Throughout my whole Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas film completest quest undertaken namely late last year through to early this year, an interesting quest but very mixed one, there was never the mentality of expecting a classic or the film in question to be flawless. Something that was never managed with Hallmark's output. There was always the expectation of seeing a film where one can see at least some effort rather than merely cash-in level. One could see that with most of Hallmark's output but not all.
'Love You Like Christmas' is not a Christmas classic, but seeing it the amount of effort that went into it was more than evident throughout. Hallmark's Christmas output has been very variable, the best ones being surprisingly very bad and the worst terrible. 'Love You Like Christmas' in many ways is one of their overall best, with almost everything done remarkably well and only a couple of things done imperfectly which was not unexpected in a way.
Have never expected much originality from Hallmark, and attempts at doing something different were quite rare. 'Love You Like Christmas' is not much of an exception, with the story being yet another variation on a very familiar and still done to death (for Hallmark) formula. So story-wise it is rather predictable with some slow spots here and there.
Perhaps the ending is a touch on the pat side.
Not much else to dislike otherwise. Bonnie Sommerville is a breath of fresh air, after seeing some pretty terrible female leads in other Hallmark and Lifetime films her performance here is among the better ones. Brennan Elliott is a very charming and equally likeable partner and they have a very sweet and genuine chemistry together (something that some other Hallmark films have failed badly in). Madison Brydges endears and is not bratty and too cute, her character also feels like a real character and not a stereotype. Which is true for the characters in general and how refreshing it was to finally have a Hallmark businesswoman character that isn't over the top annoying, Maddie being one of the few rootable ones.
Moreover, the production values still manage to be pleasing. It's not too drab or garish in photography, the editing didn't seem rushed or disorganised and the scenery has a real charm to it. Most of the soundtrack is nostalgic and appealing to listen to, capturing the festive spirit well. The script just about avoids being corny and saccharine, both of which are common for Hallmark, and the story is mostly very engaging, easy to be uplifted by and heart-warming. Oh and the dog is adorable with a capital A.
On the whole, surprisingly very good and one of the best Hallmark Christmas films. 8/10
