Cranberry Christmas

This movie was a little slow, but the cast was so good. I enjoyed it but wouldn't go out of my way to watch again.

Nobody should watch Hallmark films with massively high expectations, their Christmas output particularly. If a Hallmark fan or wanting to see as many Christmas films as possible, expectations would understandably be higher. They are very formulaic with most of them being more of the same narratively and structurally, apart from sporadic attempts at changes of pace. There are a fair share of them though that are surprisingly above average and even good amidst the many average and less ones.

The 2020 output from Hallmark did vary in quality but was not near as bad or wildly uneven as it could have been. None of the films from the batch were really terrible, and a small handful of them were actually very good. Along with 'Five Star Christmas', 'Cranberry Christmas' is one of the very good ones and benefits from trying to do something outside the norm and the presence of the reliable Niki Deloach in the female lead role. 'Cranberry Christmas' is a fine example of why Hallmark's Christmas output or even Hallmark in general should not be immediately scorned at.

It drags a little early on where the film takes a little time to get going.

Did think too that the grandmother could have been written and played with more subtlety as she did jar slightly with everything else.

'Cranberry Christmas' succeeds very well everywhere else though. It is visually pleasing and has a professional look. The appropriately festive locations especially. Enough of the soundtrack is nostalgic and pleasant enough. The direction is accomodating while not going through the motions. Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres don't overplay, any mannerisms not overdone, and neither do they hold back too much. Deloach especially is very good and the main reason to see the film. Their likeability shines through and their chemistry charms, personally actually thought it was there.

Moreover, the dialogue is tighter and less stilted than a lot of Hallmark Christmas films and the cheese and sentiment isn't as much. The story raises some important relevant issues in a tactful manner, making the film heartfelt at points, it also engaged me and was charming and heart-warming while not taking itself too seriously. Did appreciate too that there was more to usual. The characters may be well worn cliches, but they came over to me as likeable enough and any negative character traits didn't come over as over the top like can be the case in Hallmark Christmas films. Actually cared for these characters, not the case with a lot of recently seen Christmas films.

In conclusion, very well done and even very good. One of the best 2020 Hallmark Christmas films easily and one of the few highly recommended. 8/10.

Potentially, there was a really good movie to be found within the broad outlines of the overall situation and the plot. In this adaptation, however, while the actors pleasantly went thorough their assigned paces to reach a meaningful conclusion, there was almost no chemistry between any combination of the actors -- just a little, here and there. No Zing! No spark. Kind of like watching paint dry.

This is a mature and well acted offering that explores what it takes to have a happy marriage despite the challenges. Nikki DeLoach and Ben Ayers were fantastic and have wonderful chemistry. It was like they were really married and in love. They were a perfect match. Nikki is so sincere in her delivery, you really believe that everything that comes out of her mouth is from her heart. The whole cast was great, except grandma was a little teensy bit over the top. Sorry Grandma. The script was excellent with humor, heart, and a few tender moments. And it managed to avoid most of the Hallmark set pieces. Even the big misunderstanding near the end was handled with maturity and aplomb. The challenges to the happy ending were complex and real. No phony silliness at all. A breath of fresh air.

There's been quite a few Christmas movies I've watched this holiday season that had a bit too much unnecessary giddiness in them. But this one was an enjoyable watch. No over the top giddiness, the characters were likeable and it had a good story. The leads had great chemistry together and the supporting cast did well too. I would definitely recommend this to family and friends.