Neuf Chatons pour Noël

I am not a big fan of redo sequels. The beautiful ending in Nine Lives of Christmas is undone. Marilee is across the country in a relationship with a different guy with whom she is sharing a vet practice. After Zach's beautiful grand gesture in the first movie, somewhere in the 5 years since he got commitment phobia again and now they are no longer together. That saps my faith a little in terms of the chemistry between Kimberley Sustad and Brandon Routh. Oh, it's definitely there,, but it's tainted just a little bit.

If two cats were cute before, two cats plus 9 kittens is even cuter, and they spread that cuteness all through the movie.

The story wasn't bad even if it did use the well worn old ploy of one person misunderstanding what they see.

Both Sustad and Routh continue from the previous movie with great delivery of mumbled comments to themselves or talking to their cats, Sustad especially.

Really not bad for a sequel.

It took seven years for Hallmark to finally show us what ever happened to Zachary and Marilee from one of its most beloved Christmas movies, "Nine Lives of Christmas." Was it worth the wait ? Well, in a way, yes.

The movie starts off with a couple of real surprises that leave you intrigued, and then it goes on to resolve those matters in a very interesting way. Sustad, as usual, is wonderful, and her portrayal of Marilee is honest, forthright, and endearing just like in the original movie.

Routh has matured as as actor and seems more comfortable in his role as Zachary. His scenes with Gregory Harrison as Zachary's mentor/father figure are quite good and realistic. The only problem is the script. It tries too hard to draw parallels to the original story and it contains what I call "filler" - a subplot that is intended to give the actors something else to do - that is unimaginative. Here, it is a silly advent calendar that Marilee's sister "found" after 20 years in their deceased's mother's lake house before it was "finally" sold. It's just uninteresting hokem that adds nothing to the story, which good filler should do. Nevertheless, it is nice to see these two characters back together and there is a really sweet pay off at the end. There's some good "extras" here, too. No one makes an entrance into a scene better than Sustad and here she does it again - this time in a stunning green dress. And keep your eye open for a little cameo appearance by the wonderful Paul Campbell, Sustad's frequent co-star.

Well, upon seeing the cover for this 2021 Christmas movie, I have to be honest and say that I immediately thought that I would be in for a traditional all-out sappy romantic Christmas movie that only Hallmark can produce. Yet, I opted to sit down and watch "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" on the notion that I hadn't already seen the movie, and also I am on a Christmas movie bender this year.

Sure, there were the traditional romantic cheese in "The Nine Kittens of Christmas", just as you'd expect from Hallmark, but luckily it wasn't over-the-top and it wasn't the sole focal point of the movie. So I will say that "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" was actually a nice sort of break away from the usual formula, which made for an enjoyable and wholesome Christmas movie with something for the entire family.

So writer Erinne Dobson actually managed to put together a wholesome script for the movie, based on the book by Sheila Roberts - not that I can claim to have read said book, much less even heard about it.

"The Nine Kittens of Christmas" stars Brandon Routh and Kimberley Sustad, and they actually carried the movie quite well together.

And there is just something about cats in movies that work out so well, so if you enjoy cats and kittens, then you are in for a treat here.

While "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" is not going to become a Christmas classic for me, it is certainly a movie that was well-worth taking the time to sit down and watch.

My rating of director David Winning's 2021 movie lands on a six out of ten stars.

7/10 - this sequel 7 years detached from the original is a nice return to one of Hallmark's best Christmas movies to date, but still can't quite match the quality of its beloved predecessor.

Given that 'The Nine Lives of Christmas' is a Hallmark fan favorite, and I did enjoy the movie myself, I naturally was looking forward to seeing this new installment, knowing full well that sequels rarely meet fans' expectations. So, how was it, you ask? This Christmas movie (for cat lovers) checks all the boxes for, what I like to call, a classic Hallmark movie: a warm and cute story with a decent script, strong performances all around, and plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer (arguably, it's more Christmassy than the first). That said, though enjoyable, 'The Nine Kittens of Christmas' had less of an impression on me than the first, I'm afraid. Our protagonists in this sequel are again Marilee (played by Kimberley Sustad) and Zachary (played by Brandon Routh). Marilee, who has finished veterinary school and started her own practice since we saw her last, takes some time off to visit her family this Christmas. Zachary, who has been coming into his own at the firehouse, is looking forward to a ski trip this Christmas. His plans, however, change when he finds a box of abandoned kittens. Shortly thereafter, Marilee and Zachary are thrown back together, and then, join forces to search for new homes for the kittens, who are named after Santa's reindeer, of course. And so, our story begins as we watch these two begin to reconnect and rediscover their love for each other. Unlike some viewers, I didn't mind the unexpected shift in the plot at the start or the backstories that set this up. I thought the writers did a decent job of capturing much of the dynamics between Marilee and Zachary from the first film. Moreover, the dialogue and interaction between the two were strong. There were a few noticeable shortcomings, however. The writers could have done a better job of developing Routh's character (Zachary), especially regarding his lack of confidence (in relationships). I enjoyed the bonding between Marilee and Jaclyn (played by Stephanie Bennett); it is clear the writers were keen to develop this. Unfortunately, the inclusion of the advent story seemed forced. There was potential here that was never really developed, I thought. The acting, overall, was strong, and the chemistry between Sustad and Routh was good (believable). Sustad, in particular, had a brilliant performance. It pulled me in. For example, you could feel her struggling with her feelings for Zachary on-screen. Routh had a strong performance, though he could have given us a bit more emotion (and passion) at times. The supporting cast was excellent, and it was great seeing them on-screen together again. And then there are the kittens (aka Santa's reindeer), Ambrose, and Duchess (Marilee's new cat). Very adorable performances all around. The scenes where Zachary and Marilee talk to Ambrose and Duchess are fun to watch. Really enjoyed them. All in all, 'The Nine Kittens of Christmas' is a warm, cute, and fun movie. Maybe not as good as the first, but entertaining nonetheless. A nice new edition to Hallmark's 2021 Christmas movie line-up.