The Christmas Ring

Yes all Hallmark movies are predictable, but I like these two leads and the story was a little different than the usual. I liked David Alpay and Nazarene Contractor- I don't get the complaints. I thought they had nice chemistry, were both sensitive, thoughtful adults. Living in Los Angeles during Covid, with no snow, no Christmas pageants or tree lighting ceremony- is it all seems a little bit surreal, but I enjoyed this one.

This is my 11th Hallmark Christmas movie of the 2020 season. Thus far, this one is at the bottom of my list. Overall, it was a big disappointment. The acting was mediocre at best. David Alpay's performance was OK. I have seen him a couple of times in Hallmark films; his performance was similar in those roles. Nazneen Contractor, on the other hand, was unimpressive. Though her performance improved in the latter half of the film, overall, it was not so good. She did not draw me in with her performance at all. There was no chemistry between the two leads as well, which is a problem in a romance movie. The supporting cast, which Hallmark usually does a good job at casting, was quite mixed. For example, a Hallmark regular, Casey Manderson who played the brother (Scott), was terrible, while Kendra's boss (Colleen Wheeler as Linda) and friend (Kazumi Evans as Sarah) at the magazine both had good performances. The story and script were not bad, but due to the acting, I never was drawn into the movie (I was not engaged); I found myself on multiple occasions grabbing for my iPad, which is never a good sign. The scenery, props and sets were very polished, festive. I did find the atmosphere - i.e., Christmas spirit and a festive environment - to be rather lacking in this Hallmark film; this is something Hallmark usually does a good job at creating. Overall, this edition to Hallmark's 2020 Christmas season was a complete letdown.

1) No chemistry between the leads 2) Woman lead is a terrible - unbelievable, poor actor 3) The side story is stupid

Normally I like David Alpay - but he's not good in this movie! Very aloof and unlikable.

I respect Hallmark for trying new actors in these movies - but Nanzeen Contractor just isn't cutting it in this role.

I fell was falling asleep halfway through it - turned it off. I guess when I have nothing better to do, I'll finish watching it. Not at the top of my list ...

I really wanted to like this movie but the lofty, corny dialogue in scene after scene just made that impossible. I enjoyed Nazneen Contractor in her role, she was sweet, honest, dedicated, likeable and driven to find answers about the ring and herself. She seemed to have good chemistry with all the other cast, just not David Alpay. I found her to be believable, but not him, he seemed aloof. So the romance part didn't work for me, of course the eye-rolling, gag worthy dialogue didn't help matters. It's an interesting story, not necessarily one to avoid

The story itself was intriguing to me. A woman searching for the history of an old ring she came across and it leads her to a small town. I liked seeing a different lead actress, but I will say I'm not quite sure she was the right fit for this role. Her acting was a bit stiff. I enjoyed finding out about the story behind the ring, but the movie itself was a tad boring at times for me. Not a bad film, but not great either.