Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen

These people are wealthy, or wealthy enough. They have perfect skin and exist in well-appointed movie sets. Everything is carefully thought out, including the dialogue. They unwrap gifts on Christmas morning, and they float in an ocean of coloured paper. You don't have to think. It's made for Christmas. Who wants toi think at Christmas time? It's already stressful.

Most awkwardly is the use -- and I use this word "use" purposefully -- of the Af-Am kid, whom the leads, as babysitters, take out for fun and frolic. The attempt to be "multi-racial" is so strained it hurts. The kid seems to be in another movie altogether, one in which he has been abducted by these two white aliens with great teeth. Equally awkward is Erin Krakow, who, when it comes to dramatic turns, displays the gamut of emotions from A to B. Her facial expressions just can't stretch that far.

The only reason to watch this is guilty pleasure Luke Macfarlane. He is gorgeous and watchable, and plays the part suitably. I was in a hotel room when I came across it, and went to the hotel gym and ran on a treadmill and watched the rest of it. It was Christmas and it was fine.

Holiday enthusiast helps business addict lighten up and enjoy the season...meanwhile he helps her with her business acumen and he acquires an international contract in the process. Our heroine is sweet and I love her red and white peppermint candy scarf. Our hero is handsome and kind. I appreciated that they used a German Christmas village in their sets. Light holiday fun that we expect from hallmark.

We start off with the cliche of the "Holiday Spirit challenged exec", and it doesn't really get any better. That was disappointing, because there are three people in this movie that we enjoyed in other Christmas movies (Nine Lives of Christmas, Mistletoe Promise, and the "Finding Father Christmas" trilogy).

Here, however, the entire foundation of character interaction is built on awkward conversations. That would be OK, except there is far too much of it, and the actors try to sell it by "act cute", rather than just performing. The result comes off very stilted, unnatural, and at times just annoying.

This won't be on our rewatch list.

I love Erin Krakow in When calls the heart but this film is a bit disappointing. It has its moments but over all the story is just too shallow. Hallmark movies are of course Hallmark movies and you shouldn't expect too much depth but this script is just not good enough. The title suggest that it has something to do with Jane Austen but in reality it does not. Too bad that these two actors didn't get a better script.

I am biased I will admit. Not crazy about the two lead characters - they always act the same no matter the script.

Most of the time I can stomach the male lead. The female lead is annoying, as usual. But I liked Kimberly's character so I gave it four more stars than I would have done otherwise.