Christmas by Starlight

When I read the story line I was a bit disappointed but these two did a great job and saved the movie from another predictable story line. They have great chemistry and had me laughing much more than most hallmark movies.

The best dialog of any of the Hallmark movies. Reminds me of snappy repertoire from the old classic movies. Good job writers and lead actors.

So I like a good Christmas Hallmark movie, but let's be honest, I usually roll my eyes at least a dozen times. Between the cheesy banter and predictable plots, most of my laughter is ironic at best. Not so with this flick. I genuinely laughed a handful of times, and though you could see what was coming plot-wise, it warmed this cynic's heart. I really enjoyed the two main characters, and would definitely re-watch this film!

I like it for the crumbs of humor, nice acting, for fair portrait of maturization and the accent to family history and values. For the fresh ingenuity of story, to. And, not the last, for leading characters, well crafted, wise used. To be honest, exactly the honesty remains the main virtue of this different, in some measure, in inspired way, Hallmark film. Nothing fundamental changed but the story is more rich in nuances than you expect. So, I admitt, I like it.

Despite the fact that the setup for the story was crazy ridiculous, there are still elements of the same old plot lines. Annie marches off in her pajama bottoms to save the family café from being torn down by the evil developer. The irresponsible son of the company's owner needs to grow up. Annie turns out to be brilliant. I had to get over hating the premise, because really it was all just a vehicle to let Kimberley Sustad and Paul Campbell give the audience some delightful sparring and great chemistry.

Campbell is a veteran at the irreverent and carefree male lead. I'm glad to see Sustad is becoming a regular for Hallmark as the leading lady. And as many reviewers have noted, these two have been together before. Both of these stars are involved in writing for the movie.

As I said, there are a lot of the same old plot lines right down to the final scene in the movie. It's all predictable. There's no real surprises and the only tension is that one thing you know will get resolved somehow. But this movie is about the stars (not to be confused with the starlight).