On the 12th Date of Christmas

Was really quite surprised by 'On the 12th Date of Christmas'. In a very pleasant way. While there are plenty of at least watchable Hallmark Christmas films, there are very few that are great and some of them struggle to even reach mediocre. So this could have gone either way. The title was not as corny as other Hallmark Christmas titles and the premise was sort of intriguing, even if fairly typical but in a different setting/basic scenario.

'On the 12th Date of Christmas' is no award winner or a masterpiece, but that was not expected. It is not realistic to expect that from a Hallmark film, Christmas or otherwise. 'On the 12th Date of Christmas' is a very charming and surprisingly very well executed film by Hallmark standards, and not only is it one of the best 2020 Hallmark Christmas films (along with 'Cranberry Christmas' and 'Five Star Christmas') it is also close to being one of the overall best of their festive output.

Will agree that the side-plot was an odd distraction and felt irrelevant.

Also thought that Tyler Hynes' character took a while to get used to, he seemed too sullen and introverted at first. Not many surprises, quite easy to figure out how the loose ends were going to be tied up.

However, Mallory Jansen is perfectly cast and very charming and sincere. Once Hynes' character relaxes, Hynes also comes out of his shell and is every bit as likeable and honest. Their chemistry is very genuine and natural and it develops at a realistic rate. The film also makes the most out of it, and doesn't take too long to develop it or make it jump around. Jansen's character is a breath of fresh air while not being too perfect and Hynes' does become easier to like later. The supporting cast are solid and the characters engage and interest.

Did think that 'On the 12th Date of Christmas' looked good, especially the at its best picturesque photography. The music is fitting with the atmosphere and more subtle in placement and tone than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films, that are known for intrusive music. The dialogue has some corn but takes itself more seriously than most Hallmark films, with some welcome levity here and there, without being overly so and it has flow and heart. Also really liked that the film did something different from the usual formula and didn't execute it too conventionally, and did it in a way that was light-hearted and heart-warming.

Very well done all in all. 8/10.

Jennifer and Aidan work for a company that organizes scavangers hunts (i'm sure that's not a real thing) and they are paired up to prepare one for a famous Hotel.

When I first read the plot I thought it made no sense, so obviously I had to watch it. But I was pleasantly surprised. The plot was what I liked the most about this. There are no surprise twists, no "pre-ending" problem, just a misunderstanding from our main lady. Speaking of, I liked Mallory as a lead, i'm open to the idea of seeing more of her. Now Tyler Hines is another thing... he is not a favorite of mine but he was just ok. Good chemistry between the leads (I felt I was interrumpting during that final scene).

I don't think I will watch this again, but I quite enjoy it. The story was enjoyable. As another reviewer said, I would have loved to see more banter between the leads and to see Aidan cheer up more (but I think that's how Tyler plays his characters).

This is an interesting and fun story and not one snowball fight or wiping of icing off his/her face. Even without those tired Christmas movie crutches, the movie maintains a good pace because the leads have good chemistry together, and they're fun to watch as their relationship evolves. It's worth a watch

At first, our heroine, played by Audrey Hepburn lookalike, Mallory Jensen, got on my nerves with her lack of gumption, and too-sweet personality. At first I thought she was miscast as a girl with a mousy personality when she was so gorgeous. I guess she was, really, but the actress did somewhat overcome it with a nice performance. Then, to make it worse, Tyler Hynes, a favorite of mind, also got on my nerves. He was closed off, anti-social, and not a team-player. Even though he wanted a promotion to a position that necessitate the opposite of those personality traits! Oblivious. He, on the other hand, was cast perfectly, as he usually brings a gruff edge to his roles.

I stuck with it though and I'm glad I did. As Aiden and Jennifer started to work through their differences, and he learned to work with her, appreciating her talent, their opposite personalities added to their chemistry. Quite early on, Jennifer started to be more assertive, so it did not descend into never-ending frustration for me.

This was well written with an interesting sub-plot of Aiden's family home needing repairs he couldn't afford, and a very clever scavenger hunt through Chicago that the two were working on together. Definitely well above average.

I'm glad to see a bit more creativity put into at least a few of the 2020 Hallmark Christmas movies. Typically the same plot is used over and over. But this one is unique and much better than average.

The plot involves two people who work for a game company who are put on a tight-deadline project to create a game for a new hotel in Chicago. They end up putting together a "12 days of Christmas" scavenger hunt that incorporates historic Chicago landmarks and neighborhoods. There were some clever poems/riddles as part of the game, and you get basically a travelogue of Chicago too. The leads were also both appealing and there was genuine chemistry with a nice romance arc.

This one deserves to go on regular rotation on your watch list.