor, Nina, and her two daughters, Holly and Ivy. She also meets a contractor and want to be wood furniture builder who she becomes romantically involved with. Nina's lymphoma ends up coming back and our heroine Melody who was raised in foster care volunteers to take the girls so they won't go into the system.

Melody has these vintage elves for her Christmas tree that were given to her by her first foster family, every year for 5 years. These are still prized ornaments and as she says they are the hardest working in Santa's story and she could relate to that.

This was a sweet sentiment Christmas story about finding your own family, foster care and adoption.

"Help where help is needed, not just when it is easy."

Slightly different and very close to my heart as a story. Beautifully told and all the actors are wonderful. Left me in tears (of happiness). Well worth a watch - a delight.

My wife and I enjoyed this Hallmark movie after our weekly steak dinner and wine. Unlike most this one is filmed in Utah and not in Canada. Not that there is anything wrong with Canada.

Set in Wisconsin, it starts leading up to Christmas. A 26-yr-old single woman moves to town with a degree in Library Sciences, a newly purchased "fixer upper" house, but no job yet. Pretty quickly she meets a young man who runs a local construction business. They hit it off pretty quickly.

But the bigger story is her next door neighbor, a single woman with two daughters and a terminal illness. With no other family will the young lady, new in town, step up and volunteer to care for the two girls?

A really good story about friendship, family, and following your dreams. At home on DVD from our public library. One of the better Hallmark movies we have seen.

One reviewer stated there was a goof with the dog not aging after a year had passed. Totally wrong..the bit in the court showed a flash back of them having a photo taken the Christmas before so the dog would have still been a puppy. The next bit carries on the year later when the dog is shown as brown. Wish people who state there are goofs watched the film properly.

This is a lovely heart warming and at times tearful, but one of the best Hallmark films. I've watched it twice now.