Grounded for Christmas

Has the screenwriter ever actually flown?

The wardrobe errors have been mentioned but has anyone ever been offered a hotel voucher for weather-related delays?

I'm used to substitute locations - heck the Arkansas state capital was a stand in for DC and the Little Rock airport was passed off a Boston's Logan in a Chuck Norris movie - but the obvious lack of attention to simple details is sad.

One of my favorite romantic plot devices is the bringing a fake boyfriend home for what ever reason. This one did a great job thanks mostly to the great chemistry between the two likable leads. Cheryl Ladd as the warm and loving mom was a welcome addition. I have seen her also play a cold ruthless boss this Christmas movie season. She was equally believable in both roles. So that must mean she is a very good actress. And she still looks beautiful. The ex-boyfriend was really creepy, by the way. It was hard to swallow how Nina could ever had had her heart broken by him. Very cute and romantic ending

I really liked this movie. The lead characters had great chemistry, and I thought Julianne Guill played her part perfectly. I think perhaps Lifetime is trying to do more realistic Christmas movies than Hallmark. Nina is a commercial airline pilot who has had to struggle to be accepted in her industry (she's not a bookstore or bakeshop owner, thank goodness). She meets Brady, a fellow pilot recently joining her airline, who admits that rumors have unfairly painted him as a player, and he hates it. Even Nina realizes that she is pre-judging him without even knowing him. You can always find some leaps of faith, so to speak, in these Christmas romance movies, such as the airport being closed for several days. And the fake boyfriend ruse has been probably overused in romance movies, but it's still a popular premise (even in books), and I thought it was handled well. So many Christmas romance movies are goofy (lead males named Nick drive me nuts and the town having a Santa character who magically intervenes), and kudos to this movie for avoiding some of that typical sap. I enjoyed getting to know Nina and Brady. I even thought a sequel (never done in these romance movies, it seems) would be interesting.

None of Lifetime's Christmas films are perfect, though one should never expect them to be. Their Christmas output falls into three main categories. One is the surprisingly good category, which is on the same level and sometimes better than Hallmark's more prolific festive offerings. Two is the mediocre at best category, which is often quite a bit better than the worst of Hallmark. Three is somewhere in between of average and pretty good.

'Grounded for Christmas' was for me in the surprisingly good category when it came to their Christmas films. Is it a classic? No, and there are better Christmas films out there. There are also a lot worse and there are a lot of good things here. 'Grounded for Christmas' serves its purpose of being a film that is a relaxing way of spending a quiet December afternoon, one that didn't ever offend me and one to not demand too much from. Really liked that it wasn't as predictable as other Lifetime Christmas offerings and had a couple of attempts of being different.

Sure, 'Grounded for Christmas' isn't perfect. Not all the supporting characters are particularly well acted, the ex-boyfriend (a one-dimensional character and excessively jerk-ish) was badly overplayed especially in my view.

Maybe it could have taken a little less time to get going, it's a slight drag in the early stages. Not many surprises in the story either, which tends to plan out more or less what one expects watching a Lifetime/Hallmark etc. Christmas film that has a lot of similar elements to each other.

The story though is also very charming and heart-warming. Once the film got going the pace was efficient enough and it doesn't feel padded or repetitive. The dialogue flows well and avoids being too sentimental or cheesy, things that some Christmas films can be (am a fan of Christmas and of festive films just to say before anybody gets the wrong idea reading that). The two leads have a sweet chemistry that sparkles and helps give 'Grounded for Christmas' its heart.

Corey Sevier and Julianna Guill are both very appealing as characters not difficult to root for, both seem like they know what's they're doing, they never look stiff and they don't over-compensate. Even if the locations aren't authentic they still look lovely and they are lovingly captured by the photography. The setting was a refreshing one as was the basic premise, and the film even attempts not too badly a twist near the end that didn't feel shoe-horned in or implausible. The music is pleasant.

In summary, not great but good. 7/10

Nothing to expect about a Christmas film but being charming. And this is it. First, forCorrey Sevier. Second, for the story itself, for humor, ingenuity and complications. And, sure, for the atmosphere. Two colegues. A problem in routinethey becoming a sort of couple. And a predictable frame. And, not the last, rrasonable game with cliches. So, just charming.