Duel à Noël chez les Mitchell

6/10 - I will be the first to admit that I was not blown away by Hallmark'a first Christmas movie with an LGBTQ+ lead, but I actually felt this one really improved where it's predecessor lacked: some good old fashioned character development.

I was excited to watch 'The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls', as I loved the one last year. From the 'Handsome Justice' clips and father jokes to the maniacal sibling rivalry, 'The Christmas House' was one of my favorite Christmas movies in 2020. And it was one of the funniest Hallmark Christmas movies I have ever seen. So, as you can imagine, 'Deck Those Halls' had a lot to live up to, and I am happy to report that it does not disappoint. It is a fun, clever, and cute film with several laughing-out-loud moments and even a couple of touching scenes to boot. The story follows the Mitchell brothers, Mike (played by Robert Buckley) and Brandon (played by Jonathan Bennett), as they compete against each other on a TV competition show for the King of Christmas. Who can create the best Christmas House this year? Hopefully, the two don't end up destroying everything that gets in their way. The script is great. The writers do a wonderful job again with the dialogue, especially between the brothers. The sibling fights are not only fun to watch but also feel real, a sign of some good writing. This time around the writers spend more scenes developing Mike and Brandon's (back)stories. That is, they add depth to these characters. As a result, we get to know them better, allowing the viewer to invest more in and engage more with their stories. The writers again do a wonderful job of developing the dialogue and interaction between the family members more broadly. Indeed, the family dynamics is what makes these two movies so successful, I think. The setup of the movie in this one is also fun to watch, as there is (competition show) interview footage of family members where they discuss the Christmas House, family traditions, and themselves. These are some of the funniest scenes in the movie. By the way, the magic guy makes an appearance in this one too. Speaking of magic, the cast, like in the first, is brilliant. The chemistry between the family is what makes all this work on-screen. Buckley and Bennett again have impressive performances with some great back-and-forth. I also appreciated the worries and vulnerability they brought to their characters, though in different ways. Though less screen time than the first, Treat Williams (as the Dad) and Sharon Lawrence (as the Mom) still have great performances. They were fun to watch, making me laugh or chuckle a few times (especially their interviews). The rest of the cast also does a great job this time around. Finally, there is plenty of Christmas cheer in this one, as you might expect when the story is partly about the Christmas decoration competition. All in all, 'The Christmas House 2' is a lot of fun from start to finish with some brilliant performances and great (on-screen) chemistry between the cast. It's one of Hallmark's best this season. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a third movie.

Mike is offered to be on a show called "Deck Those Halls" in which celebrities decorate houses and one is chosen as the winner. Mike and Brandon compete and the winner will be named "King of Christmas".

It was fun. The cast have great chemistry, specially Robert and Jonathan. They make those sibling fights so realistic. They fight about the stupidest things and yet it's the fiercest competition of all.

There a lot of funny moments, slow motion scenes and the interviews cracked me up. I didn't see those coming (I don't think they were in the first movie)

I also liked that they portraited a realistic relationship between exes, specially one where a child in common is involved. Once again, the love relationships are secondary plots but very important to the main characters.

It's a fun and good sequel. If you watched the first one, you should watch this.

Is it even possible for a second movie to be better than the first one? Yup! Better acting , better script and the chemistry between all of the actors was amazing. I really really enjoyed it. I also have to say I had no idea there was a second one , I accidentally found it on the plane. So it was Avery nice surprise.

Anyway I'm a Christmas buff so don't take just my word for it watch it and see it. I love it because it not just about romance, which most Christmas movies are these days , but it's about a family and how they celebrate Christmas. Anyway enjoy it . This is way more wordy than I want it but I have to write 600 words to be able to submit . Ha ha merry Christmas.

Handsome Justice is back and so are Mike, Andi, Noah, Bill, Phyllis, Brandon, Jake and the crazy magic guy!

Christmas House 2 could be called Dueling Christmas Houses or brother vs brother because Mike is asked to do a reality tv show that normally pits a contestant against some guy with great abs in a contest call "Deck the Halls". Unfortunately the great ab guy gets hurt and this sets up brother vs brother to save the show.

"The Christmas House isn't a Mike thing, it's a Mitchell thing."-Brandon.

The family gets divided in this ultimate Christmas challenge for the whole Mitchell family.

This movie got rid of all of the sad melancholy parts of the first Christmas House movie and upped the fun with the brotherly competition.

Not as good as the play that is "really pretty good"...that was such a great line.

Just as Mike is picking out a ring to propose to Andi...her ex, who is Noah's dad and a bit of a bragger, shows up. Noah is definitely growing up and he thinks he is too old for magic.

"I have these times when I think how great it would have been if we had just gotten together when we were young....and then, Noah."-Mike.

"No! Not a camera moment!"-Brandon.